SPC Nickel Intersects 24 Metres of 0.97% Nickel Equivalent at the Lockerby East Nickel-Copper Project, Sudbury, Ontario
Sudbury, June 13, 2022 - SPC Nickel Corp. (TSXV: SPC) ("SPC Nickel" or the "Company"), is pleased to announce the first assay results from the on-going drill program at its 100% owned Lockerby East Project (the "Project") located in Sudbury, Ontario.
The Lockerby East Project hosts both the past producing Lockerby East Mine and the historic West Graham deposit. Previously, the Company announced the commencement of a 14 hole, 4,200 metre drill program designed to further evaluate and expand the extents of the high-grade Ni-Cu zone hosted within the larger West Graham deposit (see April 27, 2022 press release). Assay results from the first hole have been completed and are reported in Table 1.
Highlights:
- Hole WG-22-001, intersected a broad zone of Ni-Cu mineralization over 38.0 metres grading 0.75% nickel equivalent ("NiEq.") (0.63% Ni, 0.33% Cu, 0.02% Co) from 38.0 to 76.0 metres.
- Included within the broad zone of mineralization was a high-grade zone returning values of 0.97% NiEq. (0.83% Ni, 0.40% Cu, 0.03% Co) over 24.0 metres.
- The values returned from WG-22-001 are consistent or better than those used to generate the 2009 West Graham resource.
- The drilling campaign continues at the Lockerby East Project with one drill currently turning. Since the start of the program a total of 2,600 metres in 10 holes have been completed.
- Drilling has been focused on defining and expanding the high-grade zone of the historic West Graham deposit, where values of ~1.0% NiEq. occur.
Grant Mourre, CEO and President of SPC Nickel commented, "We are delighted to have received results for the first hole from the West Graham drill program located on our Lockerby East Property. As expected, drilling so far has intersected broad zones of sulphide mineralization with grades and thicknesses comparable to the historic resource. With the intersection of a thick zone of ~1% Nickel Equivalent grade, we have confidence that our drill program will continue to expand the extents of the high-grade mineralized zone. Additional results from other holes will be published as they become available."
Assay Results
Table 1: Assay results from the West Graham drilling on the Lockerby East Project.
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Note: 3E PGM represents Pd g/t + Pt g/t + Au g/t. See Quality Assurance, Quality Control and Qualified Persons section of news release.
Figure 1: Plan map of the West Graham deposit showing pierce points of WG-22-001 and historic holes used in the 2009 resource estimate. Red dashed line is the outline of the West Graham resource projected to surface. Shaded red area are the high-grade zones with NiEq. values of ~1.0%.
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Figure 2: Plan map of the West Graham deposit, refer to Figure 1 for the location of the map. Assay intervals include the intersections as reported in the 2009 resource report as well as well as any high-grade intervals.
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Lockerby East Project
The Lockerby East Project hosts both the historic West Graham and Lockerby East deposits. In 2009, First Nickel Inc. disclosed a historical resource estimate1 of 8.55Mt @ 0.45% Ni and 0.31% Cu (indicated) and 2.0Mt @ 0.38% Ni and 0.30% Cu (inferred) for the West Graham deposit. These grades have economic potential in the context of the Sudbury Mining Camp, as the deposit is located very near to surface and may be amenable to low-cost open pit mining. The deposit is characterized by a broad zone of disseminated to semi-massive sulphide that ranges from 1.7 to 66 metres thick and strikes for 375 metres with a dip extent of up to 533 metres. Within the larger resource, a distinct zone of higher-grade mineralization grading ~1% NiEq. is present. As an example, drill hole WG-26 intersected a broad zone of mineralization grading 0.73% Ni, 0.28% Cu over 71.33 metres1 (from 56.69 metres) including a higher-grade section that returned 1.09% Ni, 0.41% Cu over 39.47 metres1. At depth, the West Graham deposit is interpreted to be contiguous with the high-grade Lockerby East deposit where, historic resources of 0.22 Mt @ 2.43% Ni and 0.78% Cu2 (indicated + inferred) are hosted.
Note: The Company considers the West Graham and Lockerby East resource estimates to be historic mineral resources for purposes of NI 43-101. Neither the Company nor a qualified person on behalf of the Company have done sufficient work to classify the historical estimates as current mineral resources and the Company is not treating such historical estimates as current mineral resources. The Company considers the historic mineral resource estimates to be relevant to an understanding of the West Graham Project but has not done any work to validate the estimates.
