Search Provides Deep Fox Drill Program Update and Convertible Debenture Extended

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Jan. 15, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Search Minerals Inc. ("Search" or the "Company") (TSXV:SMY) is pleased to provide a corporate update about the Deep Fox drill program and extension of December 2016 Convertible Debenture.

Deep Fox Drill Program

Three holes have been completed to date (see Search news release December 11, 2017 – Search Minerals provides updates on the Deep Fox Drill Program, Environmental Assessment and flow-though private placement) and a fourth started but not completed. These drill holes have shown that rare earth element mineralization is apparent and extending to the current maximum intersection depth of 100 m.

The three completed holes have been sampled and logged; samples have been sent for assay and results should be available by early March 2018.

The drill program was suspended due to the onset of severe winter conditions at the Deep Fox drill site in southeastern Labrador. The Company has decided that the balance of the planned drill program will be rescheduled to the late spring 2018 under more favorable working conditions. Also, the remainder of the drill program will have the benefit of the review of the assays from the first three drill holes.

December 2016 Convertible Debenture extended to March 31, 2018

The Convertible Debenture (“Debenture”) in the amount of $ 120,750.00 expired on December 29, 2017. The Debenture Holder has agreed to extend the Debenture on the same terms, without penalty or fees, until March 31, 2018.

The original terms of the Debenture remain as convertible into units (“Units”) at a conversion price of $0.07 per Unit all in accordance with the terms set forth in the certificate representing the Debenture (the “Debenture Certificate”). Each Unit will be comprised of one common share of the Company (a “Share”) and one common share purchase warrant (a “Warrant”). Each Warrant will entitle the holder thereof to acquire one Share (a “Warrant Share”) at an exercise price of $0.14 per Warrant Share for one year from the date of conversion of the Debenture. The Debenture is non-secured with simple interest at a rate of 10% per annum, calculated and paid quarterly in arrears.

Qualified Person(s):

Dr. Randy Miller, Ph.D., P.Geo, is the Company's Vice President, Exploration, and Qualified Person (as defined by National Instrument 43-101) who has supervised the preparation of and approved the technical information reported herein. The Company will endeavour to meet high standards of integrity, transparency, and consistency in reporting technical content, including geological and assay (e.g., REE) data.

About Search Minerals Inc.

Led by a proven management team and board of directors, Search is focused on finding and developing resources within the emerging Port Hope Simpson Critical Rare Earth Element (“CREE”) District of South East Labrador (the “District”). The Company controls a belt 70 km long and 8 km wide including its 100% interest in the FOXTROT Project which is road accessible and at tidewater. Exploration efforts have advanced “Deep Fox” and “Fox Meadow” as significant new CREE prospects very similar and in close proximity to the original FOXTROT discovery. While the Company has identified more than 20 other prospects in the District, its primary objective remains development of FOXTROT with the clearly demonstrated success of the proprietary processing technology at the pilot plant level and delineation of prospects that will ensure competitive-low cost production beyond the 14-year mine life contemplated in the preliminary economic assessment of FOXTROT completed in April 2016. The FOXTROT Project has a low capital cost to bring the initial project into production ($152 M), a short payback period and is scalable due to Search’s proprietary processing technology. The preliminary economic assessment is preliminary in nature and includes inferred mineral resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves, and there is no certainty that the preliminary economic assessment will be realized. The preliminary economic assessment includes the results of an economic analysis of mineral resources. Mineral resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability.

All material information on the Company may be found on its website at www.searchminerals.ca and on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

About neo-CREOs (Adamas Intelligence – December 2016)

We consider neodymium, praseodymium, and dysprosium to be neo-CREOs and they are vital to NdFeB magnets used widely in renewable power generation, electric mobility, and energy-efficient technologies. We consider terbium to be a neo-CREO because upon experiencing shortages of dysprosium, consumers in the magnet industry will rapidly consume available terbium supplies in its place for applications involving renewable power generation, electric mobility and energy efficient technologies. Lanthanum is considered a neo-CREO because it is widely used in catalytic converters and rechargeable batteries, and will be increasingly used as a thermal stabilizer by producers of poly-vinyl chloride (PVC) to minimize lead consumption and improve the energy efficiency of PVC and other processing equipment.

For further information, please contact:

Greg Andrews
President and CEO
Tel: 604-998-3432
E-mail: info@searchminerals.ca

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Statement Regarding “Forward-Looking” Information.

This news release includes certain “forward-looking information” and “forward-looking statements” (collectively “forward-looking statements”) within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation including the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, without limitation, statements relating the future operating or financial performance of the Company, are forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements are frequently, but not always, identified by words such as “expects”, “anticipates”, “believes”, “intends”, “estimates”, “potential”, “possible”, and similar expressions, or statements that events, conditions, or results “will”, “may”, “could”, or “should” occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements in this news release relate to, among other things, technical results from the Company’s drilling program and closing of the Offering. Actual future results may differ materially. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Forward-looking statements reflect the beliefs, opinions and projections on the date the statements are made and are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the respective parties, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and the parties have made assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. Such factors include, without limitation, the risk that the Company is not able to find suitable investors for the Offering or does not receive the approval of TSX Venture Exchange. Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release concerning these times. Except as required by law, the Company does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change.