19:40:42 EDT Thu 28 Mar 2024
Enter Symbol
or Name
USA
CA



Appia Rare Earths & Uranium Corp
Symbol API
Shares Issued 121,484,621
Close 2022-07-26 C$ 0.30
Market Cap C$ 36,445,386
Recent Sedar Documents

Appia Rare completes initial drilling at Alces Lake

2022-07-26 16:43 ET - News Release

Mr. Frederick Kozak reports

APPIA ANNOUNCES EXPLORATION UPDATE AND COMPLETION OF RECORD 2022 DRILLING PROGRAM OF 17,481 METRES AT ALCES LAKE RARE EARTH PROPERTY, NORTHERN SASKATCHEWAN

Appia Rare Earths & Uranium Corp. has completed the initial phase of the 2022 drilling/exploration program on the 100-per-cent-owned Alces Lake high-grade rare earth elements and gallium property, Athabasca basin area, Northern Saskatchewan.

Highlights:

  • Record metreage (17,481 metres) drilled in record time (four and one-half months);
  • Additional delineation drilling on the high-grade mineralization in WRCB discovery, including previously undrilled monazite targets at Danny and Wilson/Wilson North;
  • Initial delineation drilling on the discoveries at Magnet Ridge (formerly Augier) and Magnet Ridge West included 44 holes and a total 7,344 metres drilled;
  • First drilling on highly prospective anomalies at the West Limb;
  • Drilling on the Western Anomaly at Sweet Chili Heat, Diablo and Buffalo to follow up on 2021 assay results;
  • A new high-resolution aerial survey program of 4,864 line kilometres (radiometric and aeromagnetic) to be flown over the new Alces Lake claims added in 2021;
  • Planning commenced for upcoming 2022/2023 uranium exploration activities.

Frederick Kozak, president of Appia, said: "Building on our experience of 2021 at Alces Lake, Appia got an early start in March on the planned 2022 drilling program. Kudos to the entire team of drillers, helpers, camp support and the geology team for this record accomplishment. Appia drilled more than double the 2021 metreage in less time than the previous year's program. We have accomplished all of our initial phase drilling goals and now eagerly await assay results to plan the next phase of drilling. New high-resolution aerial geophysics will be flown soon and this will also add to the inventory of potential exploration targets at Alces Lake."

Appia has completed drilling of 100 holes in 2022 for a record total of 17,480.9 metres. This was accomplished in just four and one-half months, as compared with the 2021 program which took over five months to drill 8,076 metres and 100 holes. The exceptional drilling progress resulted in Appia achieving the drilling goals much faster than anticipated. The last of the core samples for assay are being prepared before being sent out to the two labs which are processing the Alces Lake samples. Appia anticipates receiving assay results from the early part of the 2022 drilling program in the near future and will evaluate and analyze these in-house prior to public release.

In the 2022 drilling program, a total of 37 holes were drilled into WRCB to continue delineation of the high-grade REE mineralization and also delineate previously undrilled targets in Danny (adjacent to WRCB) as well as additional drilling into the Wilson/Wilson North zone. New WRCB drilling also extended the trend of the REE mineralization by approximately 120 metres along strike to a total of 280 metres of strike length mineralization. The WRCB accumulation remains open in both the northwest and southeast directions.

The most significant new drilling in 2022 was in the Magnet Ridge (previously Augier) area, located approximately 1.5 kilometres south-southeast of WRCB on a well-defined regional geologic corridor. A total of 34 holes (5,318 metres) were drilled into the primary Magnet Ridge target that outcrops on surface. A nearby (and possibly geologically related) prospect on Magnet Ridge West saw another 10 holes (2,025.9 metres) drilled. The rocks in these two prospects appear to be geologically similar to the 2021 discovery AMP zone at WRCB, which also outcrops on surface. Appia is waiting on Magnet Ridge and Magnet Ridge West assay results to evaluate and analyze these exciting new zones.

Drilling on trend and in between WRCB and Magnet Ridge was also conducted, with five holes and 1,044 metres of drilling done, primarily at the Strocen prospect.

Keying off results in the WRCB-Magnet Ridge trend on the eastern limb of the large regional fold at Alces Lake, Appia conducted the first drilling program on the previously undrilled West Limb. Six holes with a total of 1,014.9 metres were drilled and encountered indications of elevated radioactivity. Lastly, drilling of five holes was conducted on the Western Anomaly. Following up on the 2021 assay results for this new exploration area, two holes (393 metres) were drilled at Sweet Chili Heat, two holes (393 metres) at Diablo and one hole (166.5 metres) at Buffalo. Mineralization was encountered in all three target areas and assay results will be analyzed and evaluated once received, however, it is clear that more work needs to be done to better understand these accumulations of rare earth elements.