About the Sudbury Mining Camp3
The Sudbury Mining Camp is the 2nd largest Ni camp in the world, with over 130 years of continuous production. Since the discovery of the original ore deposits, over 11.1 million metric tons of Ni and 10.8 million metric tons of Cu, together with by-products of cobalt, silver, gold and platinum group elements have been mined from the deposits. Production continues to be generated from eight major mine complex and 21 smaller ore deposits around the outer margin of the Sudbury Basin; the principal mines are owned and operated by international mining companies (Vale, Glencore, and KGHM International). The economic wealth generated at Sudbury in terms of nickel and copper value alone is close to US$500 billion.
Reference
- NI 43-101 Report, Scott Wilson Mining, January 15, 2009, First Nickel Inc.; Technical Report on the West Graham Property Conwest Zone Resource Estimate, Graham Township, Ontario, Canada. 1
- Technical Report on the 2009 Resource Estimate for the Depth, East and Upper West Zones, Lockerby Mine, Sudbury, Ontario, prepared by First Nickel Inc., February 23, 2009.
- Nickel Sulfide Ores and Impact Melts, Lightfoot, 2017, Elsevier Inc.
Quality Assurance, Quality Control and Qualified Persons
The technical elements of this news release have been approved by Mr. Grant Mourre, P.Geo. (PGO), CEO and President of SPC Nickel Corp. and a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101.
SPC Nickel follows rigorous sampling and analytical protocols that meet or exceed industry standards. Core samples are stored in a secured area until transport in batches to the ALS facility in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. Sample batches include certified reference materials, blank, and duplicate samples that are then processed under the control of ALS. All samples were analyzed in Vancouver by ALS Chemex. Platinum, palladium, and gold values were determined together using standard lead oxide collection fire assay and ICP-AES finish. Base metal values were determined using sodium peroxide fusion and ICP-AES finish. Silver values were determined using an aqua regia digestions and an AAS finish. A Certified Reference Material (CRM) standard, blank or duplicate is inserted on every 10th sample in the following order: CRM, blank, CRM, duplicate. The cycle repeats every 40 samples, thus ensuring that 10% of samples submitted are control samples.
Lengths are drill intersections and not necessarily true widths. True thicknesses cannot be accurately estimated due to the irregular nature of the mineralized zone. The geological interpretations in this news release are solely those of the Company. The locations and distances highlighted on all maps in this news release are approximate.
Where used in this news release: NiEq.% = Ni%+ Cu% x 0.32 + Co% x 0.53 and does not factor in Pt, Pd, Au or Ag values. The NiEq.% calculation used in this release is consistent with the West Graham resource report published by First Nickel Inc. in 2009.
About SPC Nickel Corp.
SPC Nickel Corp. is a new Canadian public corporation focused on exploring for Ni-Cu-PGMs within the world class Sudbury Mining Camp. The Company is currently exploring its key 100% owned exploration projects Lockerby East and Aer-Kidd both located in the heart of the historic Sudbury Mining Camp and holds an option to acquire 100% interest in the Janes Project located approximately 50 km northeast of Sudbury. In addition, the Company recently acquired over 45,000 hectares covering a considerable proportion of the high prospective Muskox Intrusion, located in Nunavut. Although our focus is on Sudbury, we are an opportunistic company always looking for opportunities to use our skills to add shareholder value. Additional information regarding the Company and its projects can be found at www.spcnickel.com.
Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Information
Except for statements of historical fact contained herein, the information in this news release constitutes "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities law. Such forward-looking information may be identified by words such as "plans", "proposes", "estimates", "intends", "expects", "believes", "may", "will" and include without limitation, statements regarding estimated capital and operating costs, expected production timeline, benefits of updated development plans, foreign exchange assumptions and regulatory approvals. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate; actual results and future events could differ materially from such statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include, among others, metal prices, competition, risks inherent in the mining industry, and regulatory risks. Most of these factors are outside the control of the Company. Investors are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking information. Except as otherwise required by applicable securities statutes or regulation, the Company expressly disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Further information is available at www.spcnickel.com by contacting:
Grant Mourre
Chief Executive Officer
SPC Nickel Corp.
Tel: (705) 669-1777
Email: gmourre@spcnickel.com
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