Strategic Metals at Thor Are “Vital to Growing Canada’s Clean, Modern Economy” Per New Federal/Provincial/Territorial Government Collaboration
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Taranis Resources Inc.
681 Conifer Lane
Estes Park, Colorado
80517
www.taranisresources.com
Strategic Metals at Thor Are “Vital to Growing Canada’s Clean, Modern Economy” Per
New Federal/Provincial/Territorial Government Collaboration
Estes Park, Colorado, March 18, 2021 – Taranis Resources Inc. (“Taranis” or the “Company”) [TSX.V:
TRO, OTCQB: TNREF] is pleased to report on developments related to its Thor precious-base metal
project in southeast British Columbia.
On March 11, 2021, Natural Resources Canada (“NRC”) published a list of 31 critical minerals which
have been deemed essential to Canada’s economic security and the transition to a low-carbon economy.
(https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/criticalminerals). Zinc and copper already factor significantly in the existing
Thor Resource and have now been listed as Canadian critical strategic metals. In addition to zinc and
copper, exploration work has demonstrated that numerous other strategic metals occur at Thor in
concentrations far exceeding crustal abundance – including antimony, bismuth, tellurium, indium, tin and
cesium.
Test work such as the upcoming 10,000 tonne bulk sample will be fundamental to documenting grades of
these metals in various fractions produced through gravity concentration. This work can ultimately
determine if the Thor project is a capable producer of these important strategic metals in addition to its
sizeable precious and base metal content.
Due primarily to the prevalence of zinc and copper, over 27% of the current estimated value at Thor
comes from strategic metals. Virtually all the remaining value at Thor resides in precious metals (silver
and gold). The interplay between precious and strategic metals puts Thor in a unique position to cater to
disparate markets in a production scenario. Taranis is interested in unlocking even greater value from the
Thor Resource by identifying and designing recovery and analysis methods for additional “companion
metals” complementing the host precious and base metal minerals already known at Thor.
Companion metals (or ‘by-products’) are typically only recovered from mining of deposits for the host
metals, such as silver, gold, zinc, lead, and copper. Companion metals are rarely found in sufficient
concentrations to be mined independently - and therefore the production of companion metals is almost
entirely dependent on the major host metals being mined. Production is of course also dependent on
successful recovery of the companion metals.
The strategic metal fraction of Thor’s Resource is positioned to expand with the identification of more
than a dozen new metals present in low tenors (typically less than 0.1%). Companion metals were
identified using a 37.8 kg composite sample of split core from drill holes in the deposit that approximated
the overall estimated grade of the deposit in addition to prior metallurgical work.
The following table lists the companion metals at Thor, and ten of the fourteen metals are classified as
strategic metals by NRC (not including the strategic host metals copper and zinc). The table qualitatively
estimates the relative importance of the metals to the Thor deposit based on the known concentrations and
existing metallurgical recovery processes.
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Companion Metals at Thor
Companion
Metal
Symbol Strategic Metal Estimated
Importance (1 to 10)
10 being particularly
important
Antimony Sb Yes 10
Cadmium Cd No 10
Bismuth Bi Yes 8
Tellurium Te Yes 8
Indium In Yes 7
Tin Sn Yes 5
Cesium Cs Yes 3
Rhenium Re Yes 2
Rubidium Rb No 2
Lanthanum La Yes 2
Cerium Ce No 2
Gallium Ga Yes 2
Strontium Sr No 1
Scandium Sc Yes 1
The potential contribution of companion metals is inadequately understood. Significance of these metals
to the Resource can only be assessed after completion of a 10,000-tonne bulk sample that is currently in
the final stages of permitting. Determinations of concentration and recovery rates require multiple
advanced analytical techniques that have not been employed routinely at Thor.
John Gardiner, President and CEO remarks, “British Columbia’s commitment to transitioning to clean
energy sources has set Taranis up for long term success with its high-grade, near-surface Thor deposit.
We are excited to further explore the possibilities for production of strategic metals, including cadmium
and tellurium – two elements critical for the manufacture of solar panels. The steady growth of interest in
domestic production of the materials required for the switch to clean energy is encouraging for the
prospects of successful mine development in Southeast British Columbia”.
Qualified Person
Exploration activities at Thor were overseen by John Gardiner (P. Geol.) who is a Qualified Person under
the meaning of Canadian National Instrument 43-101.
About Taranis Resources Inc.
For additional information on Taranis or its 100% -owned Thor project in British Columbia, visit
www.taranisresources.com
Taranis currently has 73,594,500 shares issued and outstanding (84,173,266 shares on a fully-diluted basis).
TARANIS RESOURCES INC.
Per: John J. Gardiner (P. Geol.),
President and CEO
For further information contact:
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John J. Gardiner
681 Conifer Lane
Estes Park, Colorado
80517
Phone: (303) 716-5922
Cell: (720) 209-3049
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This News Release may contain forward looking statements based on assumptions and judgments of manageme nt regarding
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materially from expected results.