Elliot Lake

Ontario, Canada

Actual Picture of Blind River Area

Overview

A strategic geographical advantage

Located in the Algoma District, Ontario, Canada, Appia is the exclusive owner of a substantial land parcel spanning 13,008 hectares (32,143 acres) within the renowned Elliot Lake uranium camp in Algoma District, Ontario, Canada. Situated midway between the prominent cities of Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie, this project enjoys a strategic geographical advantage.

Elliot Lake, the town adjacent to this project, is a well-established and flourishing community. It boasts exceptional infrastructure, including paved road access and an airport, ensuring logistical convenience. The town had a population of 11,372 in 2021, signifying its vibrancy and significance.

Industry Alignment

At Appia, we’re poised to play a pivotal role in meeting the ever-growing global demand for uranium and rare earth elements (REEs). Located in Elliot Lake, Canada, our expansive property houses five known zones of mineralization in a safe and reputable jurisdiction. The well-established metallurgy of our uranium and REE mineralization, coupled with the large, mineralized zones, ensures a potential long-term source for these key metals. It’s worth noting that Elliot Lake stands as the sole Canadian mining camp with substantial historical commercial uranium production, further emphasizing our strategic advantage.

Uranium Supply and Demand

With the world’s mounting concerns about climate change, energy security, and affordability, the global demand for uranium is on the rise. Several countries now view nuclear energy as a strategic path to energy independence, reflecting recent policy shifts. Recent geopolitical events and supply reductions from Russia have added to this urgency, projecting a uranium deficit and a subsequent price increase. Over the next decade, the uranium deficit is anticipated to average 42 million lbs./year. To ensure a reliable supply, Western utilities are actively seeking low-risk jurisdictions like Canada and the United States. Additionally, our Elliot Lake deposit’s location in a historic uranium mining camp could potentially expedite the permitting process.
Source: statista.com

Increasing Uranium Prices and Strong Rare Earth Interest

The Spot Market price for uranium has moved significantly higher in 2023 YTD and is up threefold from its bear market bottom in 2019. Favourable supply and demand fundaments are expected to strongly influence uranium prices going forward. REE have also attracted strong interest due to supply chain issues and concerns about China’s dominance of REE processing. 

“Appia’s uranium portfolio of both past producing and earlier-stage projects positions the Company well to participate in the long-term uranium market appreciation,” says Tom Drivas, CEO. “The Company holds a large ground position in Elliot Lake with a historical resource (non-compliant) totalling approximately 199 million lbs. of uranium at a grade of 0.76 lbs. U3O8/ton. Additionally, the Company holds four high potential early-stage uranium projects in the prolific Athabasca Basin – Loranger, North Wollaston, Eastside and Otherside.”

“Many analysts are predicting higher uranium prices going forward due to a uranium deficit,” emphasizes Stephen Burega, Appia’s President, “and the uranium market is currently in a production deficit that is expected to significantly increase with the build-out of nuclear reactors as the global demand for reliable clean base load energy increases. The increased interest in uranium and REE, plus the cost-savings potential of bulk mining bode well for Appia’s Elliot Lake Project.”

NI 43-101 Mineral Resource Estimate

The NI 43-101 Indicated Mineral Resource for the Teasdale Lake Zone stands at 14,435,000 tons with a grade of 0.554 lbs U3O8/ton and 3.30 lbs TREE/ton, resulting in a total of 7,995,000 lbs U3O8 and 47,689,000 lbs TREE. In the Inferred Mineral Resource category, the Teasdale Lake Zone comprises 42,447,000 tons, grading 0.474 lbs U3O8/ton and 3.14 lbs TREE/ton, totaling 20,115,000 lbs U3O8 and 133,175,000 lbs TREE. Additionally, the Inferred Mineral Resource for the Banana Lake Zone is 30,315,000 tons, with a grade of 0.912 lbs U3O8/ton, resulting in a total of 27,638,000 lbs U3O8. It’s noteworthy that these two zones are among the five known mineralization zones at Elliot Lake, all 100% owned by Appia.
Indicated Resource Inferred Resource
Tonnage
(M Tons)
Average Grade
(lbs./ton)
Contained Metal U3O8
(M lbs.)
Contained Metal TREE
(M lbs.)
Tonnage
(M tons)
Average Grade
(lbs./ton)
Contained Metal U3O8
(M lbs.)
Contained Metal TREE
(M lbs.)
Teasdale Lake Zone
U3O8 14.4 0.554 8.0 42.4 0.474 20.1
TREE 14.4 3.30 47.7 42.4 3.14 133.2
Banana Lake Zone
U3O8 30.3 0.912 27.6
Total for both zones
Total 14.4 8.0 47.7 72.8 47.7 133.2
Click on table to enlarge

“A Technical Report on the Appia Energy Corp. Elliot Lake Uranium-Rare Earth Property”, by Watts, Griffis and McOuat Limited (July 30, 2013).
Mineral resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability. Numbers may not add to total due to rounding

Historical Resource
Elliot Lake Property

The Company holds a large ground position in Elliot Lake with a historical resource (non-compliant) totaling approximately
199 million lbs. of uranium at a grade of 0.76 lbs. U3O8/ton.
Zone Quantity
(tons)
Grade
(lbs. U3O8/ton)
Contained
U3O8 (lbs.)
Teasdale Lake 17,458,200 1.206 20,787,200
Gemico Block #3 42,800,000 0.38 16,264,000
Gemico Block #10 20,700,000 0.75 15,525,000
Banana Lake Zone 175,800,000 0.76 133,608,000
Canuc Zone 7,000,000 1.86 13,020,000
Total 263,758,200 0.76 199,204,200
Click on table to enlarge

Notes

  1. The historical resource was not estimated in accordance with definitions and practices established for the estimation of Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves by the Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (“CIM”), is not compliant with Canada’s security rule National Instrument 43-101 (“NI 43-101”), and unreliable for investment decisions.
  2. Neither Appia nor its Qualified Persons have done sufficient work to classify the historical resource as a current mineral resource under current mineral resource terminology and are not treating the historical resources as current mineral resources
  3. Most of the historical resources were estimated by mining companies active in the Elliot Lake camp using assumptions, methods and practices that were accepted at the time, and based on corroborative mining experience.

