Clean Air drills 21.3 m of 4.8 g/t PdEq at Thunder Bay
2021-10-06 07:20 ET - News Release
Mr. Abraham Drost reports
CLEAN AIR METALS REPORTS DRILLING UPDATE FROM THE THUNDER BAY NORTH PROJECT AND APPOINTMENT OF DR. GEOFF HEGGIE AS EXPLORATION MANAGER
Clean Air Metals Inc. has appointed Dr. Geoff Heggie, PGeo, as exploration manager and a qualified person for the company's Thunder Bay North project. Dr. Heggie replaces Allan MacTavish, MSc, PGeo, who has retired from full-time duties as vice-president, project manager, and will continue with the company in a non-executive consulting capacity.
Dr. Heggie worked on the Thunder Bay North project previously for seven years. He earned his BSc in geology at the University of Saskatchewan, his MSc at Lakehead University and his PhD at the University of Western Australia. Most recently with Noront Resources, Dr. Heggie is an expert in ultramafic/mafic magmatic systems. Previously as senior geologist at Noront, systematic integration of geology and geophysics by the Noront team was typified by the discovery of the McFaulds No. 8 VMS (volcanogenic massive sulphide) lenses of the Nikka deposit during Dr. Heggie's tenure.
New assay results are from the drilling campaign presently under way at the company's Thunder Bay North project. Assay highlights include:
- Hole ELR21-079 from the Escape Lake deposit, which intersected 21.3 m grading 4.80 g/t palladium equivalents (PdEq) composed of 1.64 g/t platinum (Pt), 1.97 g/t palladium (Pd), 0.66 per cent copper (Cu), 0.23 per cent nickel (Ni) from 388.7 m to 410.0 m downhole including 7.5 m grading 6.80 g/t PdEq composed of 2.46 g/t platinum, 2.94 g/t palladium, 0.96 per cent copper (Cu), 0.26 per cent nickel (Ni) from 400.5 m to 408.0 m downhole.
The Escape Lake deposit has undergone systematic expansion drilling exceeding 27,000 m since the maiden indicated resource of 505,369 ounces PdEq (3.67 g/t PdEq in 4.28 million tonnes reported Jan. 20, 2021).
The Current Lake deposit 2.5 km to the east has a well-defined indicated mineral resource of 1,328,789 PdEq ounces (3.44 g/t PdEq in 11.99 million tonnes) and is currently well advanced with a preliminary economic assessment (PEA) study to be published in Q4 2021. The PEA-level mine stope optimization in the Beaver Lake zone area of the Current Lake deposit may be enhanced by the results of a recent infill drill program, including the following highlight results:
- Hole CL21-014, which intersected 18.0 m grading 3.10 g/t PdEq composed of 1.36 g/t platinum, 1.28 g/t palladium, 0.24 per cent copper and 0.20 per cent nickel from 127.5 to 145.5 m downhole, including 5.10 m grading 5.90 g/t PdEq composed of 2.77 g/t platinum, 2.72 g/t palladium, 0.43 per cent copper and 0.28 per cent nickel from 140.4 m to 145.5 m downhole;
- Hole CL21-015, which intersected 12.0 m grading 7.90 g/t PdEq composed of 3.67 g/t platinum, 3.31 g/t palladium, 0.75 per cent copper and 0.38 per cent nickel from 144.0 to 156.0 m downhole, including 8.0 m grading 10.4 g/t PdEq composed of 4.92 g/t platinum, 4.45 g/t palladium, 0.98 per cent copper and 0.46 per cent nickel from 144.0 m to 152.0 m downhole.
Mineral resource endowment and palladium equivalents are quoted pursuant to the technical report and mineral resource estimate for the Thunder Bay North project, Thunder Bay, Ont., with an effective date of Jan. 20, 2021. The technical report was posted to SEDAR on March 4, 2021, and prepared by Nordmin Engineering Ltd. qualified person Glen Kuntz, PGeo, Ontario.
Update on metallurgy and PEA (preliminary economic assessment)
Metallurgical optimization studies continue with Blue Coast Research of British Columbia. The results of the metallurgical studies on drill core-derived bulk sample material and independent analysis of smelter recoveries and smelter payables are expected to input directly into a preliminary economic assessment mine cash flow model planned for publication in the early fourth quarter of 2021.
