Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - April 4, 2023) - Canadian Manganese Company Inc. (NEO: CDMN) ("CDMN" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an update for its on-going exploration work at the historically documented North Hartford manganese-iron deposit ("North Hartford") within the Company's wholly-owned Woodstock Project (the "Project") in New Brunswick, Canada. In 2022, the Company completed an initial core drilling campaign at North Hartford (see August 11th, 2022 news release). Results for this drilling are disclosed herein and successfully demonstrate grades and widths comparable to historical estimates for the North Hartford deposit, including drilled intercepts of up to 84.2 m (core length) averaging 10.53% Mn & 14.55% Fe. These results confirm the North Hartford deposit is analogous to the Company's Plymouth Deposit ("Plymouth") located approximately 2.2 km to the southwest where the Company recently announced a mineral resource estimate of 56.7 million tonnes Measured and Indicated Resources grading 10.07% manganese (Mn) plus 17.7 million tonnes Inferred Resource grading 10.02% Mn (see March 3, 2023 news release). Drilling at Hartford has been expanded in 2023 with the intention of delineating additional mineralization that may add significant resources to the Project's mineral inventory.
Matthew Allas, President & CEO commented, "These results reinforce our belief that the historic Hartford deposits have potential to add significant mineral inventory to our Woodstock Project. We are pleased to announce our decision to initiate additional drilling aimed at facilitating delivery of a maiden NI 43-101 Mineral Resource Estimate for North Hartford in 2024."
Highlights from the 2022 Program are summarized below:
| Hole ID | From (m) | To (m) | *Length (m) | Mn % | Fe % |
| HF-22-01 | 200.70 | 254.00 | 53.30 | 5.78 | 9.89 |
| including | 203.00 | 209.00 | 6.00 | 11.86 | 17.31 |
| including | 218.00 | 236.70 | 18.70 | 8.21 | 11.72 |
| including | 227.00 | 236.70 | 9.70 | 10.76 | 14.41 |
| and | 250.00 | 251.00 | 1.00 | 21.22 | 6.58 |
| | | | | | |
| HF-22-02 | 59.00 | 143.20 | 84.20 | 10.53 | 14.55 |
| including | 86.00 | 125.00 | 39.00 | 12.33 | 18.22 |
| including | 110.00 | 125.00 | 15.00 | 13.37 | 21.92 |
| and | 209.90 | 287.00 | 77.10 | 10.05 | 13.30 |
| including | 239.00 | 281.15 | 42.15 | 11.79 | 15.12 |
| including | 239.00 | 257.20 | 18.20 | 13.32 | 17.44 |
| and | 302.00 | 332.85 | 30.85 | 8.70 | 11.60 |
| including | 313.60 | 324.40 | 10.80 | 12.15 | 13.35 |
| | | | | | |
| HF-22-03 | 5.70 | 27.55 | 21.85 | 7.96 | 11.90 |
| including | 10.40 | 26.00 | 15.60 | 9.40 | 13.79 |
| and | 45.35 | 46.30 | 0.95 | 14.78 | 5.84 |
| and | 60.40 | 92.00 | 31.60 | 7.30 | 9.73 |
| including | 71.00 | 76.85 | 5.85 | 10.67 | 15.09 |
| including | 82.50 | 92.00 | 9.50 | 9.62 | 10.16 |
| and | 104.00 | 180.45 | 76.45 | 5.39 | 8.78 |
| including | 157.60 | 179.00 | 21.40 | 6.80 | 11.20 |
| including | 159.05 | 171.60 | 12.55 | 7.79 | 13.32 |
| including | 159.05 | 166.15 | 7.10 | 9.72 | 16.00 |
| and | 247.30 | 266.00 | 18.70 | 4.85 | 6.87 |
| including | 257.00 | 266.00 | 9.00 | 6.42 | 6.53 |
| and | 300.15 | 305.00 | 4.84 | 10.73 | 18.00 |
| | | | | | |
| HF-22-04 | 163.10 | 164.75 | 1.65 | 10.54 | 8.73 |
| and | 183.10 | 203.70 | 20.60 | 6.03 | 11.04 |
| including | 183.10 | 189.25 | 6.15 | 10.50 | 13.30 |
* Note: Downhole core sample lengths are specified. True widths have not been determined at this time but are estimated to be between 70 and 90% of reported core lengths.
**Note: All holes were drilled at angles ranging between -45° and -55° towards the deposit to test mineralization at variable depths below surface.
In December 2022, the Company permitted twenty-nine (29) drill hole locations at North Hartford in preparation for a 2023 exploration program ("2023 Program"). In March 2023, the Company permitted an additional four (4) drill hole locations to test the extent of the geological sequence observed earlier in the program. The 2023 Program has been designed by Mercator Geological Services Limited ("Mercator") to further test the historically documented manganese-iron mineralization in the North Hartford area. The 2023 Program was conceived based on 100 m x 100 m hole spacing encompassing the currently interpreted outline of the deposit down to a vertical depth of approximately 200 m. To date in 2023, the Company has completed ten diamond drill holes including one abandoned at 152 m due to poor ground conditions, and two currently in progress for a total of 3,479.5m drilled. Drill holes 5 through 8 were completed on section lines to the west of the initial 2022 Program and the remaining holes, 9 through 16, were collared on section lines east of the 2022 Program section line (Figure 1).
