9th May
2024
Strategic Minerals
plc
("Strategic Minerals" or the "Company")
Redmoor core samples
dispatched & commencement of Tamar Valley reconnaissance
exploration
Strategic Minerals plc (AIM: SML
USOTC: SMCDY), a profitable producing mineral company, is pleased
to update shareholders on the current progress and operations at
its 100% owned subsidiary Cornwall Resources Limited ("CRL"). CRL
is continuing to develop the Redmoor Project through a process of
relogging and sampling of its historic drill core, whilst
undertaking regional exploration within its newly acquired Tamar
Valley Licence Area.
Highlights:
·
3,786 m of
historical core re-logged from six boreholes (c27% of CRL's
existing drill core).
·
Potential for
resource upside identified from previously unsampled
mineralisation.
·
A total sample
length of 177.45m from 129 diamond drill core samples, has been
selected and shipped for geochemical analysis, with results
expected within 2 months. Re-logging and sampling continue with
additional samples in preparation for dispatch.
·
Initial
reconnaissance mapping of CRL's new Tamar Valley Licence Area
("TVLA") has begun, along with desk studies. Encouragingly,
previously unidentified mineralised zones at surface have been
located and sampled.
·
Within the TVLA,
desk studies have particular focus on the Plantation Vein, a
historical Tin-Tungsten (Sn-W) target. Between 1967 and 1970, 22
diamond drill holes were drilled targeting the Plantation Vein that
established this target, followed by minor underground exploration
of the lode in early 1970's.
·
Follow up on
targets, generated both during the Deep Digital Cornwall project
and within the TVLA, is planned through extensive soil sampling and
stream sediment sampling programs. These studies are being
undertaken to clarify historical data and generate baseline
geochemical datasets, aiding in the delineation of potential new
targets.
·
Several meetings
have been held with the Duchy of Cornwall, its tenants and local
parish councils, maintaining CRL's excellent record of effective
stakeholder engagement.
Commenting, Dennis Rowland, Project Manager of CRL,
said:
"CRL's geological team, led by
Senior Geologist Rowan Thorne, are advancing the relogging and
sampling project with potential for significant results. The pace
of this project has increased with shipments of additional drill
core samples expected at regular intervals in coming
months.
"Following completion of this
program of works, both our understanding of the mineralised zones and the structural geology
within the Redmoor deposit will have increased and
the potential for resource(s) upside, prior to further drilling,
would have been thoroughly assessed from the invaluable data
generated by the works."
Commenting, Peter Wale, Executive Director of Strategic
Minerals and Director of CRL, said:
"A
substantial amount of excellent work has been completed as part of
the re-logging process. This process has the potential to have
positive upsides at a low cost. We look forward to the lab results
confirming our expectations which we anticipate will allow a review
of both our existing resource size and grade. These results will
also assist in completing the remainder of the re-logging program
in a timely and cost-efficient manner.
"Initial work on the Tamar Valley Licence Area has been very
encouraging. Plans for stream sediment and soil sampling are
underway as well as work on the highly prospective Plantation Vein.
We have also successfully commenced initial engagement with the
Duchy of Cornwall's tenants and local parish
councils.
"Project economics have been bolstered by recent upward moves
in Tin, Tungsten and Copper prices even prior to the likely impact
of material exploration upside from the existing area and the
TVLA."
"We look forward to updating
the market on the external results from re-examination of the
existing cores and findings in relation to the Tamar Valley License
Area."
Redmoor Project - Re-Logging
and Sampling of Historical Drill Core
CRL has continued to review
historical diamond drill core and associated data over the past
year, coupled with identification of additional, previously
unsampled sections of drill core that exhibit zones of additional
mineralisation worthy of analysis and evaluation; all culminating
in the shipment of the first batch of 129 samples at the end of
April 2024 to ALS Laboratories, Loughrea.
