Sterling Metals Provides Exploration Update for Copper Road, Including up to 15.9% Copper and 4.84% Molybdenum in Surface Grab Samples
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Sterling Metals Provides Exploration Update for Copper Road, Including up to
15.9% Copper and 4.84% Molybdenum in Surface Grab Samples
October 29, 2024 – Toronto, Ontario – Sterling Metals Corp. (TSXV: SAG, OTCQB: SAGGF) (“Sterling” or
the “Company”) is pleased to provide a n exploration update on its inaugural Phase 1 campaign at the
Copper Road Project (“Copper Road” or the “Project”). The campaign has successfully defined an initial 5
x 5km high priority area. Located 80km north of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada, Copper Road is a
25,000ha high -potential brownfield exploration project focused on discovering a large rift -related
porphyry copper-molybdenum-silver-gold deposit formed in association with the prolific Midcontinent
Rift. The Project benefits from its strategic proximity to substantial infrastructure, excellent project access
and extensive historical database.
Highlights
• Discovery of h igh-grade copper and molybdenum sulphides , some with significant gold and
silver contents, in multiple surface grab sample outcrops within the high-priority exploration
area.
o Values ranging up to 15.90% Cu and 4.84% Mo, with an average copper value of 1.96% Cu
across 31 samples (Table 1).
o Hydrothermal magnetite-sulphide veins grading up to 15.4% Cu, 54 g/t Ag and 1.34 g/t
Au in the highest-grade sample.
• The emergence of a ~2km long footprint of significant porphyry mineralization within the high
priority area.
o Previous drilling and surface outcrops have revealed a Cu-Mo rich mineral system
containing chalcopyrite, bornite, pyrite and molybdenum with at least three distinct
phases of mineralization.
o Porphyry style mineralization has now been traced from the Richards Breccia to the
Jogran Porphyry, and further, from the newly identified outcrop to historical drill hole
AR96-01 (Figure 1).
• Completion of the 2024 soil sampling program further confirm consistent, strong copper-
molybdenum anomalies (Figure 5).
o Sampling covered a 23km2 area on a 50 by 200 m grid, with a total of 1,822 samples
collected demonstrating clear trends and several new areas of interest.
• A 5km x 3km 3D IP survey is underway to guide drill targeting
o The survey will build on insights from the summer field program and historical data to
enhance definition of priority targets.
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o The analysis will focus specifically on zones just beyond Cu-Mo-Au-Ag mineralization
incepted by the few historical holes that only tested to 200m vertical depth across the
2km footprint.
Jeremy Niemi, SVP Exploration and Evaluation , commented, “Our team is focused on discovering large -
scale copper and molybdenum mineralization, and our recent work brings us another step closer in that
goal. Completing our comprehensive soil sampling program has uncovered compelling copper and
molybdenum trends a cross the central part of the Project. This systematic approach, combined with
extensive fieldwork, has revealed several high -grade outcrops with multiple occurrences of copper,
molybdenum and in some cases gold. Impressively, these outcrops are located hundreds of meters from
previous drilling, highlighting the Project’s large, mineralized footprint. The variety of mineralization styles
we are seeing is also very encouraging and indicative of a copper-molybdenum rich porphyry type system.
Our current IP survey is specifically designed to locate large porphyries and represents a key step forward
in our target definition before we begin drilling.”
Figure 1. Surface sampling results from 2024 field work highlighting the emerging ~2km mineralized
footprint of porphyry system
Grab Samples
Copper and molybdenum sulphide mineralization was identified in outcrops in a number of locations
across the property and within the limits of the current IP survey grid. Systematic sampling of the
mineralization, typically present as porphyry style veining but also breccias, was carried out by the Sterling
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Metals exploration team. In some cases, with larger exposure at outcrops, multiple samples were
collected from the same outcrop.
A total of 31 samples are reported in Table 1 and locations displayed on Figure 2. Copper values ranged
up to 15.90% with the average value of all the samples being 1.96% Cu. The specific showings were
highlighted due to their high-grades and importance to target advancement.
The Cave Showing is located 240m south of the known Jogran Porphyry , a well mineralized porphyry
prospect that has seen only shallow drilling to date . Copper and molybdenum rich veining at Jogran is
associated with strong magnetite -bearing potassic alteration of the host rocks. At the Cave Showing,
which is over 5m wide, clusters of porphyry style veins hosting copper and molybdenum sulphides occur
in multiple orientations. Steeply dipping copper sulphide rich veins grading between 2.39% and 15.9% Cu
have been sampled in four locations spanning 1.5m of the overall showing (Figure 2). Within the same
outcrop, flat lying veins generally with higher molybdenum values were observed in multiple locations.
Sample A focused on the flat lying veins and retuned a value of 2.39% Cu and 0.013% (128ppm) Mo.
