VR reports new REE intersections at Hecla-Kilmer, confirms apatite- monazite REE mineralogy from initial bulk sample results, and is awarded a third Ontario OJEP critical metals exploration grant. NR-23-20
VR RESOURCES LTD.
1500 – 409 Granville St.
Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6C1T2
Tel: 778-731-9292; [email protected]
TSX.V: vrr www.vrr.ca
VR reports new REE intersections at Hecla-Kilmer, confirms apatite-
monazite REE mineralogy from initial bulk sample results, and is awarded a
third Ontario OJEP critical metals exploration grant.
NR-23-20
October 1 7, 2023 , Vancouver, B.C.: VR Resources Ltd. (TSX.V: VRR, FSE: 5VR; OTCQB: VRRCF), the
"Company", or “VR”, is pleased to report results for the recent, spring 2023 drill program as well as the
initial results on mineralogy from the bulk sample extraction and beneficiation study for rare earth
element mineralization (REE) at the company’s Hecla-Kilmer (“H-K”) project in northern Ontario.
REE critical metals were discovered at Hecla-Kilmer in the very first reconnaissance drill program in
2020, with 24 holes completed to-date, including the three from this spring as shown in Figure 1.
Broad intersections with carbonatite dykes and vein breccia were obtained in two of the three new drill
holes. The composite intersection for hole 024 is shown in Table 1, the evolving assay table for all 24
holes completed to date at Hecla-Kilmer. Most importantly, hole 024 at Pike Zone intersected a series
of six vein and vein breccia zones with > 1% TREO.
Mineralogy
Drill core from the entire intersection in Hole 013 was submitted in May to the SGS Lakefield laboratory
in Ontario as a bulk sample for a mineralogical, beneficiation and metallurgical study. SGS is a recognized
world leader in mineralogical and metallurgical studies on REE mineral systems. The intersection includes:
• 361 m @ 0.96 % TREO(1) of which 20% are PMREO(2) within
461 m @ 0.85 % TREO + 0.13% Nb2O5, starting at bedrock surface, and including:
o 39 m @ 2.01 % TREO within 66.6 m @ 1.57 % TREO with 20% as PMREO.
• The hole ended with 2 m @ 2.84 % TREO and 1.1 g/t gold.
The new mineralogy data are from TESCAN Integrated Mineral Analyzer (TIMA) analyses. Eight initial
representative samples spanning the 361 metres of REE mineralization were crushed, sorted and
analyzed with TIMA for elemental and mineral mapping of grains ahead of beneficiation studies.
Initial results indicate that 80% of the REEs are contained within the phosphate mineral apatite, with the
remainder hosted in monazite, a phosphate, and parisite-synchysite, fluorocarbonates, which
themselves occur most commonly as fine grained inclusions in apatite. The results underscore the
volume potential for REEs at Hecla-Kilmer based on the sheer breadth of phosphate intersections
containing REE as shown on the satellite image in Figure 2.
The new REE mineralogy from the bulk sample is consistent with previous data:
• Figure 3. The strong correlation between P205 and %PMREO in ICP-MS geochemical data
from >1,500 geochemical samples from all 24 drill holes completed to date.
• Figure 4. On-site, XRF and SWIR scanning of whole drill core in 2021 showed the correlation
between TREO and P2O5 in the near-surface mineralization in Hole 004.
The new REE mineralogy from the bulk sample does not change from surface to 460m depth:
• Figure 5. Drill core photo and QEMSCAN image of hydrothermal apatite-monazite-magnetite-
pyrochlore with REE minerals at the top of Hole 004, near bedrock surface at Pike Zone.
VR RESOURCES LTD.
1500 – 409 Granville St.
Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6C1T2
Tel: 778-731-9292; [email protected]
TSX.V: vrr www.vrr.ca
• Figure 6. Drill core photo and SEM backscatter image of monazite inclusions in apatite in
hydrothermal magnetite-biotite-carbonate vein breccia with REE in Hole 013 some 174 m
below near-surface mineralization of the same character in Hole 004.
The new REE mineralogy at Pike Zone is consistent with the South Rim located 2.5 km to the south.
• Figure 7. SEM backscatter image showing REE-bearing monazite inclusions within apatite in
the South Rim zone located 2.5 km south of Pike Zone.
SGS reports that the 5-7 weight % REE contained in apatite at H-K is unique, even amongst other
igneous deposits mined for phosphate in apatite. Further, the igneous apatite at H-K is pristine
compared to the apatite in the world's sedimentary deposits mined for phosphate.