Re-logged and sampled diamond
drill core at CRL's core logging facility
Steady progress has been made with regards to
re-logging of historical diamond drill core, with six of these
drill holes being geologically logged, totalling 3,782m of drill
core, or 27% of CRL's core. The objective of the re-logging program
is to identify new geological structures, detailed variations in
alteration that relate to mineralisation and previously
unidentified mineralised vein systems and structures. As a result,
CRL aims to further increase its understanding of the Redmoor
deposit and the potential for resource upside through additional
sampling and modelling. To date, detailed vein and
structural logging has identified numerous additional vein types
that host mineralisation, coupled with this, CRL's use of an
Olympus Vanta pXRF (portable X-Ray Fluorescence spectrometer) has
aided CRL geologists in targeting and identifying changes in
alteration and locating zones of subtle mineralisation which were
previously unsampled.
Sampled diamond drill core
prepared for dispatch to ALS Laboratories,
Loughrea
The results of these analyses will be used to
update and revise the current resource and geological model at
Redmoor, along with informing CRL as to the best logging procedures
and analytical methodologies to employ whilst progressing with the
current program and in preparation for future drill programs at
Redmoor. CRL are continuing with the re-logging program and ongoing
evaluation and interpretation of information and data is currently
being evaluated and incorporated with historical datasets; with
additional drill core samples already selected for laboratory
analysis.
Tamar Valley Licence Area-
Local Engagement and Reconnaissance Program
CRL has commenced activities at its
newly acquired Tamar Valley Licence Area (TVLA), with field
operations being preceded by an open event held at CRL's offices on
3rd April 2024, attended by a representative from the
Duchy of Cornwall and its farming tenants. This resulted in
positive engagement and informative feedback on CRL's proposed work
program and plans. Subsequent attendances at local parish council
meetings have been undertaken by CRL management, resulting in
positive engagement and informative feedback from local councillors
and representatives. CRL continues to engage with local councils
and authorities to foster a relationship within the community where
it operates and maintains its commitment to strong ESG
principles.
Whilst desk studies continue, CRL
has initiated preliminary reconnaissance mapping within the TVLA.
On the first day of this fieldwork, CRL geologists found previously
unidentified mineralised zones at surface, which were then logged
and sampled. Fieldwork continues and results from this
reconnaissance mapping, combined with interpretation of historical
data from the desk studies will be used to develop a prospectivity
analysis to target potential targets worthy of further
investigation.
Outcrop of Cassiterite and
Wolframite enriched vein within the TVLA
As part of the desk studies, CRL is
currently evaluating datasets from historical diamond drilling
programmes from different historical targets within the TVLA. One
target of interest is the Plantation Vein, a historical Tin-
Tungsten (Sn-W) target, less than 5 km from CRL's Redmoor Project,
which had 22 diamond drill holes drilled at the target between
1967-70, along with minor exploitation of the lode. CRL is actively
digitising and modelling the historical data from this target, with
the aim of assessing its prospectivity and identifying what further
exploration work is necessary to validate the target as a viable
prospect.
Sample of Cassiterite (Sn)
and Wolframite (W) rich outcrop from the TVLA
Following the initial reconnaissance
mapping, CRL is planning on undertaking stream sediment and soil
sampling campaigns at historical targets, with the aim of applying
modern exploration and analytical techniques on these historical
targets to determine their potential prospectivity.
Exploration Target Evaluation - Soil
Sampling
Along with continuing the current drill core
re-logging program and reconnaissance mapping and desk studies of
the TVLA, CRL is continuing to evaluate and explore targets
identified by the Deep Digital Cornwall Project and is planning to
undertake further soil sampling programs around identified
targets.
About
Cornwall Resources Limited
https://www.cornwallresources.com
Cornwall Resources Limited ("CRL")
is a wholly owned subsidiary of Strategic Minerals Limited ("SML")
(AIM: SML; USOTC: SMCDY). SML bought into CRL in 2016, and in 2019
completed the purchase of the project. CRL is focussed on advancing
the high-grade, underground Redmoor Tungsten-Tin-Copper Project,
through a current relogging and sampling campaign of historic drill
core, and work towards securing further funding to advance Redmoor,
as well as exploring its significant and expanding minerals rights
licence areas in east Cornwall, Southwest England.
