Mr. Neil McCallum reports
ATCO MINING INTERSECTS ANOMALOUS RADIOACTIVITY, PROSPECTIVE STRUCTURE AND ALTERATION IN MULTIPLE DRILL HOLES AT ATLANTIC PROJECT; CONCLUDES INAUGURUL DRILL PROGRAM; CLOSES FINAL TRANCHE OF PRIVATE PLACEMENT
Inaugural drilling activities are now complete at Atco Mining Inc.'s 3,061-hectare Atlantic uranium project,
highlighting anomalous radioactivity
in all completed drill holes. Atlantic is situated in the prolific eastern Athabasca Basin, northern Saskatchewan (Figure 1). The Project is currently under option from Standard Uranium Ltd., an arm's-length company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSX-V: STND). Pursuant to the option, Atco can earn a 75-per-cent interest in the project over three years.
Highlights:
Inaugural Success:
Anomalous radioactivity (300 cps) was intersected in
all five
of the Company's inaugural drill holes at the Atlantic Project, coinciding with prospective structural zones and favorable alteration including dravite-rich clays.
Sandstone Basement-Hosted Radioactivity:
Multiple zones of elevated radioactivity linked to the sub-Athabasca unconformity and basement structural zones were intersected, indicating a uranium-fertile system.
Verified Targets:
Massive structural disruption confirmed in the sandstone column and multiple wide (10 metres) brittle-reactivated graphitic shear zones confirm the main interpreted electromagnetic ("EM") corridor on the western claim block which was not reached by previous operators. The inaugural program results have confirmed the Company's exploration thesis on the Project, highlighting a uranium-fertile system with several kilometres of still untested strike length across the Project.
Hydrothermal U Input:
Uranium: Thorium ("U:Th") ratios 3:1 measured with the handheld RS-125 Super-Spec suggest hydrothermal uranium input focused along structures.
On Time Under Budget:
Completion of 3,316 metres within 5 drill holes, surpassing meterage expectations both on time and under budget.
Follow Up Targets Next Steps:
Atlantic holds significant upside for discovery along the untested portions of the E-W conductor system. Supplementary geophysical surveys over the central claim blocks will provide further target areas for phase II and III drilling, along with the additional untested gravity low anomalies on the western block identified in 2022.
"I am very encouraged with the magnitude of the structure and alteration that has been encountered thus far. Combined with the anomalous radioactivity, we're setting the stage for more success on the project" said Neil McCallum, director of Standard Uranium and Atco Mining. "We are already planning the next steps, so having this information will be an incredible addition to our exploration model."
"Intersecting anomalous radioactivity across all five drill holes targeting a completely untested area on the Atlantic project is extremely encouraging. The results from this program have confirmed the presence of a significant structural framework on the property providing the ideal conditions for high-grade unconformity-related uranium mineralization," said Sean Hillacre, Standard Uranium's VP of Exploration. "The scale and intensity of deformation in the basement rocks we drilled this season is highly prospective and paired with the radioactivity and
hydrothermal alteration intersected in the overlying sandstone, we are just in the beginning of uncovering the compelling story on the first of many target areas on Atlantic."
The Atlantic project boasts all the key characteristics to host a high-grade unconformity-related uranium deposit, and the results of the inaugural drill program on the project have strengthened the validity of the exploration model. Follow up targets are being planned as geological data from the winter 2024 program is processed and interpreted. Core samples from the program have been submitted to Saskatchewan Research Council Geoanalytical Laboratory ("SRC") in Saskatoon, for geochemical assay and results will be reported once received and examined by the technical team in accordance with the Company's internal quality control processes.
Technical Highlights:
The winter 2024 drill program comprised 3,316 metres of diamond drilling across 5 drill holes (Table 1). Two drill holes were restarted due to difficult ground conditions resulting from highly broken and desilicified sandstone intervals. Inaugural drilling intersected the key characteristics of a uranium-bearing mineralized system in previously untested "Target Area A" (Figure 2), confirming the presence of a significant graphitic fault system in the basement rock linked to anomalous radioactivity and prospective hydrothermal alteration at the unconformity. Handheld scintillometer and downhole gamma probe radioactivity results are summarized in Table 2.
Table
2
. Atlantic winter 2024 drill hole radioactivity summary.
Scintillometer readings are taken from down-hole depths,
gamma probe peaks are corrected survey depths.
