Operations update
No summary for this filing – the full text is below.
Select text to share a quote on X · sign in to keep highlights & notes in your FCM notes
First Class Metals PLC ("First Class Metals" "FCM" or the "Company") the UK listed metals exploration company seeking economic metal discoveries across its extensive land holdings, remains focused in northern Ontario, Canada, is pleased to announce significant advancements in field activities and supporting technical developments.
Highlights
- Coco East property- field work completed, base metal potential.
- Sunbeam Project- 85 samples from Nuinsco diamond core drilling dispatched for assay.
- North Hemlo- 25 coarse rejects from Dead Otter trend to be re-assayed by Photon Assay
- Zigzag Lithium & Critical Metals Project- Award of an Exploration Permit for three years
Marc Sale First Class Metals CEO Commented:
"At FCM we persist in our aim of enhancing the value of the portfolio. The field work at Coco East ensures the property's positive standing beyond 2024, furthermore we eagerly await the results from the prospecting in a new area of historic potential. The review of the historic drill core from the Sunbeam Property was our initial focus this year after EGS 'found' the TerraX core. The significance of the review is the revelation that from the stripping at Roy and Pettigrew the host porphyry was proved to be auriferous: successful resampling here could revolutionise the property's potential.
Despite Dead Otter's assays being the highest recorded from the North Limb of Hemlo, we suspect coarse gold might be skewing fire assay results, possibly misrepresenting the samples. Adopting Photon Assaying, a relatively new method, may resolve this issue.
Lastly the award of a further three years Exploration Permit at Zigzag, supported by the Whitesand First Nation is a welcome event. The permit opens up the new structure we delineated in the south and gives us more options on the core structure that we drilled last December.
It's been a busy few months for FCM as we enter the summer period with a lot of activity still to look forward to.
As a follow up to my recent field trip to northwest Ontario we have populated additional information to the Data Room and received request from a further company to review specific properties."
Coco East
The Coco East property not only has potential for precious metal targets but also base metals. The geophysical anomaly in the northern sector has been interpreted as a potential eastern continuation of the 'zinc belt' from the Winston Lake area.
Figure 01 Showing the recently re-discovered adit - mine working - in the norther area of the property.
FCM through Emerald Geological Services ('EGS') recently undertook a prospecting programme in the northern sector of the property. A previously unknown adit was encountered. Searches of the Ontario Mineral Index 'OMI' registrar is ongoing to ascertain if there is any historical information associated with the workings. A number of rock samples were collected from this area of the adit as well other locations and will be dispatched for analysis.
The exploration programme whilst brief has been successful and importantly the assessment credits the work generates will ensure the property remains in good standing into the '25 field season.
North Hemlo, Dead Otter Trend
The Dead Otter Trend has discontinuous outcrop along the identified >3km strike. The structure mimicking the granite / mafic volcanic contact is sheared and contains significant quartz veining. Where outcrop allows sampling, the gold reported in assays has reached 19.6ppm Au, (19.6g/t). However, there are areas where, whilst gold has been visibly identified in rock samples, the assays have not reflected the apparent potential to report significant gold values. There is possibly a 'coarse gold issue' in the northern sector. Additionally, the presence of silver and gold telluride (calaverite) further suggests that the assays are not reflecting the true gold content of the quartz / shear.
Given the relatively small fraction of the overall samples that are used in a standard 50g Fire Assay method, FCM through EGS has selected 25 samples for Photon Assay which utilises a 500g sample in the assay. The sample is run through a high energy X-ray machine which excites the atomic nuclei in the rock, causing them to emit gamma rays at specific energy levels. These emitted gamma rays allow for the detection of gold and silver within the rock sample and, is a non-destructive methodology, as opposed to traditional fire assay, allowing the sample to be retained for further analysis.
The samples are from the original Dead Otter Showing (3.1ppm Au), the '19 grammer' as well as samples from Bobby's Showing which reported 2.2ppm Au.
It is anticipated that this new method of analysis will enhance the potential of the Dead Otter trend and help focus stripping programme the planned this field season.
Sunbeam
After a review of the historic TerraX and Nunisco drill core a total of 83 half core samples (plus one standard and a blank) have been submitted to assay for gold by Fire Assay and a silver / multi element package.
The basis for the additional review and sampling of the core results from the stripping programmes at Roy and Pettigrew that identified that the hosting porphyry was anomalous in gold, with one grab sample reporting over 4ppm Au.
Zigzag
The Exploration Permit application to the Ontario Ministry has been approved for a further three years. The granting of the Permit allows for stripping and further drilling on the main zone identified by FCM's prospecting, channel sampling and drilling in 2023. The zone remains open in all directions, including down dip.
Previously reported results from an MMI soil sampling programme indicated not only is the main zone open past FCM and historical drilling and channel sampling locations but that there exists the possibility of a subparallel or spur structure to the south (anomalous values reported included Li, up to: 2,600ppm; 4,290ppm Rubidium; 920ppm Cs. The granted permit will allow this to be stripped and if warranted drilled.
Cleaned text: letterheads, contacts and legal notices removed. View the original announcement ↗ · Company filings. Not investment advice.