OJEP Grant
The Company was informed by the Ontario Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural
Resources and Forestry (“MNDM”) on August 23, 2023, that its application to the Ontario Junior
Exploration Program for critical metals, OJEP, was successful for the third consecutive year. The grants
cover 50% of exploration costs up to a maximum of $200,000.
From VR’s CEO, Dr. Michael Gunning, “The new intersections are simply reinforcing the breadth of the
polymetallic REE mineralization including P205 and Nb2O5 at Hecla-Kilmer, as illustrated on the satellite
image in Figure 2.
While we are only seeing glimpses of 1-3% TREO vein mineralization away from the 461 m continuous
intersection starting from surface in Hole 13, the data from the new drill holes once again confirm the
unusually high, 20% proportion of TREO as the high value PMREO (permanent magnet) REO at Hecla-
Kilmer, a proportion that is maintained both across the hydrothermal system from South Rim to Pike
Zone some 2.5 km to the north, and vertically, from surface to greater than 450 m depth at Pike Zone.
The new mineralogy date are no surprise. They are entirely consistent with results obtained from each of
the state-of-the-art technologies that have been utilized since 2020, the very beginning of our
exploration at Hecla-Kilmer, in order to better understand the REE mineralization, including whole-core
XRF scanning by GeologicAI, QEMSCAN mineralogy by SGS, ICP-MS geochemistry utilizing lithium-borate
fusion for trace REE detection by ALS, and scanning electron microprobe analyses of individual mineral
grains by RGS Inc. in London. Canada is plagued with REE discoveries made during the past 60 years that
have never been developed because of the difficulty in extracting and recovering REE’s contained in
silicate and/or refractory minerals; the REE mineralogy at Hecla-Kilmer is a clear distinction.
Finally. I wish to convey my sincere appreciation to the Ontario MNDM for the recognition and support
of our Hecla-Kilmer project through the OJEP critical metals exploration grant program. The grants make
a material difference to advancing this discovery.
VR RESOURCES LTD.
1500 – 409 Granville St.
Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6C1T2
Tel: 778-731-9292; [email protected]
TSX.V: vrr www.vrr.ca
Table 1. Table of assays for drill hole REE intersections, 2020 – 2023, Hecla-Kilmer Property.
Drill hole From
(m)
To
(m)
Length
(m)
TREO(1)
(%)
MHREO(2)
(%)
PMREO(3)
(%)
Magnet %
of REOs
Nb2O5
(%)
Ta2O5
(ppm)
ThO2
(ppm)
HK23-024 194.52 205 10.48 0.80 0.07 0.18 22% 0.17 9.2 206
HK22-021 170 213.34 43.34 0.48 0.05 0.10 21% 0.17 30.5 148
HK22-020 149 361 212 0.69 0.17 0.12 16% 0.14 20.9 267
including 200 220 20 0.89 0.17 0.16 18% 0.12 14.0 601
and 309 357 48 0.96 0.89 0.19 16% 0.17 0.1 28
HK22-019 71.52 147 75.48 0.35 0.11 0.06 16% 0.10 9.2 61
HK22-018 157 195 38 0.49 0.13 0.09 16% 0.11 18.8 732
including 185 190 5 1.73 0.26 0.37 21% 0.12 19.0 3806
and 213 230 17 0.68 0.28 0.11 15% 0.28 52.9 513
and 291 396 105 0.60 0.16 0.11 18% 0.13 23.2 286
HK22-017 86 131 45 0.65 0.07 0.13 19% 0.13 18.0 82
and 330.42 362 31.58 0.70 0.06 0.12 18% 0.12 20.7 130
HK22-015 68.8 124 55.2 0.70 0.08 0.13 18% 0.17 23.1 322
including 97 122.48 25.48 1.13 0.13 0.21 18% 0.17 27.6 540
and 147.7 162 14.3 0.48 0.06 0.08 17% 0.16 38.5 144
HK22-014 205 253 48 0.49 0.05 0.10 20% 0.13 22.2 398
HK22-013 83 444 361 0.96 0.14 0.20 20% 0.13 23.4 263
including 155 221.61 66.61 1.57 0.17 0.34 22% 0.09 20.8 487
and 155 194 39 2.04 0.22 0.45 21% 0.07 14.2 550
and 255.38 272.08 16.7 2.04 0.22 0.46 22% 0.08 13.8 370
and 311 326 15 2.22 0.25 0.47 21% 0.09 26.2 548