Abraham Drost, chief executive officer of Clean Air Metals, stated: "We are very pleased to welcome Dr. Geoff Heggie to the Clean Air Metals team. Geoff's prior experience at the Thunder Bay North project with predecessor companies and his innate expertise in magmatic systems gained in a variety of geological settings is accretive to the team. We look forward with Geoff and team to unlocking the full potential of the Escape and Current chonolith deposits and locating the source of high-grade massive sulphide occurrences within the system.
"We are grateful to Al MacTavish for his 14-year tenure with the project and his considerable contributions from early discovery to present. We are pleased that, although stepping back to enjoy time with family and lead geology field trips to exotic locales like Iceland and Hawaii, Al has agreed to continue on a consulting basis to work on geological studies relevant to exploration of the Thunder Bay North project.
"The company is looking forward to publication of a PEA in Q4 [20]21. As with the mineral resource estimate published in March, 2021, the PEA will be based on a ramp-access underground mine model constraining the existing mineral resource. In addition to the Current Lake deposit, the potential to add scale to the Thunder Bay North project with future feed from the Escape Lake deposit is potentially accretive to the project."
Hole ID From To Length Pt-Pd Cu-Ni Pt Pd Cu Ni PdEq (m) (m) (m) (g/t) (%) (g/t) (g/t) (%) (%) (g/t) ELR21-079 388.70 410.00 21.30 3.61 0.90 1.64 1.97 0.66 0.23 4.78 incl. 400.50 408.00 7.50 5.39 1.21 2.46 2.94 0.96 0.26 6.79 CL21-011 130.50 132.50 2.00 1.01 0.27 0.53 0.48 0.11 0.17 1.53 CL21-011 140.50 148.50 8.00 1.50 0.40 0.78 0.72 0.19 0.21 2.18 CL21-011 152.50 166.50 14.00 1.41 0.40 0.73 0.67 0.18 0.22 2.13 CL21-011 170.50 172.50 2.00 1.19 0.35 0.63 0.56 0.14 0.21 1.85 CL21-012 129.20 153.20 24.00 1.69 0.38 0.88 0.81 0.19 0.19 2.27 CL21-012 163.20 167.20 4.00 1.46 0.35 0.76 0.70 0.16 0.19 2.06 CL21-012 177.20 181.20 4.00 1.52 0.39 0.78 0.74 0.18 0.21 2.19 CL21-013 132.00 158.00 26.00 2.35 0.50 1.23 1.12 0.27 0.24 3.06 CL21-013 162.00 164.00 2.00 1.22 0.33 0.64 0.58 0.14 0.20 1.85 CL21-013 174.00 182.00 8.00 2.04 0.52 1.05 0.99 0.26 0.26 2.87 CL21-013 190.00 192.00 2.00 1.42 0.51 0.71 0.71 0.26 0.25 2.34 CL21-014 127.50 145.50 18.00 2.64 0.44 1.36 1.28 0.24 0.20 3.12 incl. 140.35 145.50 5.15 5.49 0.71 2.77 2.72 0.43 0.28 5.94 CL21-015 144.00 156.00 12.00 6.97 1.13 3.67 3.31 0.75 0.38 7.88 incl. 144.00 152.00 8.00 9.37 1.43 4.92 4.45 0.98 0.46 10.36 CL21-015 158.00 160.00 2.00 1.01 0.34 0.51 0.50 0.15 0.19 1.67 CL21-015 164.00 168.00 4.00 1.20 0.42 0.63 0.57 0.22 0.21 1.97 CL21-016 133.00 139.00 6.00 1.69 0.35 0.87 0.82 0.18 0.17 2.19 CL21-016 143.00 151.00 8.00 1.48 0.40 0.79 0.69 0.20 0.21 2.16 CL21-016 153.00 155.00 2.00 1.25 0.36 0.66 0.58 0.16 0.20 1.89 CL21-016 159.00 163.00 4.00 1.13 0.38 0.62 0.52 0.16 0.21 1.85 CL21-016 167.00 169.00 2.00 1.26 0.40 0.68 0.58 0.18 0.22 2.01 CL21-016 173.00 179.00 6.00 1.53 0.36 0.81 0.71 0.15 0.21 2.15 CL21-016 181.00 183.00 2.00 1.15 0.34 0.62 0.53 0.13 0.21 1.79 CL21-016 204.00 207.73 3.73 1.77 0.79 0.96 0.81 0.43 0.36 3.16 CL21-017 150.00 164.00 14.00 1.30 0.30 0.68 0.62 0.13 0.17 1.81 CL21-018 133.00 138.00 5.00 2.61 0.55 1.31 1.29 0.33 0.22 3.33 CL21-018 144.00 146.00 2.00 2.05 0.40 1.09 0.96 0.18 0.22 2.64 CL21-018 153.00 190.00 37.00 2.12 0.54 1.10 1.02 0.28 0.27 2.98 Note (1) All intercepts are estimated to be greater than 95 per cent of true width based on drill hole inclination. (2) Mineralized intervals are calculated at one ppm Pt-Pd cut-off.
