Inaugural NI 43-101 Mineral Resource Estimate For Stillwater West PGE-Ni-Cu-Co + Au Project
VANCOUVER - Group Ten Metals Inc. reported first independent National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101) mineral resource estimate (the "2021 Resource") for its 1 Stillwater West platinum group element, nickel, copper, cobalt, and gold (PGE-Ni-Cu-Co + Au) project in Montana.
Inferred mineral resources total 2.4 million ounces palladium, platinum, rhodium, and gold ("4E") plus 1.1 billion pounds of nickel, copper and cobalt in a constrained model totaling 157 million tonnes at an average grade of 0.45% total nickel equivalent ("NiEq") (equal to 1.20 g/t palladium equivalent, or "PdEq") using a 0.20% NiEq cut-off grade. The 2021 Resource incorporates five deposits of sulphide mineralization that cover 8.7 kilometers of strike length within the central area of the project. The strong correlation that is demonstrated between resource areas and untested high-level geophysical targets, and metal-in-soil anomalies, provides a strong basis for expansion of the resource with 2021 drill results, and future drill campaigns.
Mineralization, consisting of thick horizons of nickel and copper sulphide that are enriched in palladium, platinum, rhodium, gold and cobalt, is consistent with Group Ten's "Platreef-style" geological model that is based on known parallels with South Africa's Bushveld Igneous Complex. Deposits in the 2021 Resource are defined by 83 drill holes from a total of 216 holes drilled at Stillwater West prior to 2021, including all holes from Group Ten's 2019 and 2020 campaigns. A number of the remaining drill holes provide early confirmation of target mineralization in otherwise untested anomalies across much of the 32-kilometer project, accelerating future exploration programs and demonstrating significant expansion potential outside of the known deposit areas. Assays are pending from the 14-hole 2021 drill campaign, which focused on expansion of three of the five deposits by completing step-out holes designed to build onto the 2021 Resource. Rhodium totaling 61,000 ounces was modeled at three of the five target areas, where sufficient data was available. At recent spot prices, this endowment is equivalent to over 400,000 ounces palladium and over 750,000 ounces platinum. The Company believes rhodium results are understated due to the lack of historic assay data and is working to fully include rhodium in future mineral resource updates.
Michael Rowley, President and CEO said, “This is a major milestone in the advancement of both the project and Group Ten Metals. Mineralization in the five deposits shows excellent continuity and grade across large areas, with strong geophysical and geochemical signatures that remain open in all directions demonstrating excellent potential for expansion in subsequent drill campaigns. In this regard, we look forward to reporting results from our 2021 campaign, our biggest yet, which we believe met the objective of increasing the 2021 Resource. More than ever we see extraordinary potential for Stillwater West to become a large-scale and strategically significant US-based source of battery metals to meet growing electrification needs while also supplying PGEs for catalytic convertors and increasing fuel cell demand."