Group Ten Metals Inc. has provided an update on target generation and geological modelling work under way by Group Ten geologists in collaboration with GoldSpot Discoveries Inc. at the company’s flagship Stillwater West platinum-group-element-nickel-copper project in Montana, United States.
Application of GoldSpot Discoveries’ Advanced Technologies
GoldSpot Discoveries is a mining-focused technology company that is working with some of the leading exploration and mining names in the industry to apply cutting edge artificial intelligence (“AI”) algorithms to significantly increase the efficiency and success rate of mineral exploration. Recent successes by GoldSpot on both leading producers and explorer/developers have demonstrated the potential to expand resources and make new discoveries using this advanced analytical technology.
At Stillwater West, GoldSpot’s work has focused on integrating and modeling more than a dozen geologic, geochemical and geophysical data layers in order to quantify and differentiate mineralization suites, alteration assemblages, and lithological groups within the magmatic layers of the Stillwater complex, with a focus on bulk-tonnage “Platreef-style” deposits.
The objective of this data-driven prospectivity analysis is to develop robust targeting vectors towards areas of stronger mineralization to aid with target evaluation and prioritization for future drill testing.
Michael Rowley, President and CEO of Group Ten, commented, “We are very pleased with the preliminary results from our collaboration with GoldSpot at our Stillwater West PGE-Ni-Cu project. Goldspot’s innovative AI techniques are particularly relevant as we have multiple target areas across 25 kilometers of broadly mineralized magmatic stratigraphy, and a substantial database to build on. Their work, in tandem with our technical team’s extensive knowledge of the Stillwater Complex and similar layered mafic intrusions globally, has added to our ability to quickly and cost-effectively target “Platreef-style” deposits, with zones of higher grade nickel and copper sulphide mineralization, tens to hundreds of meters thick, that are enriched in palladium, platinum, gold, rhodium, and cobalt. Preliminary results are generating compelling drill targets that have not yet been tested. We look forward to providing further updates as we continue to release results from our 2019 programs, advance drill-defined mineralization towards the delineation of formal mineral resources, and announce our plans for the year ahead.”
Denis Laviolette, Chief Executive Officer and President of GoldSpot, said, “We are very optimistic for the potential results from our collaboration with Group Ten. Bringing our teams and tools together to examine such a prolific district and robust dataset is helping to shape new interpretation and understanding of why mineralization occurs where it does, and where we should focus exploration attention moving forward.”
Drill Core Rock Property Measurement Program
In addition to ongoing block model work and reporting of results from 2019 programs, work at Stillwater West in the first quarter of 2020 has focused on acquisition of advanced rock property measurements on drill core for use in targeting new mineralization. The Stillwater West team has gathered thousands of readings on drill core from 14 holes across four target areas including magnetic susceptibility, conductivity/resistivity, chargeability, density, and hyperspectral response in order to identify and subsequently model the unique geophysical properties of different types and styles of mineralization in mineralized zones.
Dr. Craig Bow, Chief Geologist, stated “We are pleased with the results from our work this spring that demonstrate for the first time the utility of hyperspectral data collected from ultramafic rocks of the Stillwater Complex. In addition to giving us valuable information with respect to original rock types, we now have quantitative measures of subsequent alteration patterns in host rocks and associated mineralization that will support upcoming exploration campaigns. This new data will improve our core logging and facilitate comparison and correlation of drill data with surface mapping results across the property.”
Upcoming News and 2020 Exploration Plans
Group Ten expects to provide further news in the coming weeks including exploration, targeting and geological modelling results from the Stillwater West PGE-Ni-Cu property, and updates on the Company’s Yukon PGE-Ni-Cu and Ontario gold projects.
The Company is monitoring recommendations and guidance in all communities in which we operate and has implemented precautionary measures to reduce the risks associated with the spread of COVID-19 including reduced travel and in-person meetings for all personnel. The Company’s current focus on target development and modeling efforts are proceeding via work-from-home protocols following social distancing procedures.
About Group Ten Metals Inc.
Group Ten Metals Inc. is a TSX-V-listed Canadian mineral exploration company focused on the development of high-quality platinum, palladium, nickel, copper, cobalt and gold exploration assets in top North American mining jurisdictions. The Company’s core asset is the Stillwater West PGE-Ni-Cu project adjacent to Sibanye-Stillwater’s high-grade PGE mines in Montana, USA. Group Ten also holds the high-grade Black Lake-Drayton Gold project in the Rainy River district of northwest Ontario and the Kluane PGE-Ni-Cu project on trend with Nickel Creek Platinum’s Wellgreen deposit in Canada’s Yukon Territory.
About the Metallic Group of Companies
The Metallic Group is a collaboration of leading precious and base metals exploration companies, with a portfolio of large, brownfields assets in established mining districts adjacent to some of the industry’s highest-grade producers of silver and gold, platinum and palladium, and copper. Member companies include Metallic Minerals in the Yukon’s high-grade Keno Hill silver district and La Plata silver-gold-copper district of Colorado, Group Ten Metals in the Stillwater PGM-nickel-copper district of Montana, and Granite Creek Copper in the Yukon’s Minto copper district. The founders and team members of the Metallic Group include highly successful explorationists formerly with some of the industry’s leading explorer/developers and major producers. With this expertise, the companies are undertaking a systematic approach to exploration using new models and technologies to facilitate discoveries in these proven, but under-explored, mining districts. .
Quality Control/Quality Assurance
Mr. Mike Ostenson, P.Geo., is the qualified person for the Stillwater West project for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101, and he has reviewed and approved the technical disclosure contained in this news release.