Alaska Energy talks sampling at Angliers-Belleterre Mr. Gregory Beischer reports
ALASKA ENERGY METALS' 2024 SURFACE EXPLORATION PROGRAM REVEALS MULTIPLE NICKEL - COPPER TARGETS AT THE ANGLIERS - BELLETERRE PROJECT, QUEBEC, CANADA
Alaska Energy Metals Corp. has released the final results from soil geochemical sampling, prospecting, rock sampling, geological mapping and helicopter-borne versatile time-domain electromagnetic (VTEM) surveys completed in 2024 over its 100-per-cent-owned Angliers-Belleterre project in the Temiskaming region of Quebec, Canada. The purpose of the 2024 exploration program was to identify targets that may represent valuable metallic copper and nickel mineralization. Results confirm the presence of multiple undrilled volcanic-hosted massive sulphide (VMS) prospects northwest of the town of Angliers and multiple undrilled mafic, intrusive-hosted copper-nickel prospects north of the town of Laverlochere. This exploration work was 100 per cent funded from Alaska Energy Metals' current flow-through account.
Angliers geology
The Angliers claim block comprises a southwest-northeast-trending suite of bimodal, subaqueous volcanic rocks, which forms the northernmost part of the 2.6-billion-to-2.7-billion-year-old Baby group of the Belleterre-Angliers greenstone belt. Volcanic rocks include felsic lapilli tuffs, pillowed basalts, andesites and komatiite flows. Several banded iron formations are layered within the pillow basalt and likely represent ancient sea floor horizons. Gabbroic intrusions cut across the extrusive volcanic sequence and may represent intrusions responsible for the volcanic activity. Diorite and granodiorite intrusions cut across the volcanic stratigraphy on a northwest-southeast orientation, which may represent the vertical feeder orientation of the magma activity. A large trondhjemite intrusion is in the southern part of claim block. All the rocks currently dip subvertical and have been folded. This portion of Quebec has been affected by glaciation, with the interpreted glacial advance from northeast to southwest. Three main prospect areas have been defined during the 2024 exploration program and are described in detail below.
Rapids prospect
The Rapids prospect was explored with trenching and drilling between 1960 and 1970 by Silver Sceptre Mines Ltd. A trench sample, northwest of hole BX-73-704, collected in 1967 assayed 1.02 per centcopper. Drilling intersected interesting assays including: (1) BX-73-705: 3.7 metres at 0.13 per cent copper and 0.38 per cent zinc within a silicified tuff with up to 20 per cent sulphides; and (2) BX-329-63: 0.1 metre at 0.53 per cent copper within an iron formation with 10 per cent to 20 per cent sulphides. All historic drilling was shallow in nature with a maximum depth of 100 metres below the current topography. Drill collar locations have not been verified in the field and data from these holes and trenches are reliant on Quebec assessment reports GM20938 and GM22119.
In 2024, AEMC completed a 200-metre-by-100-metre-grid surface soil sampling program, along with geological mapping and prospecting over the Rapids prospect. Multiple anomalous zones of copper, zinc, nickel, silver and gold have been revealed that correspond with three northeast-trending VTEM anomalies. These results may suggest the presence of a copper-rich VMS system within an underexplored VMS stratigraphic setting. Several significant anomalous results from rock samples of gabbro and basalt with magmatic sulphides collected in 2024 include:
- Sample 135088 -- 738 parts per million copper, 134 parts per million zinc, 216 parts per billion gold and 1.31 parts per million silver;
- Sample 135027 -- 533 parts per million copper, 648 parts per million zinc, 15 parts per billion gold and 1.6 parts per million silver.
The presence of magmatic sulphides within the gabbroic intrusions suggest favourable metals may have been present during the extrusion of the subaqueous volcanic rocks. Historic holes drilled near these targets either did not intersect the anomalies or were too shallow to provide adequate testing. Planned follow-up work includes Maxwell plate modelling of the VTEM targets, followed by 2,000 metres of diamond core drilling to test for VMS mineralization/alteration halos to better constrain the geologic architecture of the system.
McBride prospect
A review of historic data indicates this prospect was first explored in the 1950s by Zinc Consolidated Company of Canada. Multiple holes were drilled in 1955, 1956 and 1969 to test massive sulphides discovered in trenches. All historic drilling was shallow in nature with maximum depths of 100 metres below the current topography. Hole 1 (1955) intersected 4.1 metres of massive sulphides and hole 2 (1955) intersected 4.7 metres of massive sulphide. Follow-up drill holes (1956) on these massive sulphide intercepts were drilled from south to north to test a south-dipping orientation but failed to intersect the mineralization. No assays were included in the logs for holes drilled in 1955 and 1956. Drill hole 503-3209 (1969), collared 1.4 kilometres to the east, intersected disseminated sulphides assaying 1.2 metres at 0.60 per cent copper, 0.06 per cent nickel and 4.6 parts per million silver. Drill collar locations have not been verified in the field and data from these holes are reliant on Quebec assessment reports GM 03648B, GM 20461 and GM 20462.