DDH From (m) To (m) Width (m) Lithology RS-125 Scintillometer 32GR Gamma Probe
Min Max Avg. Peak Depth (m)
ATL-24-001 520.5 521.0 0.5 Sandstone 170 360 265 337 518.55
ATL-24-001 521.5 522.0 0.5 130 310 220
ATL-24-001 523.5 524.0 0.5 160 340 250
ATL-24-002 509.0 509.5 0.5 Sandstone 200 590 395 1,204 506.27
ATL-24-003 505.0 505.5 0.5 Sandstone 160 280 220 323 506.59
ATL-24-003 558.0 558.5 0.5 Basement 110 280 195
ATL-24-004A 530.0 530.5 0.5 Basement 100 560 330 1,082 530.18
ATL-24-004A 544.5 545.0 0.5 140 360 250
ATL-24-004A 550.0 550.5 0.5 140 370 255
ATL-24-005A 493.0 493.5 0.5 Sandstone 120 310 215 647 490.99
ATL-24-005A 494.5 495.0 0.5 180 450 315
ATL-24-005A 496.5 497.0 0.5 140 310 225
The Atlantic Project covers 6.5 km of an 18 km long, east-west trending conductive exploration trend which hosts numerous uranium occurrences. The Company completed a high-resolution ground gravity survey on the western claim block in 2022, revealing multiple subsurface density anomalies, potentially representing significant hydrothermal alteration zones in the sandstone rooted to basement conductors.
The drill program was designed to follow up on highly anomalous uranium results returned from drill hole BL-16-32, in addition to testing the newly outlined gravity lows defined by the 2022 ground survey. On the western Atlantic claim block, drilling by Denison Mines in 2016 (Hole BL-16-32) identified 342 ppm uranium over 0.5 metres at the base of the sandstone, just north of Target Area A. Winter drilling was focused in Target Area A which is defined by a 1,400-metre x 850-metre density-low anomaly coinciding with stacked EM conductors and an interpreted regional fault. Figure 2 highlights winter 2024 drilling focused on testing the 3D density anomaly target at the unconformity linked to basement EM conductors and interpreted fault trends. Core photos of prospective alteration, structure and radioactivity intersected during the inaugural drill program are presented in figures 3, 4 and 5.
Samples collected for analysis have been sent to SRC Geoanalytical Laboratories in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan for preparation, processing, and ICP-MS multi-element analysis using total and partial digestion, gold by fire assay and boron by fusion.
Sandstone samples were tested using the ICP-MS1 uranium multi-element exploration package plus boron. Basement samples were tested with ICP-MS2 uranium multi-element exploration package plus boron. All sandstone samples, and basement samples marked as radioactive upon arrival to the lab were also analyzed using the U
3
O
8
assay (reported in wt %).
Basement rock split interval samples range from 0.1 to 0.5 m and sandstone composite samples are comprised of multiple equal sized full core "pucks" spaced over the sample interval. SRC is an ISO/IEC 17025/2005 and Standards Council of Canada certified analytical laboratory. Blanks, standard reference materials, and repeats were inserted into the sample stream at regular intervals in accordance with Standard Uranium's quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) protocols.
Samples containing clay alteration have been sent to Rekasa Rocks Inc. in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan to be analyzed by Short Wavelength Infrared Reflectance ("SWIR") via a Portable Infrared Mineral Analyzer ("PIMA") to verify clay species. Geochemical assay results will be released as they are received and examined by the technical team in accordance with the Company's internal quality control process.
The scientific and technical information contained in this news release, including the sampling, analytical and test data underlying the technical information contained in this news release, has been reviewed, verified, and approved by Neil McCallum, P.Geo., director of both Atco Mining and Standard Uranium, and a qualified person as defined in National Instrument 43-101.
Private Placement
The Company is also pleased to announce that it has closed a final tranche of its non-brokered private placement and has issued 3,635,463 non-flow-through units (each, an "
NFT Unit
") at a price of $0.05 per NFT unit for gross proceeds of $181,773. Each NFT Unit consists of one common share of the company and one transferable common share purchase warrant, entitling the holder thereof to purchase one additional share at a price of $0.15 until April 11, 2026.
The Company intends to use the net proceeds raised from the offering for exploration expenses in respect of the Company's existing exploration projects and for general working capital purposes.
In connection with closing of this final tranche of the offering, the Company did not pay any finders' fees. All securities issued in connection with the final tranche are subject to a statutory hold period until August 12, 2024, under applicable Canadian securities laws.
About Atco Mining (CSE: ATCM):
Atco is a junior exploration mining company focused on exploring for green energy metals throughout Canada. Atco is exploring for uranium in the Athabasca Basin as well as salt opportunities in Western Newfoundland. Investors are encouraged to visit the company's website here:
We seek Safe Harbor.
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