Wednesday 9th August 2023 – Großarl, Austria
Ekometall Group Ltd., through its wholly owned Austrian subsidiary Ekometall Exploration GmbH. (EMEX), have acquired the Röhrerbühel project in Tirol and have been awarded 363 new Schurfberechtigungen (exploration claims) across Tirol & Land Salzburg by Montanbehörde West, the mining authority in Western Austria.
The Großarl Project
A newly identified Cu-hosting breccia beneath a gossanous cap in the north of our Großarl project area
During our first phase of prospecting across the Hüttschlag, Großarl and Hofgastein region, our team have identified a larger system of copper and sulphide mineralisation than was historically documented, including entirely new Cu hosting lithologies. As such, we have expanded the project’s licence footprint to contain the hypothesised regional-scale copper system.
Our initial literature review focused on the old mine workings, but it is now clear many new exposed targets remain unexplored and require further investigation. Community meetings, field work and mapping will continue throughout August, with a seasonal break scheduled during September to allow for the local hunting season.
The Kelchalpe Project
Rock chip samples from Kelchalpe Mining Complex showing left: Weathered rocks with pink cobalt-arsenate (Erythrite) from the Aurach Bei Kitzbühel area, Right: Samples of chalcopyrite and pyrite from the Hochwild target.
With the identification of previously undocumented cobalt and copper mineralisation outside of the targeted mine workings at Kelchalpe, we have expanded our land package to cover all potential mineralised areas which do not conflict with local tourism or pre-existing business interests. Field work will continue throughout 2023 across the licence to test historic data sets and assess targets for a future drill program.
The Röhrerbühel Project
This project presents a significant exploration target and is one of Austria’s largest ‘in-ground’ identified copper deposits, last explored in the 1970s. Mining was active here from the 1600s through to 1843. It was the deepest mine in the world, the largest mining operation in the Kitzbühel region and the source of most of the region’s historic wealth in copper, gold and silver. Between 1540 and 1565 alone, the mine produced 2100kg of silver by hand.
Geologically the main Röhrerbühel target area is comprised of 8 mineralised zones in structurally controlled iron carbonate and quartz veins, hosted by the Falbenschiefer (Chlorite-and titanite-rich quartz-sericite-phyllite) within the Wildschönau shales of the Alpbacher unit.
*Rough estimates on the scale of the target, published in the ‘Archiv für Lagerstätten Forschung’ in 1997, suggest a 60,000t contained Cu ‘reserve’ remains in-situ at 1.5% Cu, and a further ‘inferred resource’ of 60,000t at 1.2% with considerable silver credits increasing in grade with depth. This is however an academic, non-compliant or technically reliable, estimate.
EMEX’s priority on this new project will be to re-evaluate the available historic data, remap the historic workings using underground drone technology and test models from the 1997 publication. Mining here reached a depth of 900m, so will require a significant work program to evaluate the geology safely. Several new near-surface targets have also been identified on the licence for initial prospecting during our current summer field program.
Pending transfer of the Schurfberechtigungen by the Montanbehörde from our technical advisor Dr. Reinhard Wagner to Ekometall Exploration GmbH., the company will receive 100% ownership and all rights entitled by the Schurfberechtigungen from Dr. Wagner.
Compliance notes:
* ‘Reserves’ & ‘Resources’ listed in the Austrian ‘A+B+C Vorräte’ standard are based on the historic estimates of the Geological Survey of Austria (Geosphere) ‘Archiv für Lagerstätten Forschung’, Geologische Bundesanstalt/Weber et al, published in 1997, and not comparable to any 43-101 or JORC compliant deposit classification standards. No suggestion of current or future value is made by the inclusion of these academic estimates in this news release.
Ekometall Exploration GmbH. Geschäftsführer Severina Ditzov commented:
The Regional authorities have recognised our advances and intent to operate serious work programs here in the country and supported us in the acquisition of these new projects alongside our colleague Dr. Reinhard Wagner. We would like to thank everybody involved in this process for their efficient and positive assistance as we continue to grow as a company.
Ekometall Group Ltd. CEO Liam Hardy commented:
The expansion of our licences in Kelchalpe and Großarl and acquisition of Röhrerbühel adds further credit to our mission statement in Austria: We are here for the long-term and serious about developing the country’s abundant copper targets.
Röhrerbühel is not a ‘low hanging fruit’ of a project, it presents definite challenges with its scale and depth, but our team includes underground experts who I am confident will rise to the task and efficiently evaluate the project during next season’s work program.
Austria has a long tradition of world-class underground operations, with Sandvik owned ‘Wolfram’ and LSE listed ‘RHI Magnesita’ already producing effectively underground nearby. Röhrerbühel compliments our existing land packages at Großarl, Kelchalpe and Panzendorf, being only a 20 minute drive away from our existing field program and thus is highly cost-effective to assess at surface.
I hope our investors share my excitement as we continue our rapid growth in the region. We expect more news in the coming weeks with lab assays and field reports imminent from our first phases of prospecting, there’s a lot to stay tuned for!
Corporate Updates: Changes to the Advisory Board
- Katharina Löckinger has been appointed to the advisory board of EMEX to support with corporate development and strategy in Austria. Katharina is an Austrian marketing and finance professional with more than 10 years’ experience in financial markets and investing in private and listed companies. She holds an MA honours degree in Business Management and Finance from the University of Glasgow, runs a project management consultancy in Dubai and works for DGWA in Germany, focusing on ESG and impact investment.
- Jason Beckton has announced his resignation from the advisory board of Ekometall Group Ltd. to focus on pre-existing commitments in Slovakia and Finland. The whole team thanks Jason for his support and contribution to founding EMEX over the last 2 years. Mr Beckton is still supportive of EMEX and will participate in our upcoming financing.
About Ekometall Group Ltd.:
Our company was founded in 2023 as ‘Ekometall Group Ltd.’ in the UK, with a wholly owned subsidiary ‘Ekometall Exploration GmbH’ in Austria, following a year of intensive archive work to unearth modern scale development targets amongst the extensive records of the Geologische Bundesanstalt (Geosphere) and Salzburger Landesarchive.
Utilising more than 3000 pages of watercolour painted maps, detailed extraction records and first-hand expert accounts of past operation, our team moved to secure Austria’s largest mineral exploration land package, comprising 705 Schürfberechtigung (exploration claims) over c.322km2 of prospective ground, between 4 projects in Land Salzburg & Tirol, containing more than 70 past-producing mines and mineral occurrences.
EMEX completed an initial seed financing with participation from international funds and local private investors and established a skilled board & advisory to manage an ambitious work program throughout 2023-2024.
Our geologists are active in the field, verifying Austria’s exceptional historic geological data, combining good-old-fashioned field work, with modern geochemistry, geophysics and remote sensing technology. Our goal this summer season is to digitally model, define and rank our targets for viability and further investigation through winter and into 2024.
We believe we have all of the necessary components lined up to rediscover and develop copper deposits, in a country that is pro-mining and highly supportive of its traditional. well-managed and culturally integrated national industry.
For more information about our projects and investment opportunities, in English or German, please contact:
Follow: @emexploration
Visit: www.emexploration.at
Email: Servus@emexploration.at