US Federal Grant for Critical Metals Study at West Desert

American West Metals Limited (American West Metals or the Company) (ASX: AW1 | OTCQB: AWMLF) is pleased to announce that the Utah Geological Survey (UGS) has received a US Federal grant to study critical and strategic metals at the West Desert Project in Utah (West Desert or the Project).

• The Utah Geological Survey has been awarded a Federal grant to study critical metals at the West Desert Deposit
• West Desert is the only established resource of indium in the US, and also contains large volumes of zinc and copper
• The Federal grant highlights the focus in the US on securing domestic supply of critical minerals and the emerging importance of West Desert to the supply chain
• The results of the Critical Metals Study are expected to provide significant exploration and commercial benefits across American West Metals 100% owned land holding

No indium was produced in the United States in 2021. The West Desert deposit is the only established domestic resource of indium and is ideally positioned to potentially provide long-term supply of this critical metal toi the US market.

Dr Stephanie Mills, Senior Geologist with the UGS and principal investigator of the study said:

“We are excited for the opportunity to study the unique geology of this deposit and learn more about why so many important critical mineral resources are concentrated here.

“This study is a great example of government and industry collaboration and knowledge sharing to further a common goal: understanding what domestic mineral resources we have and what we can learn from them towards finding future deposits."

Dave O’Neill, Managing Director of American West Metals also commented:

“Geopolitical alignment of supply chains in the resources sector has emerged as an important global issue for governments.

“This study is recognition of the unique characteristics of West Desert and its importance to the supply of critical and strategic metals in the US.

“West Desert is uniquely placed in the US as an exciting development opportunity with outstanding exploration upside.

“Utah is one of the world’s top mining jurisdictions and I cant speak highly enough of the local government and mining industry. They have been fantastic to work with and have been strongly supportive of our strategy to advance this project.

“We look forward to continuing the relationship with our partners at the UGS on this important program.”

CRICTICAL METALS STUDY

The funding for the study comes from the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Mapping Resource Initiative (Earth MRI) program, which is dedicated to improving geological knowledge about domestic critical mineral resources.

The $300,000 grant will run over three years and is being conducted by the Utah Geological Survey (UGS). The UGS research will focus on how the West Desert deposit formed, the deportment of the indium throughout the deposit and mineral district, and exploration indicators that may help find similar deposits in the future.

The collaboration will allow UGS unprecedented access to geological information and data related to West Desert, and support research into how this important deposit formed.

The results of the study will be shared with American West throughout the duration of the project and will be used to assist in project development and exploration targeting.

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