and 358 369 11 1.41 0.26 0.28 19% 0.17 25.6 290
and 396 431 35 1.10 0.28 0.20 17% 0.23 39.7 278
and 491 504 13 1.43 0.37 0.26 18% 0.31 51.2 774
HK22-011 227 315 88 0.52 0.05 0.09 18% 0.12 23.7 165
including 276 289 13 0.97 0.08 0.17 17% 0.11 23.9 190
HK22-010 86 217 131 0.40 0.04 0.07 17% 0.16 36.6 253
including 86 166.07 80.07 0.56 0.06 0.10 18% 0.16 19.7 359
HK21-009 88 95 7 0.85 0.08 0.13 15% 0.11 16.9 123
and 120 272.15 152.15 0.54 0.05 0.08 16% 0.09 14.2 109
including 243 247 4 1.75 0.15 0.30 17% 0.34 58.0 386
HK21-008 144 179 35 0.40 0.03 0.07 16% 0.17 13.7 108
and 237 357 120 0.57 0.04 0.10 18% 0.20 21.3 143
including 324 335 11 1.13 0.09 0.20 28% 0.38 39.2 289
HK21-005 80.75 318.21 237.46 0.49 0.04 0.08 17% 0.20 27.3 149
including 152 180 28 0.80 0.08 0.14 18% 0.17 26.5 252
including 156 159 3 1.70 0.18 0.32 19% 0.08 16.1 562
including 183 238 55 0.44 0.03 0.07 17% 0.23 25.4 123
including 275 306 31 0.61 0.04 0.10 17% 0.31 33.4 215
HK20-004 56 83 27 0.48 0.05 0.11 22% 0.17 31.1 231
including 57 60.21 3.21 1.44 0.15 0.34 15% 0.17 25.2 439
HK20-002 159.6 183 23.4 0.63 0.06 0.10 19% 0.05 8.3 152
and 553 606 53 0.51 0.05 0.09 17% 0.12 17.1 390
HK20-001 83 86 3 1.87 0.19 0.38 19% 0.06 16.4 609
and 102 110 8 0.70 0.07 0.14 7% 0.02 6.2 228
(1) TREO is the summation of Ce2O3 + La2O3 + Pr2O3 + Nd2O3 + Sm2O3 + Eu2O3 + Gd2O3 + Tb2O3 + Dy2O3 + Ho2O3 + Er2O3 + Tm2O3 +
Yb2O3 + Lu2O3 + Y2O3.
(2) MHREO is the sum of the middle and heavy rare earth oxides (Sm2O3 + Eu2O3 + Gd2O3 + Tb2O3 + Dy2O3 + Ho2O3 + Er2O3 + Tm2O3 +
Yb2O3 + Lu2O3 + Y2O3).
(3) PMREO is the sum of high-value rare earth oxides used in permanent magnet motors and turbines used in electric vehicles and wind
turbines (Pr2O3 + Nd203 + Tb2O3 + Dy2O3). The % Magnet REO is this PMREO sum divided by TREO, and expressed as a percent.
VR RESOURCES LTD.
1500 – 409 Granville St.
Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6C1T2
Tel: 778-731-9292; [email protected]
TSX.V: vrr www.vrr.ca
Technical Information
Summary technical and geological information for the Company’s various exploration properties is
available at the Company’s website at www.vrr.ca.
VR submits sawn drill core samples for geochemical assay to the ALS Global Ltd. (“ALS”) laboratory
facilities in Timmins or Thunder Bay , Ontario, with final geochemical analytical work done at the ALS
laboratory located in North Vancouver, BC., including lithium borate fusion, ICP-MS and ICP-AES analyses
for base metals, trace elements and full-suite REE analysis, and gold determination by atomic absorption
on fire assay. Analytical results are subject to industry -standard and NI 43 -101 compliant QAQC sample
procedures, including the systematic insertion of sample duplicates , blanks and certified reference
material (CRM) done both externally on the project site by the Company and internally at the laboratory
by ALS, as described by ALS.
Technical information for this news release has been prepared in accordance with the Canadian regulatory
requirements set out in National Instrument 43 -101. Justin Daley, P.Geo., VP Exploration and a non -
independent Qualified Person oversees all aspects of the Company’s mineral exploration projects, and the
content of this news release has been reviewed on behalf of the Company by the CEO, Dr. Michael
Gunning, P.Geo., a non-independent Qualified Person.
About the Hecla-Kilmer Property
The Hecla-Kilmer complex is located 23 km northwest of the Ontario hydro-electric facility at Otter Rapids,
the Ontario Northland Railway, and the northern terminus of Highway 634 which links the region to the
towns of Cochrane and Kapuskasing to the south, itself located on the northern Trans-Canada Highway.