In 2024, Alaska Energy Metals completed a 200-metre-by-100-metre-grid surface soil sampling and prospecting program over the McBride prospect. Multiple anomalous zones of copper, zinc, nickel, silver and gold have been revealed that correspond to a series of five VTEM anomalies that align within an east-trending zone. These results may suggest the presence of a copper-rich VMS system within an underexplored VMS stratigraphic setting. Several significant anomalous rock samples containing magmatic sulphides collected in 2024 include:
- Sample 135040 -- massive sulphides (pyrrhotite, pyrite and minor chalcopyrite) -- 302 parts per million copper, 153 parts per million zinc, 1.02 parts per million silver and 0.5 part per billion gold;
- Sample 135042 -- silicified with up to 10 per cent sulphides (pyrite and chalcopyrite in blebs and stringers); 1,287 parts per million copper, 2,433 parts per million nickel, 260 parts per million zinc, 522 parts per million cobalt, 0.63 part per million silver and 2.0 parts per billion gold.
Planned follow-up work includes Maxwell plate modelling of the VTEM targets, followed by 1,000 metres of diamond core drilling to test for massive sulphide mineralization both at depth and along the east-west orientation of the VTEM trend and surface showings. Geological mapping, prospecting and sampling are also planned to investigate the larger VTEM anomaly located south of the first VTEM trend.
Vaseux prospect
A review of historic data indicates there has been very limited geological and geophysical surveys with no documented drilling on the Vaseux prospect. This prospect occurs within gabbroic rocks along the boundary of a large trondhjemite intrusive in a setting similar to the Midrim, Allotta and Lac Croche copper/nickel/platinum group element deposits located approximately five kilometres to the southeast. The Vaseux prospect is also marked by multiple VTEM anomalies, determined by a survey completed in 2021 by Pivotal Metals Ltd. (previously Rafella Resources Ltd.), that are very similar to a VTEM anomaly over the Midrim deposit.
In 2024, Alaska Energy Metals completed a 75-metre-by-75-metre-grid surface soil sampling and prospecting survey over the Vaseux prospect. Multiple anomalous zones of copper, nickel, silver and gold have been outlined that correspond to the 2021 VTEM anomalies. These results suggest the presence of a gabbro-hosted, copper-rich system that has never been drilled. Several significant anomalous rock samples collected in 2024 include:
- Sample 135034 -- rusty orange oxidized gabbro subcrop with up to 8 per cent disseminated sulphide, 1,434 parts per million copper, 0.34 part per million silver and 11 parts per billion gold;
- Sample 135004 -- light grey, strongly silicified gabbro with up to 3 per cent disseminated sulphide, 1,125 parts per million copper, 1.07 parts per million silver and 11 parts per billion gold;
- Sample 135017 -- oxidized gabbro float, disseminated to blebby sulphide with chalcopyrite, 390 parts per million copper, 0.05 part per million silver and five parts per billion gold;
- Sample 135017 -- dark green, strongly actinolite-altered, medium-to-coarse-grained ophitic gabbro with minor pyrrhotite/pyrite, 254 parts per million copper, 0.11 part per million silver and 0.5 part per billion gold.
Planned follow-up work includes Maxwell plate modelling of the VTEM anomaly, followed by 1,500 metres of diamond core drilling to test the geochemical and geophysical anomalies.
Quality assurance/quality control and analytical procedures
All sample locations were recorded with Android rugged smart phones running Q-Field data collection software in map datum UTM WGS84 zone 17N. Soil samples were collected with augers and placed in kraft-type paper bags with bar codes and sample numbers handwritten on the bags with indelible ink for redundancy and cross checks. Rock samples were photographed and then placed in plastic bags with uniquely numbered tags. The tag numbers were marked in indelible ink on the outside of each bag and the bag was sealed with a plastic tie wrap. Blanks and standards were inserted at regular intervals for QA/QC purposes. Samples were placed in rice bags and then delivered in person to Manitoulin Transport in New Liskeard, Ont., from where they were transported to SGS Laboratory in Lakefield, Ont.
At SGS, soil samples were dried at 60 C and sieved through 80 mesh (SGS code PRP104). Rock samples were dried at 105 C, crushed to 75 per cent passing two millimetres and then riffle split to a 250-gram subsample that was pulverized to pulps 85 per cent passing 75 microns (SGS code PRP89). The sieved soils and rock pulps were analyzed for 49 elements by 25-gram, two-acid aqua regia digestion ICP-MS analysis (SGS code GE_ARM3V25). SGS is independent of the company and is accredited under ISO/IEC 17025 registration.
Qualified person
Mark Fekete of Breakaway Exploration Management is a registered professional geologist in the province of Quebec as a qualified person under National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, and has reviewed and approved the technical disclosure in this news release.
About Alaska Energy Metals Corp.
Alaska Energy Metals is an Alaska-based corporation with offices in Anchorage and Vancouver working to sustainably deliver the critical materials needed for national security and a bright energy future while generating superior returns for shareholders.
Alaska Energy Metals is focused on delineating and developing the large-scale, bulk-tonnage, polymetallic Nikolai project's Eureka deposit containing nickel, copper, cobalt, chromium, iron, platinum, palladium and gold. Located in interior Alaska near existing transportation and power infrastructure, its flagship project, Nikolai, is well situated to become a significant domestic source of strategic energy-related metals for North America. Alaska Energy Metals also holds a secondary project in western Quebec -- the Angliers-Belleterre project. Today, material sourcing demands excellence in environmental performance, carbon mitigation, and the responsible management of human and financial capital. Alaska Energy Metals works every day to earn and maintain the respect and confidence of the public and believes that ESG (environmental, social and governance) performance is measured by action and led from the top.