The Company, with support and engagement from private landowners, is currently planning for completion of the drilling program over the next few weeks as well as possible extension of the current program and additional fall in-fill drilling initiative. As part of the Company's ongoing efforts to reduce environmental impacts and improve operational sustainability, the current drilling program is utilizing a recirculating centrifuge system for management of drill cuttings and drilling fluid. This system reduces water consumption by up to 75% and prevents direct discharge of cuttings to the surface environment around the drill site. Use of the system has minimized potential impacts of drilling activities on agricultural land where the 2023 drilling program is being carried out.
North Hartford Historic Resource Estimate
Historic resource estimates for the North and adjacent South Hartford deposits were compiled by Strategic Manganese Corporation in 1957. These deposits are located approximately 2 km on strike to the north of the Plymouth Deposit and their respective historic resource estimates rely on a combination of historic results from diamond drilling and associated gravimetric data obtained and prepared by Strategic Manganese Corporation. Based on these data, Strategic Manganese Corporation estimated the *North Hartford deposit to contain 50 million short tons (45 million tonnes) grading 8% Mn and 12% Fe, and the *South Hartford deposit to contain 50 million short tons grading 8% Mn and 12% Fe. The geological information used to compile these historic resource estimates are themselves historical in nature and rely entirely on data provided by other sources which have not and cannot be independently verified at this time. As such, these historical resource estimates should not be relied upon but are presented herein as an indication of the exploration potential of the mineralization described. While the Company has initiated further work to assess this mineralization with an intention of compiling a mineral resource estimate, successful estimation of additional resource estimates for this mineralization remains contingent on future results.
* historic resource estimates (North Hartford and South Hartford deposits) are from an article by K.O.J. Sidwell, 1957: The Woodstock, N.B., Iron-Manganese Deposits. Transactions of the Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, Volume LX, 1957, p.231-236. This article reports the North Hartford resource estimate was compiled from data acquired from a total of 13 drill holes totaling 5,381 feet (1,640 metres) of drilling as well as gravimetric geophysical data. The article reports the South Hartford resource estimate was compiled from data acquired from a total of 9 drill holes (footage undisclosed) as well as gravimetric geophysical data.
Technical Information
Drill program field supervision, logging and sampling activities were carried out under supervision of Professional Geologists registered in the Province of New Brunswick and employed by Mercator. Logging, sampling, and assaying procedures were carried out in accordance with the Company's QA/QC protocols whereby drill core was descriptively logged on site, aligned, marked for sampling and then split in half, longitudinally, using a diamond saw blade. Samples consist of half NQ-size diamond core (47.6 mm diameter core). One-half of each core sample is preserved in core boxes for future reference and stored at the Company's secure core logging facility in Woodstock, NB.
Samples comprising the other half of the core were bagged, tagged, sealed, and shipped to the ALS Canada Limited ("ALS") preparation facility in Moncton, New Brunswick with analytical procedures subsequently completed at ALS's Vancouver, BC facility. X Ray Fluorescence (XRF) methods as described in ALS protocol ME-XRF26s were applied for analysis of manganese and iron contents and total sulphur levels were determined in accordance with ALS protocol S-IR08. Specific gravity determinations for selected core samples were carried out in accordance with ALS protocol OA-GRA08b. The QAQC program applied to the 2023 drill core samples included systematic insertion and analysis of Certified Reference Materials, blank samples and duplicate pulp splits at 1 in 20 frequency and quarter core duplicates plus coarse reject splits at 1 in 40 frequency. A third-party check sample program for pulp split samples is also included in the Company's QAQC program, with SGS Canada Ltd., providing analytical services.
QUALIFIED PERSON
The scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Paul Moore, P.Geo. (NB), the Company's designated non-independent, Qualified Person within the context of Canadian Securities Administrators' National Instrument 43-101; Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.
ABOUT CANADIAN MANGANESE
CDMN is a Canadian mineral development company aiming to become a supplier of high-purity manganese metal products for the rechargeable battery industry. CDMN holds the Woodstock Project in New Brunswick.
For further information:
investors@CanadianManganese.com
Matthew Allas: President and CEO +1 647 338 3748
The NEO Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release and accepts no responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Additional information on CDMN is available at www.CanadianManganese.com.
Figure 1: North Hartford Drill Plan Map
To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
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Notice regarding forward-looking statements:
This news release includes forward-looking statements regarding CDMN, and its respective businesses, which may include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the timing of additional assay results and the ability to provide a Mineral Reserve, the expected plan to become a supplier of high-quality manganese metal products. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "is expected", "expects", "scheduled", "intends", "contemplates", "anticipates", "believes", "proposes" or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases, or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Such statements are based on the current expectations of the management of each entity. By its nature, this information is subject to inherent risks and uncertainties that may be general or specific and which give rise to the possibility that expectations, forecasts, predictions, projections, or conclusions will not prove to be accurate, that assumptions may not be correct, and that objectives, strategic goals and priorities will not be achieved. These risks and uncertainties include but are not limited, risks regarding the mining industry, economic factors, the equity markets generally, risks associated with growth and competition as well as those risks and uncertainties identified and reported in the Company's public filings under its SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. Although CDMN has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Except as required by applicable securities laws, forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and CDMN undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.