Apollo Silver Corp. (“
Apollo” or
the “
Company”) (TSX.V:APGO, OTCQB:APGOF,
Frankfurt:6ZF0) is pleased to provide the following operational and
corporate update. As part of the 2022 Metallurgical Test Program
for the Calico Silver Project (“Calico” or the “Project”), an
initial assessment of the quality of barite in the deposit was
completed. This initial test work illustrated that a high quality
barite concentrate could be produced, warranting a follow up
investigation. As a follow-up to these positive results, and in
anticipation of adding barite to the mineral resource inventory at
Waterloo, further samples have been selected for assay to
characterize the distribution of barite in the deposit.
HIGHLIGHTS
-
Concentrate with up to 94.6% barite produced via
flotation;
-
Barite concentrate meets or exceeds the standards for
chemical and physical specifications for drilling fluids for use in
the petroleum industry as defined by the American Petroleum
Institute (“API”);
-
Further testing now underway includes barite analysis of 79
samples using various assay techniques; and
-
Barite is on the U.S. Geological Survey (“USGS”) Critical
Minerals List, as it is critical for domestic metallurgical
applications in the energy industry.
“The test work we have commenced is an important
step towards including barite in a 2024 resource update at Calico,”
commented Apollo’s President and CEO Tom Peregoodoff. “The results
from this program will enable us to determine the most efficient
and cost-effective method for analyzing our drill material for
barite. We have extensive sample coverage over the entirety of the
Waterloo deposit and with a comprehensive assay program later this
year, we will have a very good understanding of the distribution of
barite. This will enable us to include this critical mineral in our
planned 2024 resource update for Calico.”
BARITE RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
In the 2022 Final List of Critical Minerals,
published by the USGS, barite was identified as one of many
minerals which “…play a significant role in our national security,
economy, renewable energy development and infrastructure.” Barite
is critical for domestic metallurgical applications in the energy
industry, with 90% of the barite sold in the U.S. used as a
weighting agent in petroleum drilling. According to the USGS 2022
Mineral Commodity Report, the U.S. has a net import reliance of
more than 75% as a percentage of consumption and over half of that
total is imported from China.
In 2023, the Company completed two important
steps towards including barite in an updated mineral resource
estimate for Calico, expected in 2024. As reported on May 2, 2023,
results from initial metallurgical test work showed that barite
concentrates of up to 94% barite were achieved. In addition, barite
quality analysis was completed and confirmed that the barite
concentrate produced meets or exceeds the quality requirements for
us in the U.S. as set by the API.
As a follow up to these positive results and as
the next step to adding barite to the mineral resource inventory at
Waterloo, the Company has begun a test program designed to
determine the optimal assay technique for barite. Using 79 samples
distributed across the deposit, barite concentration will be
analyzed to determine the best method to use to assay for barite in
future test work. Typically, multi-element analytic assay methods
under report barium; this program aims to determine the best
analytical method for barium in order to then be able to ensure we
are reporting the maximum concentration in each sample. Once
results of this test work have been completed and the best method
is identified, a comprehensive re-assay program of select drilling
pulps will be completed, with the goal of then updated the Waterloo
mineral resource estimate with the addition of barite.
In 1979 ASARCO calculated an estimate of barite
in the Waterloo deposit. The estimate reported a total of 33.9
million tonnes of mineralized rock in the deposit at a grade of
13.4% barite for a total of 4.5 million tonnes of barite at a grade
of 93%. ASARCO assumed a 50% recovery and a cost of $70 per short
ton of barite concentrate. Please refer to Table 1 for the results
of and further information of this estimate and results are
reported here as documented in original documents. The reader is
cautioned not to treat this historical estimate or any part of it
as a current mineral resource or reserve. An independent Qualified
Person has not completed sufficient work to classify this as a
current mineral resource or reserve and therefore the Company is
not treating the historical estimate as a current mineral resource
or mineral reserve.