Location

Elliot Lake is strategically positioned in northern Ontario, offering easy access. It is located 30 kilometres north of the Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 17), 168 kilometres west of Sudbury, Ontario’s nickel-mining district, 201 kilometres east of Sault Ste. Marie, the gateway to Michigan, USA, and 58 kilometres northeast of Blind River, where Cameco operates the world’s largest commercial uranium refinery.

The Elliot Lake uranium and rare earths property consists of a group of 101 staked mineral claims, strategically positioned approximately 3 kilometres north of the town of Elliot Lake. This site presents substantial geological prospects and numerous opportunities for exploration and development.

As Appia progresses in its endeavors in Elliot Lake, we remain committed to our goal of realizing the full potential of this resource-rich region and making valuable contributions to the uranium and rare earth sectors.

Geology & Mineralization​

Unveiling Geological Treasures:
The Matinenda Formation

Situated within the bedrock of the Matinenda Formation, the basal unit of the Elliot Lake Group, we uncover a substantial repository of Uranium and Rare Earth Elements (REE) metals. These invaluable resources find their intricate host in quartz-pebble conglomerate beds, representing a geological marvel that characterizes this region. The uranium and REE-bearing horizon stands as a testament to nature’s precision, marked by a clean, well-sorted, coarse-pebble conglomerate, laying a robust foundation for responsible resource extraction and highlighting the potential for sustainable development.

Mineralization Insights

At the heart of this geological landscape lies the mineralization process, with a particular focus on Uranium. This mineralization, inherently stratabound, exhibits exceptional consistency in both grade and thickness across extensive areas. Whether tracking the geological strike or descending down-dip, the mineralization reveals unwavering presence, underscoring the geological robustness of this region. Within this geological tapestry, uranium mineralization primarily showcases brannerite and uraninite, two minerals acclaimed for their leachability. This quality streamlines the extraction process, accentuating the economic viability of Appia’s exploration efforts.

In the broader geological context of Elliot Lake, the region’s rock formations trace their origins back to the Archean period, characterized by ancient granites and migmatites. These rocks are intricately folded around a synclinal axis, culminating in the geological phenomenon known as the Quirk syncline. Above the basement rocks, a sequence of Huronian sedimentary and volcanic rocks unfolds, encompassing conglomerates, quartzites, greywackes, and siltstones.

The unique Elliot Lake mineralized zones are nestled within stratabound paleoplacers, situated in shallow-dipping pyritic quartz-pebble conglomerate beds at the lowest point of the Huronian system. Uranium mineralization manifests in the form of microscopic grains of uraninite, brannite, and monazite, while rare earth element mineralization, including yttrium, predominantly resides within monazite, with the highest concentrations observed within the quartz-pebble conglomerate. The processes for recovering uranium and yttrium from Elliot Lake mineralized zones are extensively documented and well-understood, with results from Teasdale Lake indicating no significant technical hurdles for rare earth element recovery.

The geological advantages of the Elliot Lake camp stem from its rich mining history and profound understanding of its geology. The mineralized beds exhibit remarkable continuity both along their strike and down-dip direction. Drilling programs conducted in 2007-08 and 2012 validated the presence of three stacked mineralized units in the Teasdale Lake zone, each exhibiting substantial economic mineralization for rare earth elements and uranium. These units collectively average a thickness of 9.8 metres. The shallow-dipping nature of these units offers versatility for various mining scenarios, including selective mining of the higher-grade units or simultaneous bulk mining of all three units, rendering Elliot Lake an ideal location for mineral exploration and extraction.

As we explore the geological marvels of this region, our steadfast commitment to responsible resource utilization ensures that our efforts align with best practices. Together, we are shaping a future where geological treasures and environmental stewardship coexist harmoniously.

Exploration

Earlier work on the Elliot Lake project involved an ambitious drilling campaign that significantly advanced our geological knowledge in the Teasdale Lake and Banana Lake zones. An update on the significant achievement on the project’s existing NI 43-101 resource estimate in July 2013, sets the stage for subsequent exploration efforts. The Elliot Lake uranium-REE property comprises a group of 101 staked mineral claims, approximately 3km north of the town of Elliot Lake.


The data gathered from comprehensive drill programs emphasizes Appia’s steadfast commitment to geological knowledge and resource development at our Elliot Lake project.

Learn More About Our Elliot Lake Project

Get a more in-depth look at our maps, reports, exploration charts, historical work and data. We provide everything you’ll need to become well educated on our projects

Project News

Appia Extends Memorandum of Understanding for the Elliot Lake Uranium Project, Ontario

Appia Signs MOU to Option Elliot Lake Property

Appia Re-Evaluates Potential of its Elliot Lake Uranium Deposits in View of Increased Uranium Prices, Confirmation of Significant Rare Earth Mineralization and Bulk Mining Potential

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