East dyke swarm has multiple Li-bearing (spodumene) dykes up to 27 m wide,
located 600 m to the east of the Kraken discovery dyke
St. John’s, NL –Sokoman Minerals Corp. (TSXV: SIC) (OTCQB: SICNF) (“Sokoman”) and Benton Resources Inc. (TSXV: BEX) (“Benton”) together, (the “Alliance”) are pleased to update shareholders on the drilling progress at both the Kraken Lithium and Grey River Gold projects in southwest Newfoundland.
Early in 2022, the Alliance completed the first-ever drill campaign for lithium on the Island of Newfoundland at the Kraken Lithium discovery on the Golden Hope JV Project. Six diamond drill holes tested the original Kraken discovery-dyke area where selective surface grab samples returned values from trace up to 2.37% Li2O. The winter drilling program verified the existence of significant lithium-rich dykes flanking the regional Bay d’Est Fault where hole GH-22-01 intersected 0.94% Li2O over 8.4 m. Important structural information was obtained from the drilling including the presence of relatively flat-lying dykes, as well as folding in the system. The flat-lying dykes are significant, in that the bulk of the lithium mineralization at Piedmont Lithium’s Piedmont project in North Carolina lies in flat-lying dykes linking subvertical dipping dykes.
In May and June, 2022, the Alliance constructed a ten-man exploration camp and mobilized an excavator and diamond drill rig to the project site. To date in this exploration phase, the Alliance has completed further mapping, prospecting, trenching, and an additional 2392 m of drilling in 13 drill holes. The new drilling has targeted the East Dyke swarm, which is 600 m to 650 m to the east of the Kraken discovery dyke, intersecting multiple spodumene-bearing pegmatite dykes, over core lengths of up to 27 m while also gaining a better understanding of the geological setting of the dykes for future targeting.
The drill program is shut down for a scheduled crew break with drilling to recommence in two weeks. The Alliance will continue with regional exploration in the area including mapping, prospecting and soil geochemical sampling over this large and prospective area.
Sokoman’s President and CEO Tim Froude, comments: “Drilling at Kraken’s East Dyke Swarm has delivered multiple significant intersections of spodumene-rich pegmatite with multiple targets remaining to be tested. We will be completing a multidisciplinary program to further define drill targets at this rapidly-emerging lithium prospect. At Grey River, the large silica system is being tested by drilling that will continue for at least another month. The size of the system is impressive, and we hope to determine regional controls on the gold mineralization as we move forward with the program. We are proving again through this exploration that much of Newfoundland has been underexplored, and what is required is an aggressive approach to drilling, something that has been lacking in the past.”
Benton’s President and CEO Stephen Stares, states: “We are very pleased with our success rate thus far on both the Kraken and Grey River projects. While it is easier to assess success through the visual identification of spodumene in the Kraken drill core, we are also looking forward to receiving and analyzing the gold assays from the Grey River project. Our collective exploration teams are hoping that we are in the early days of Newfoundland’s next wave of big mineral discoveries.”
More than 700 core samples have been cut and submitted to the SGS Prep Lab in Grand Falls-Windsor and then shipped to SGS Lab in Burnaby, BC for Lithium and multi-element analysis.
At the Grey River Gold Project, the Alliance is currently drilling hole GR-22-14, the ninth drill hole of a planned 15-20-hole, 2,000 m program designed to test the geometry at depth of units associated with anomalous gold on surface, as well as mineralized intercepts from the Phase 1 program. DDH GR-21-01 intersected three parallel gold zones including 1.80 m of 10.58 g/t Au (see November 25, 2021 press release). The gold mineralization is associated with zones of silica associated with disseminated and stringer pyrite (from 2% – 20% pyrite) in the >10-km-long quartz/silica body.
To date the Alliance has cut and submitted 400 core samples for analysis* at Eastern Analytical in Springdale, NL. Prospecting and mapping will be continued throughout the summer to assist with drill targeting.
*All samples are shipped to Eastern Analytical Ltd., in Springdale, NL for Au (by fire assay) and 34 element ICP analysis. Any assay returning greater than 1 g/t Au (1 gram per tonne gold or 1000 ppb gold) will be re-assayed using metallics pulp methods. Blanks and standards are regularly inserted as part of the Alliances’ joint sampling protocols, in addition to standards and duplicates inserted by Eastern Analytical Ltd. Eastern Analytical Ltd. is an ISO accredited lab.
QP
This news release has been reviewed and approved by Timothy Froude, P.Geo., President and CEO of Sokoman Minerals Corp., and Stephen House, P.Geo., VP Exploration of Benton Resources Inc. Both are ‘Qualified Persons’ under National Instrument 43-101.
COVID-19 Protocols
To ensure a working environment that protects the health and safety of the staff and contractors, Sokoman and Benton will continue to use best practices in the course of performing all work programs and will follow any future federally or provincially mandated or recommended COVID-19 guidelines.
About Sokoman Minerals Corp.
Sokoman Minerals Corp. is a discovery-oriented company with projects in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The company’s primary focus is its portfolio of gold projects: flagship, 100%-owned Moosehead, Crippleback Lake, and East Alder (optioned to Canterra Minerals Corporation) along the Central Newfoundland Gold Belt, and the district-scale Fleur de Lys project in northwestern Newfoundland, that is targeting Dalradian-type orogenic gold mineralization similar to the Curraghinalt and Cavanacaw deposits in Northern Ireland, and Cononish in Scotland. The company has also entered into a strategic alliance (the Alliance) with Benton Resources Inc. through three large-scale joint-venture properties including Grey River Gold, Golden Hope and Kepenkeck on the island of Newfoundland. Sokoman now controls independently and through the Alliance over 150,000 hectares (>6,000 claims – 1,500 sq. km), making it one of the largest landholders in Newfoundland, Canada’s newest and rapidly-emerging gold district. Sokoman also retains an interest in an early-stage antimony/gold project (Startrek) in Newfoundland, optioned to White Metal Resources Inc., and in Labrador, the company has a 100% interest in the Iron Horse (Fe) project that has Direct Shipping Ore (DSO) potential.
About Benton Resources Inc.
Benton Resources Inc. is a well-funded mineral exploration company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol BEX. Following a project generation business model, Benton has a diversified, highly-prospective property portfolio in Gold, Silver, Nickel, Copper, and Platinum Group Elements, and most-recently Lithium assets, and currently holds large equity positions in other mining companies that are advancing high-quality assets. Whenever possible, BEX retains Net Smelter Return (NSR) royalties for potential long-term cash flow. Benton has also recently entered into a 50/50 strategic alliance with Sokoman Minerals Corp. (TSXV: SIC) through three large-scale joint-venture properties including Grey River Gold, Golden Hope, and Kepenkeck in Newfoundland that are now being explored.
For further information, please contact:
CHF Capital Markets
Thomas Do, IR Manager
Phone: 416-868-1079 x 232
Email: thomas@chfir.com
Sokoman Minerals
Timothy Froude, P.Geo., President & CEO
Phone: 709-765-1726
Email: tim@sokomanmineralscorp.com
Benton Resources
Stephen Stares, President & CEO
Phone: 807-475-7474
Email: sstares@bentonresources.ca
Website: www.sokomanmineralscorp.com , www.bentonresources.ca
Twitter: @SokomanMinerals , @BentonResources
Facebook: @SokomanMinerals , @BentonResourcesBEX
LinkedIn: @SokomanMinerals, @BentonResources