Table 1: ASARCO (1979) Waterloo
Historical Silver and Barite Mineral Reserve at 25 g/t Ag
cut-off
Tonnage |
Average Grade |
Contained Metal |
Tons (Mst) |
Tonnes (Mt) |
Grade-Silver (g/t) |
Grade-Silver (opt) |
Grade-Barite (%) |
Barite (Mt) |
Silver (Moz) |
Silver (AgEq) (Moz) |
37.2 |
33.9 |
92.9 |
2.71 |
13.4 |
4.5 |
100.9 |
146.5 |
Reference to the historic reserves at the
Waterloo Property prepared by ASARCO refer to an internal company
document prepared by ASARCO, dated 1979 (unpublished).
Historic reserves are reported here as documented in
original documents. The historic reserves were calculated prior to
the implementation of the current Canadian Institute of Mining’s
(“CIM”) standards for mineral resource estimation (as defined by
the CIM Definition Standard on Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves
dated May 10, 2014) as required by NI 43-101 and has no comparable
resource classification. The reader is cautioned not to
treat them, or any part of them, as current mineral resources or
reserves. An independent Qualified Person has not completed
sufficient work to classify these estimates as current mineral
resources or reserves and therefore the Company is not treating the
historical estimate as a current mineral resources or mineral
reserves. The reliability of the historical estimate is
considered reasonable, reliable, and relevant to be included here
in that they demonstrated simply the barite mineral potential of
the Waterloo Property. This historic resource estimate for silver
has been superseded by the Calico Silver Project current mineral
resource estimate, announced March 6, 2023. There is no current
resource estimate for barite.
OPERATIONAL UPDATE
While the junior mining market has remained
volatile for some time, Apollo has focused on ensuring it remains
well positioned to advance its Calico Silver-Barite asset. The
Company has continued to carefully evaluate all capital allocations
to ensure it is well positioned to benefit from a rebound in market
conditions.
With this overriding objective the Company has
made the decision to terminate the Arizona Silver District Option
to Purchase Agreement, with an effective date of January 15, 2024.
Notice has been served to the vendor to this effect.
In order to maintain the option to purchase the
Langtry portion of the Calico project, the Company has made the
required annual option payments of US$25,000 and US$100,000 to
Athena Minerals Inc., and Bruce D. Strachan and Elizabeth Strachan
Trust, respectively.
ABOUT THE
PROJECT
Location
The Project is located in San Bernardino County,
California and comprises the adjacent Waterloo and Langtry
properties which total 2,950 acres. The Project is 15 km (9 miles)
from the city of Barstow and has an extensive private gravel road
network spanning the property. There is commercial electric power
within 5 km (3 miles) of the Project.
Geology and
Mineralization
The Project is situated in the southern Calico
Mountains of the Mojave Desert, in the south-western region of the
Basin and Range tectonic province. This 15 km (9 mile) long
northwest- southeast trending mountain range is dominantly composed
of Tertiary (Miocene) volcanics, volcaniclastics, sedimentary rocks
and dacitic intrusions. Mineralization at Calico comprises
high-level low-sulfidation silver-dominant epithermal vein-type,
stockwork-type and disseminated-style associated with
northwest-trending faults and fracture zones and mid-Tertiary
(~19-17 Ma) volcanic activity. Gold and barite also form a
significant component of the mineralized system. Calico represents
a district-scale mineral system endowment with approximately 6,000
m (19,685 ft) in mineralized strike length controlled by Apollo.
Silver and gold mineralization are oxidized and hosted within the
sedimentary Barstow Formation and in contact with the upper
volcaniclastic units of the Pickhandle formation. The current
mineral resource at Calico comprises 110 million ounces
(“Moz”) silver (“Ag”) classified as Measured and Indicated
(“M&I”) declared at Waterloo at an average grade of 100 grams
per tonne (“g/t”) Ag; and 51 Moz Ag classified as Inferred
(720,000 oz Ag in the Waterloo deposit at 77 g/t Ag and 50 Moz Ag
in the Langtry deposit at 81 g/t Ag) (see news release March 6,
2023).
QUALIFIED
PERSONS
The scientific and technical information
contained in this news release was reviewed and approved by Cathy
Fitzgerald, M.Sc., P.Geo., Apollo’s Vice President of Exploration
and Resource Development for the Company. Ms. Fitzgerald is a
Qualified Person as defined by the Canadian Securities
Administrators National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure
for Minerals Projects. Ms. Fitzgerald is a registered Professional
Geoscientist in British Columbia, Canada and is not independent of
the Company.