COVID-19 policy
Clean Air Metals has adopted COVID-19 avoidance and personal protection measures for its geological staff, drilling contractor and service suppliers. Personnel are required to maintain physical distance, use personal protective equipment (PPE), self-monitor, and self-isolate or elect to work from home. Management had previously eliminated plans for a camp set up to service a planned diamond drill campaign on the Escape Lake project. The company is aware of Thunder Bay health unit guidelines that provide for mandatory self-isolation for returning overseas travel. The guidelines also strongly recommend self-monitoring and self-isolation as needed after travel into the northwest region from other areas of the province and interprovincially. Mineral exploration and development have been deemed an essential service in Ontario.
Qualified person
Dr. Heggie, a qualified person under National Instrument 43-101 and exploration manager for the company, has reviewed and approved all technical information in this press release.
Quality assurance/quality control
Clean Air Metals uses ALS, a well-established and recognized mineral assay and geochemical analytical services company. The Thunder Bay laboratory holds International Organization for Standardization 9000 accreditation; the Vancouver facility holds ISO 17025 registration.
All NQ-sized drill core is cut with a diamond-tipped saw blade with half of the core submitted to ALS for sample preparation and analysis. Core samples from selected intervals are individually bagged and tagged, gathered up in larger sealed poly bags and shipped to the sample prep facility in Thunder Bay, Ont., under custody of Clean Air personnel at all times. Sample preparation is completed at the ALS sample preparation facility located in Thunder Bay, Ont., and analysis is completed at the primary ALS assay laboratory located in Vancouver, B.C.
Clean Air follows a documented quality control procedure for its core assay sampling program consisting of the insertion of blind blanks, duplicates, and certified palladium-platinum and copper-nickel standards into the sample stream. The insertion procedure results in a minimum of 11-per-cent to 12-per-cent control sample frequency depending on the length of the sampled interval.
Gold, platinum and palladium are analyzed using fire assay (FA) with an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) finish. Samples with grades above the optimal ICP-MS detection limits are analyzed using an optical emission spectroscopy method (ICP-OES).
Also, 33 elements of each sample, including copper, nickel, silver, chromium, cobalt and sulphur, are analyzed by a multielement analytical method using the atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) technique following four-acid digestion of the sample. When samples have grades above the optimal detection limits for this analytical method, they are reanalyzed using a high-grade method consisting of either ICP-AES or atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) techniques.
Social engagement
Clean Air Metals and its wholly owned subsidiary, Panoramic PGMs (Canada) Ltd., acknowledge that the Thunder Bay North project is on the traditional territories of the Fort William First Nation, Red Rock First Nation and Biinjitiwabik Zaaging Anishinabek. The parties together are the co-operating participants in a memorandum of agreement dated Jan. 9, 2021.
The company is also in discussions with Red Sky Metis Independent Nation and the Metis Nation of Ontario. Woodland Heritage Northwest, a Metis-owned consultancy, has been retained to conduct archeological studies on the Thunder Bay North project and surrounding areas.
About Clean Air Metals Inc.
Clean Air Metals' flagship asset is the 100-per-cent-owned, high-grade Thunder Bay North project, a platinum, palladium, copper and nickel project located near the city of Thunder Bay, Ont., and the Lac des Iles mine owned by Impala Platinum. The Clean Air Metals project hosts the Current Lake deposit and magma conduit and the company is actively exploring the Escape Lake deposit, a twin structure to the Current Lake deposit. Executive chairman Jim Gallagher and Mr. Drost lead an experienced team of geologists and engineers who are using the Norilsk magma conduit stratigraphic and mineral deposit model to guide continuing exploration and development studies. As the former CEO of North American Palladium Ltd., which owned the Lac des Iles mine prior to the sale to Impala Platinum in December, 2019, Mr. Gallagher and his team are credited with the mine turnaround and creation of significant value for shareholders.
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