Pervasive swarms of veins, both steep and flat lying, as well as pockets of disseminated sulphide
mineralization characterize the outcrop, which has yet to be drill tested. Of particular significance is the
observation that there are at least 3 separate but related episodes of veining which is key to forming high-
grade porphyry style mineralization. Additionally, one of the copper-rich veins is rich in magnetite which
may indicate a connection to a significant copper-magnetite rich potassic core which underlies the area
between Jogran and the Cave Showing.
Figure 2. Photograph of Cave Showing, 240m south of Jogran Porphyry, with sample locations and
grades (looking north).
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The Moly Vein is located an additional 50m beyond and south of the Cave Showing, 290m from the Jogran
Porphyry. The flat lying vein, similar in orientation to the higher grading molybdenum veins at the Cave
Showing, displayed very high-grade sulphide mineralization (Figure 3). The single sample collected at this
location returned values of 1.74% Cu, 4.84% Mo and 3.04 g/t rhenium. Generally, a correlation between
higher molybdenum values and higher rhenium values has been observed in historical samples at th e
property. Rhenium is an important potential revenue by-product metal that along with enrichment in
molybdenum is common to rift-related porphyry copper deposits.
Figure 3. Photograph of Moly Vein, 50m south of Cave Showing, with close up and sample grades
(looking north).
Located 100m south -west of the Moly Vein, a hydrothermal quartz-magnetite-sulphide vein was
discovered hosting high-grade copper and gold mineralization. This 0.8m wide steeply dipping vein, which
strikes to the north, was sampled in three locations (Figure 4). Copper values ranged from 2.00% to 15.44%
and gold ranged between 0.05 g/t and 1.34 g/t. The vein, which consist s of nearly massive magnetite,
hosts abundant copper sulphides and is interpreted to be formed during the hot prograde stage of
porphyry mineralization that characteristically also forms copper-rich magnetite-bearing potassic cores
such as present in the Jogran Porphyry drill core.
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Figure 4. Photograph of high-grade copper Hydrothermal Magnetite vein, 50m south-west of Moly
Vein, with sample locations and grades (looking north).
Importantly, similar copper-rich quartz-magnetite-sulphide vein mineralization was intersected in
historical hole AR96-01, as reported in a press release on June 26, 2024 . The intersection in AR96 -01 is
over 1km to the north-east of the Hydrothermal Magnetite Vein, and interestingly the hole also ended in
porphyry mineralization with drill logs commenting on visual chalcopyrite, bornite, pyrite and
molybdenum. The Hydrothe rmal Magnetite Vein is yet to be drill tested. The copper -rich quartz -
magnetite-sulphide veins that crop out over several square km of this prospective area are hosted within
strongly altered mafic volcanics, including epidote-bearing propylitic alteration, suggesting that a large
copper-rich potassic core may underlie this area at moderate depth and which has not been tested for by
previous drilling campaigns.
IP Survey
Currently, an extensive 3D Induced Polarization survey is being conducted by Dias Geophysical Ltd. in the
central area of the property, covering 15 square kilometres and both the 2024 soil sampling grid as well
as the results reported herein from surface sampling are contained in the IP survey area ( Figure 1). The
goal of the survey is to identify new chargeability anomalies, which may indicate the presence of sulphide
mineralization. Physical property measurements on copper mineralized historical drill cor e on the
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property confirmed that the mineralization was highly chargeable. The results of the survey are
anticipated to lead to specific drill targets for future drilling campaigns.
Figure 5. 2024 Soil Sampling results displaying copper anomalies over LiDAR in central area of the
project outlined by the planned IP grid
Mathew Wilson, CEO and Director, commented, “Through our extensive work and the Project’s rich
history, we now recognize that Copper Road was formed in response to a major geological event, making
it a uniquely situated rift-related porphyry copper system at the eastern edge of the Midcontinent Rift in
Ontario. With copper -rich mineralization widespread across this multi -kilometer Project and leveraging
extensive records from past mine production to both the northeast and southwest, we are excited to have
narrowed in on the central part of the Project that we believe offers the best potential for a significant
near-term discovery.
The goal of this IP survey is to identify potential zones of overlapping, multiple phases of high -grade
copper sulfides, that may lead to uncovering a rich, and ideally extensive porphyry copper deposit. Priority
drill targets will be defined by the alignm ent of IP anomalies with magnetics and resistivity anomalies
where geological mapping and prior drilling results suggest the right conditions exist for significant
concentrations of copper-rich sulphides. This is the final step prior to our inaugural drill program, and we
look forward to updating the market when the inversions have been completed.”
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Table 1. Surface sampling results from 2024 field program.