Please visit www.apollosilver.com for further
information.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Tom Peregoodoff Chief Executive Officer
For further
information, please
contact:
Tom Peregoodoff Chief Executive
OfficerTelephone: +1 (604) 428-6128 tomp@apollosilver.com
About Apollo
Silver Corp.
Apollo Silver Corp. has assembled an experienced
and technically strong leadership team who have joined to advance
world class precious metals projects in tier-one jurisdictions. The
Company is focused on advancing its Calico Project, composed of the
Waterloo and Langtry silver resources, located in San Bernardino
County, California.
Neither the
TSX Venture
Exchange nor its
Regulation Services
Provider (as
that term is
defined in 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 “forward-looking
statements” and “forward-looking information” within the meaning of
Canadian securities legislation. All statements included in this
news release, other than statements of historical fact, are
forward-looking statements including, without limitation,
statements with respect to the potential of the Calico Project; the
potential for identification of gold and barite resources at
Calico; the potential to expand the resource estimate and upgrade
its confidence level, including prospective mineralization on
strike and at depth; geological interpretations; future silver
recoveries; timing and execution of future planned drilling and
exploration activities; timing of completion of the updated mineral
resource estimate and 2023 preliminary economic assessment.
Forward-looking statements include predictions, projections and
forecasts and are often, but not always, identified by the use of
words such as “anticipate”, “believe”, “plan”, “estimate”,
“expect”, “potential”, “target”, “budget” and “intend” and
statements that an event or result “may”, “will”, “should”, “could”
or “might” occur or be achieved and other similar expressions and
includes the negatives thereof.
Forward-looking statements are based on the
reasonable assumptions, estimates, analysis, and opinions of the
management of the Company made in light of its experience and its
perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments,
as well as other factors that management of the Company believes to
be relevant and reasonable in the circumstances at the date that
such statements are made. Forward-looking information is based on
reasonable assumptions that have been made by the Company as at the
date of such information and is subject to known and unknown risks,
uncertainties and other factors that may have caused actual
results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the
Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied
by such forward-looking information, including but not limited to:
risks associated with mineral exploration and development; metal
and mineral prices; availability of capital; accuracy of the
Company’s projections and estimates; realization of mineral
resource estimates, interest and exchange rates; competition; stock
price fluctuations; availability of drilling equipment and access;
actual results of current exploration activities; government
regulation; political or economic developments; environmental
risks; insurance risks; capital expenditures; operating or
technical difficulties in connection with development activities;
personnel relations; contests over title to properties; changes in
project parameters as plans continue to be refined; and impact of
the COVID-19 pandemic. The estimate of mineral resources may be
materially affected by environmental, permitting, legal, title,
taxation, sociopolitical, marketing, or other relevant issues. The
quantity and grade of reported inferred mineral resources in this
estimation are uncertain in nature and there has been insufficient
exploration to define these inferred mineral resources as an
indicated or measured mineral resource and it is uncertain if
further exploration will result in upgrading them to an indicated
or measured mineral resource category. Forward-looking statements
are based on assumptions management believes to be reasonable,
including but not limited to the price of silver, gold and barite;
the demand for silver, gold and barite; the ability to carry on
exploration and development activities; the timely receipt of any
required approvals; the ability to obtain qualified personnel,
equipment and services in a timely and cost-efficient manner; the
ability to operate in a safe, efficient and effective matter; and
the regulatory framework regarding environmental matters, and such
other assumptions and factors as set out herein. Although the
Company has attempted to identify important factors that could
cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in
forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause
results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can
be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be
accurate and actual results, and future events could differ
materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly,
readers should not place undue reliance on forward looking
information contained herein, except in accordance with applicable
securities laws. The forward-looking information contained herein
is presented for the purpose of assisting investors in
understanding the Company’s expected financial and operational
performance and the Company’s plans and objectives and may not be
appropriate for other purposes. The Company does not undertake to
update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with
applicable securities laws.
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