The H-K property is large. It consists of 224 mineral claims in one contiguous block approximately 6 x 7
km in size and covering 4,617 hectares. The property is owned 100% by VR. There are no underlying,
annual lease payments on the property, nor are there any joint venture or back-in interests. Hecla-Kilmer
is located on provincial crown land, with mineral rights administered by the Ontario Ministry of Northern
Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry (“MNDM”). There are no annual payments, but the
MNDM requires certain annual exploration expenditures and reporting. The property falls within the
traditional territories of the Moose Cree and Taykwa Tagamou First Nations.
About VR Resources
VR is an established junior exploration company based in Vancouver (TSX.V: VRR; Frankfurt: 5VR; OTCQB:
VRRCF). VR evaluates, explores and advances opportunities in copper, gold and critical metals in Nevada,
USA, and Ontario, Canada, and most recently, a kimberlite breccia pipe discovery in northern Ontario. VR
applies modern exploration technologies and leverages in-house experience and expertise in greenfields
exploration to large-footprint mineral systems in underexplored areas/districts. The f oundation of VR is
the proven track record of its Board in early-stage exploration, discovery and M&A. The Company is well-
financed for its mineral exploration and corporate obligations. VR owns its properties outright and
evaluates new opportunities on an ongoing basis, whether by staking or acquisition.
VR RESOURCES LTD.
1500 – 409 Granville St.
Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6C1T2
Tel: 778-731-9292; [email protected]
TSX.V: vrr www.vrr.ca
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
“Michael H. Gunning”
____________________________
Dr. Michael H. Gunning, PhD, PGeo
President & CEO
For general information please use the following:
Website: www.vrr.ca
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 778-731-9292
Forward Looking Statements
This news release contains statements that constitute "forward -looking statements". Such forward looking
statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company’s actual
results, performance or achievements, or developments in the industry to differ materially from the anticipated
results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward -looking statements. Forward -looking
statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generall y, but not always, identified by the words
"expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "projects," "potential" and similar expressions,
or that events or conditions "will," "would," "may," "could" or "should" occur. Forward-looking statements in this
document include statements concerning VR’s expectations concerning the Hecla-Kilmer property and all other
statements that are not statements of historical fact.
Although the Company believes the forward -looking information contained in this news release is reasonable based
on information available on the date hereof, by their nature forward-looking statements involve assumptions, known
and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or
achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements
expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.
Examples of such assumptions, risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, assumptions, risks and
uncertainties associated with general economic conditions; the Covid -19 pandemic; adverse industry events; future
legislative and regulatory developments in the mining sector; the Company ’s ability to access sufficient capital from
internal and external sources, and/or inability to access sufficient capital on favorable terms ; mining industry and
markets in Canada and generally; the ability of the Company to implement its business strategies; competition; and
other assumptions, risks and uncertainties.
The forward-looking information contained in this news release represents the expectations of the Company as of
the date of this news release and, accordingly, is subject to change after such date. Readers should not place undue
importance on forward -looking information and should not rely upon this information as of any other date. While
the company may elect to, it does not undertake to update this information at any particular time except as required
in accordance with applicable laws.
This news release may also contain statements and/or information with respect to mineral properties and/or deposits
which are adjacent to and/or potentially similar to the Company’s mineral properties, but which the Company has
no interest in nor rights to explore. Readers are cautioned that mineral deposits on similar properties are not
necessarily indicative of mineral deposits on the Company’s properties.
Trading in the securities of the Company should be considered highly speculative. All of the Company’s public
disclosure filings may be accessed via www.sedarplus.ca and readers are urged to review them.
VR RESOURCES LTD.
1500 – 409 Granville St.
Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6C1T2
Tel: 778-731-9292; [email protected]
TSX.V: vrr www.vrr.ca
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in Policies of the TSX Venture
Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
VR RESOURCES LTD.
1500 – 409 Granville St.
Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6C1T2
Tel: 778-731-9292; [email protected]
TSX.V: vrr www.vrr.ca
Figure 1. Locations and key REE intersections for the 24 drill holes completed to date at Hecla -Kilmer, 2020 -
2023, plotted on a contoured RTP magnetic base map with superimposed 3D iso-shells from the MVI inversion.
Drill traces are shown in yellow for the three new drill holes completed in May.
VR RESOURCES LTD.
1500 – 409 Granville St.
Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6C1T2
Tel: 778-731-9292; [email protected]
TSX.V: vrr www.vrr.ca
Figure 2. Aerial extent of broad phosphate intersections with related REE mineralization at Pike Zone in the
northern part of the Hecla-Kilmer polyphase alkaline complex with carbonatite and hydrothermal vein breccia.