Area Sample ID Easting
(m)
Northing
(m)
Cu
(%)
Mo
ppm
Mo
%
Re
(g/t)
Ag
(g/t)
Au
(g/t)
Cave Showing SCFS-24-010A 681166 5212536 2.39 128 0.025 37 -
SCFS-24-010B 681166 5212536 3.61 7 0.025 28 -
SCFS-24-010C 681166 5212536 15.90 18 0.025 10 -
SCFS-24-010D 681166 5212536 4.08 7 0.025 23 -
SCFS-24-010E 681166 5212536 0.75 1 0.025 2.5 -
Hydrothermal
magnetite vein
SCFS-24-020A 681099 5212368 3.73 20 0.025 15 0.73
SCFS-24-020B 681099 5212369 2.00 7 0.025 2.5 0.047
SCFS-24-020C 681099 5212370 15.44 7 0.025 54 1.34
Moly Vein SCFS-24-016 681166 5212460 1.74 10000 4.84 3.04 7 -
Regional
Sampling
SCFS-24-001 682771 5213881 0.013 1 0.025 2.5 -
SCFS-24-002A 682840 5214048 3.62 129 0.025 32 -
SCFS-24-003 682841 5214071 0.028 1 0.025 2.5 -
SCFS-24-004 680999 5212408 0.64 1 0.025 2.5 -
SCFS-24-005 682030 5214507 0.043 1 0.025 2.5 -
SCFS-24-006 681296 5214031 0.002 1 0.025 2.5 -
SCFS-24-007 681296 5214031 0.002 1 0.025 2.5 -
SCFS-24-008 681296 5214031 0.002 1 0.025 2.5 -
SCFS-24-009 680361 5211774 0.061 7 0.025 2.5 -
SCFS-24-011 681589 5212779 0.026 1 0.025 2.5 -
SCFS-24-012 681178 5212518 0.20 1 0.025 2.5 -
SCFS-24-013 681169 5212485 0.044 1 0.025 2.5 -
SCFS-24-014 681168 5212486 0.99 38 0.025 9 -
SCFS-24-015 681171 5212477 0.51 27 0.025 8 -
SCFS-24-019 681103 5212371 0.48 46 0.025 2.5 -
SCFS-24-021 681079 5212363 0.11 6 0.025 2.5 -
SCFS-24-024 681111 5212510 1.54 4 0.025 37 -
SCFS-24-027 680987 5212666 0.11 11 0.025 2.5 -
SCFS-24-029 680931 5212700 1.69 7 0.025 2.5 -
SCFS-24-037 678914 5214386 0.02 1 0.025 2.5 -
SCFS-24-042 681777 5213319 0.83 5 0.025 2.5 -
SCFS-24-049 681373 5213040 0.059 284 0.08 2.5 -
Quality Assurance/Quality Control – Sampling Procedures
Soil samples were collected in areas containing available in situ material and areas such as wetlands were
avoided. The soil samples consisted of 300 -500 g of material collected from the B -horizon using a hand
auger and stored in kraft bags. Samples were photographed, described, and final locations were recorded
using a handheld GPS. The samples were air dried, sieved to an optimal fraction, split, packed into soil
cups, covered with thin -film, and analyzed using a Vanta handheld XRF in a stationary setup. Internal
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quality control and quality assurance consisted of the insertion of certified reference materials and blank
materials every 20 -30 samples, and a duplicate analysis approximately every 50th sample. Procedural
protocols were implemented at all stages of sample handling to prevent cross-contamination and external
contamination of samples. A 10% subset of samples were selected from the survey and sent to SGS for
analysis using a sodium peroxide fusion digest followed by ICP-OES/ICP-MS for lab verification.
Rock samples were bagged and labelled in the field, photographed, described, and assigned a coordinate
using a handheld GPS. Samples were sent to SGS to be crushed, split and pulverized for analysis. Analysis
included a sodium peroxide fusion digest followed by ICP-OES/ICP-MS. Ore grade and gold analysis were
completed using fire assay, followed by an ICP-MS/ICP-AES finish. Certified reference materials and blank
materials were inserted approximately every 20 samples by the laboratory.
Qualified Person
Jeremy Niemi, P.Geo., Senior Vice President, Exploration and Evaluation for Sterling Metals has reviewed
and approved the technical information presented herein.
About Sterling Metals
Sterling Metals (TSXV: SAG and OTCQB: SAGGF) is a mineral exploration company focused on large scale
and high -grade Canadian exploration opportunities. The Company is advancing the 25,000-hectare
Copper Road Project in Ontario which has past production, and multiple breccia and porphyry targets
strategically located near robust infrastructure and the 29,000-hectare Adeline Project in Labrador which
covers an entire sediment -hosted copper belt with significant silver credits. Both opportunities have
demonstrated potential for important new copper discoveries , underscoring Sterling’s commitment to
pioneering exploration in mineral rich Canada.
For more information, please contact:
Sterling Metals Corp.
Mathew Wilson, CEO and Director
Tel: (416) 643-3887
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.sterlingmetals.ca
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