Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 18, 2024) - Blackbird Critical Metals Corp. (CSE: BBRD) (FSE: N79) (OTCQB: BBCMF) ("Blackbird" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an initial update on the recently announced ground exploration program. The goal of this program is to assess additional targets highlighted by the SkyTEM survey completed in the fall of 2023 at the Tyee Critical Metals Project, located 130 km north of Havre-Saint-Pierre in Quebec.
Highlights:
- Massive ilmenite was sampled in outcrop for the first time at the southern end of the Big Tio target
- Ground exploration further detailed the Big Tio and NS Trend targets through beep mat prospecting and mapping
- Massive ilmenite found to occur both with accessory sulphide minerals and magnetite, giving the occurrences a varying conductive and geophysical signature, an important finding for the planning of future exploration programs
"The current ground exploration program is progressing well, and crews have been able to effectively assess new targets as well as further define the known drill targets," stated Dr. Jaap Verbaas, CEO of Blackbird. "We remain confident in our ability to drill this year and, the current ground program continues to validate our confidence in the project through a much better understanding of how our geophysical data relates to massive ilmenite that continues to be identified on the project."
Figure 1. New outcrop discovery of massive ilmenite at the Big Tio target.
Additional massive ilmenite uncovered at the Big Tio target
Crews have identified additional massive ilmenite mineralization at the Big Tio target, further defining this substantial target. This sample was taken at the south end of the 1.5 km long anomaly where only float was found during the previous program.
Another sample was taken in an area where ground geophysical tools did not identify any conductivity and only very weak magnetism. This implies that the geophysical response of the massive ilmenite found to date was dominantly through accessory minerals such as sulphides and lesser magnetite.
NS Trend Target
Further prospecting and sampling on the NS trend has yielded additional massive ilmenite samples within the anomaly. The NS trend is almost completely covered under thin overburden, complicating detailed geological mapping. However, along the boundary of the NS trend anomaly exploration crews have uncovered thin lenses of ~2 m wide massive ilmenite. The NS trend itself is likely an NS trending lens. Geophysical and geological data collected to date suggests a strike length of up to 3 km.
About the Tyee Critical Metals Project
The Tyee Critical Metals Project is a 100% owned 625 km2 critical metals project with surface mineralization of copper, nickel, cobalt, titanium, vanadium and scandium 130 km north of Havre St. Pierre in Quebec. There are no encumbrances or underlying NSR interests on the property.
The project covers a large portion of the Havre St. Pierre anorthosite complex. The HSP Complex is an intrusive suite of rocks to the north of Havre-Saint-Pierre, Quebec. The complex contains the Lac Tio titanium mine, the largest solid ilmenite deposit in the world, owned by Rio Tinto. This mine has been producing high grade titanium for the past 75 years and is located 100 km to the south of the Tyee Critical Metals Project.
Blackbird Critical Metals acquired the Tyee Critical Metals Project in 2022 and flew a property wide SkyTEM geophysical survey of over 3,500 line km at 200 m line spacing. The detailed geophysical data revealed over 60 conductive targets that were followed up with ground exploration. The ground exploration yielded 8 large occurrences of massive ilmenite with grades of up to 36% TiO2 and 4 occurrences with nickel and copper mineralization of up to 0.75% Ni and 0.81% Cu in gossans.
Qualified person
Ryan Versloot, P.Geo., a "Qualified Person" for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the contents of this news release.
About Blackbird Critical Metals Corp.
Blackbird is a Canadian company listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE: BBRD), the OTCQB Exchange (OTCQB: BBCMF) and the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (FSE: N79). The Company is a mineral exploration company focused on the acquisition, exploration, and development of critical metal properties containing minerals used in green technologies and the renewable energy sector. The Company owns 100% of the Tyee Critical Metals Project located in North-Eastern Quebec and has the right to acquire a 100% interest in the Muskox Lithium Pegmatite Project located within the Yellowknife Pegmatite Province in the Northwest Territories.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD,
Dr. Jacob Verbaas, P.Geo. | CEO
For further information please contact:
Focus Communications
Tel: +1 647 689 6041
Email: info@fcir.ca
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements as well as historical information. Readers should not rely on information in this summary for any purpose other than for gaining general knowledge of the Company. The words "expected", "will" and similar expressions are intended to be among the statements that identify forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that its expectations as reflected in any forward-looking statements, are reasonable, such statements involve risks and uncertainties and no assurance can be given that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates, opinions or other factors should change.
The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed this press release and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.