CRL through mineral rights
agreements, with Redmoor Minerals Limited and The Duchy of
Cornwall, has exclusive access to a mineral rights operating area
of 87.95 km² in the highly prospective and historically mined Tamar
Valley Mining District. CRL is undertaking regional and targeted
exploration activities to develop critical minerals
resources.
The Redmoor Project is situated
within the historically significant Tamar Valley Mining District,
yet the sheeted vein system ("SVS") forming the basis of CRL's
inferred resource is unmined. CRL's most recent, JORC-compliant,
Inferred Mineral Resource Estimate ("MRE") for Redmoor utilised a
comprehensive archive of historical data and combined this with
information from the completion of two exploration campaigns, in
2017 and 2018, which encompassed 32 boreholes for 14,000m of
diamond core drilling. Based on this high-grade resource, an
updated Scoping Study, published in 2020 shows that Redmoor has
potentially economic viability as a new, underground
mine.
JORC Compliant (2012) Inferred
Mineral Resource Estimate published 14 February 2019, as summarised
below:
Cut-off (SnEq%)
|
Tonnage (Mt)
|
WO3
%
|
Sn
%
|
Cu
%
|
Sn Eq1
%
|
WO3 Eq
%
|
>0.45 <0.65
|
1.50
|
0.18
|
0.21
|
0.30
|
0.58
|
0.41
|
>0.65
|
10.20
|
0.62
|
0.16
|
0.53
|
1.26
|
0.88
|
Total Inferred Resource
|
11.70
|
0.56
|
0.16
|
0.50
|
1.17
|
0.82
|
1 Equivalent metal calculation
notes; Sn(Eq)% = Sn%*1 + WO3%*1.43 + Cu%*0.40. Commodity price
assumptions: WO3 US$ 33,000/t, Sn US$ 22,000/t, Cu US$ 7,000/t.
Recovery assumptions: total WO3 recovery 72%, total Sn recovery 68%
& total Cu recovery 85% and payability assumptions of 81%, 90%
and 90% respectively
Subject to receipt of necessary
funding, CRL has in place all necessary permissions for drill
programs for further significant exploration of the Redmoor
Tungsten-Tin-Copper resource.
Notes to
Editors
Strategic Minerals
plc:
https://www.strategicminerals.net
Strategic Minerals plc is an
AIM-quoted, profitable operating minerals company actively
developing projects tailored to materials expected to benefit from
strong demand in the future. It has an operation in the United
States of America along with development projects in the UK and
Australia. The Company is focused on utilising its operating cash
flows, along with capital raisings, to develop high quality
projects aimed at supplying the metals and minerals likely to be
highly demanded in the future.
In September 2011, Strategic
Minerals acquired the distribution rights to the Cobre magnetite
tailings dam project in New Mexico, USA, a cash-generating asset,
which it brought into production in 2012 and which continues to
provide a revenue stream for the Company. This operating revenue
stream is utilised to cover company overheads and invest in
development projects aimed at supplying the metals and minerals
likely to be highly demanded in the future.
Since June 2020, the Company has
been a 100% owner of Cornwall Resources Limited (CRL) having been
involved in the project since early 2016. CRL is the developer of
the Redmoor Tin/Tungsten project in Cornwall, UK. Exploration
drilling programs were undertaken in 2017 & 2018 resulting in
subsequent upgraded resource definitions & a scoping study in
2020. In April 2024, CRL gained access to substantial additional
exploration rights in the prospective Tamar Valley area,
quadrupling its overall mineral rights footprint.
In March 2018, the Company completed
the acquisition of the Leigh Creek Copper Mine situated in the
copper rich belt of South Australia and brought the project
temporarily into production in April 2019. In July 2021, the
project was granted a conditional approval by the South Australian
Government for a Program for Environmental
Protection and Rehabilitation (PEPR) in relation to mining of its
Paltridge North deposit and processing at the Mountain of Light
installation. In late June 2022, an updated PEPR, addressing the
conditions associated with the July 2021 approval, was
approved.