Update on 2022 exploration program

Alongside the record Alces Lake drill program Appia conducted a prospecting and sampling program to continue evaluating the properties extensive inventory of radiometric anomalies. Some of the 2022 drilling, notably the West Limb, came about as a result of the fieldwork done early in the 2022 season.

Following the results of the 2021 aerial geophysics survey, Appia more than doubled the acreage of the Alces Lake claims blocks. Appia is about to embark on a total 4,864 line km of high-resolution radiometric and aeromagnetic surveys over three unsurveyed sections of the Alces Lake block. The northwest portion of the block has a planned 2,152 line km, the south portion of the block will have 2,487 line km surveyed and the eastern side of the claims block will have an additional 225 line km collected. The aerial surveys are expected to be completed in August, 2022, weather permitting.

Appia also expects to provide an update in the near future on plans for the 2022/2023 uranium exploration program on the claims blocks located on the eastern edge of the Athabasca basin.

Update on maiden resource estimate

As previously disclosed, Appia is working toward a maiden resource estimate for the area. Industry delays through 2021 continue into 2022 for receipt of assay results. Appia has engaged the services of a second assay lab to process the increased volume of samples that were generated by the 2022 drilling program. It is expected that the maiden resources estimate will initially be for the WRCB and Magnet Ridge areas. Timing of the report has yet to be determined but is likely closer to the end of Q1 2023, depending on industry activity.

About the Alces Lake project

The Alces Lake project encompasses some of the highest-grade total and critical* REEs and gallium mineralization in the world, hosted within several surface and near-surface monazite occurrences that remain open at depth and along strike.

*Critical rare earth elements are defined here as those that are in short supply and high demand for use in permanent magnets and modern electronic applications such as electric vehicles and wind turbines (that is, neodymium (Nd), praseodymium (Pr), dysprosium (Dy) and terbium (Tb)).

Appia's 2022 drilling program at Alces was designed to drill significantly deeper holes compared with the 100 holes (approximately 8,076 metres) drilled in 2021 to allow Appia to determine continuity at depth and along the identified REE mineralization trends as the company works toward a maiden resource estimate to be prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 for the area. With high-grade REE mineralization now identified in many locations within an area covering approximately 27 square km of the Alces Lake block, the company believes the project has the potential to be a world-class source of high-grade critical rare earth bearing monazite.

The Alces Lake project is located in Northern Saskatchewan, the same provincial jurisdiction that is developing a first-of-its-kind rare earth processing facility in Canada (currently under construction by the Saskatchewan Research Council and scheduled to become operational in early 2023). The Alces Lake project area is 35,682 hectares (88,173 acres) in size and is 100 per cent owned by Appia.

To ensure safe work conditions are met for the work force, the company has developed exploration guidelines that comply with the Saskatchewan public health orders and the public health order respecting the Northern Saskatchewan administration district in order to maintain social distancing and help prevent the transmission of COVID-19.

All lithogeochemical assay results were provided by Saskatchewan Research Council's geoanalytical laboratory, an ISO/IEC 17025:2005 (CAN-P-4E) certified laboratory in Saskatoon, Sask. All analytical results reported herein have passed internal quality assurance/quality control review and compilation.

The technical content in this news release was reviewed and approved by Dr. Irvine R. Annesley, PGeo, adviser to Appia's board of directors and a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

About Appia Rare Earths & Uranium Corp

Appia is a Canadian publicly listed company in the rare earth element and uranium sectors. The company is currently focusing on delineating high-grade critical rare earth elements and gallium on the Alces Lake property, as well as exploring for high-grade uranium in the prolific Athabasca basin on its Otherside, Loranger, North Wollaston and Eastside properties. The company holds the surface rights to exploration for 105,026 hectares (259,525 acres) in Saskatchewan. The company also has a 100-per-cent interest in 12,545 hectares (31,000 acres), with rare earth element and uranium deposits over five mineralized zones in the Elliot Lake camp, Ontario.

Appia has 123.1 million common shares outstanding, 141.3 million shares fully diluted.

We seek Safe Harbor.

© 2024 Canjex Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.