Reflex Advanced Materials Corp. is a mineral exploration company based in British Columbia, which aims to locate and develop economic mineral properties in the strategic metals and advanced materials space

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Reflex completes Initial Exploration of Ruby Graphite Project. (Credit: Анатолий Стафичук from Pixabay)

Reflex Advanced Materials Corp. (CSE: RFLX), (OTCQB:RFLXF), (FSE:HF2) (“Reflex” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce that geologic exploration of the Ruby Graphite project was initiated during the fall of 2022. The Ruby Graphite project (the “Project”) covers approximately 2,000 acres and 96 federal lode mining claims located in Beaverhead County, Montana, U.S.A. The Company secured an option to acquire 100% ownership in the Project in September (see news release dated October 12, 2022).

Reflex contracted Ethos Geological (“Ethos”) of Bozeman, Montana to lead the exploration effort, identify potential graphite-bearing areas, and develop a geological model of the stratigraphy and structure. Ethos’ geologic investigations suggest that the Project geology formed from an ancient marine sequence of muds, silts and carbonates; that extensive algal mats were known to be present in this Archean environment aged more than 2.5 billion years ago; and that these sedimentary rocks were likely the source of carbon for the vein and flake graphite mineralization produced during metamorphism and later hydrothermal alteration. In addition, Ethos’ geological investigations suggest variability of the carbon within the host sedimentary rocks likely accounts for the concentration of graphite at the Ruby Project, whereas historic and present mine sites throughout the greater region encounter talc with only minor accompanying graphite.

The initial results imply several conductive trends that correlate well among the shallow GEM-2 EM survey and the deeper IP survey. These potentially graphite-bearing trends are more extensive than what was previously expected by Reflex management and historic workers. There is no assurance that the conductive trends represent commercial graphite deposits, as the identified trends must be proved by core drilling.

Ethos Geological is currently preparing an NI 43-101 Technical Report to document the exploration work completed in 2022 including the conductivity discoveries on the Property. Release of the report, assays, and geophysics are anticipated in Q1 2023 and the report is expected to include recommendations for core drilling in 2023 as well as continuation of additional geophysical surveys and other tasks deemed appropriate for this stage of the program.

Paul Gorman, CEO of Reflex Advanced Materials, commented, “we are very excited about the potential identification of multiple conductivity trends across the Project area. The existence of these conductive trends would be the initial proof of concept we were seeking, which is that the old Ground Hog and Bird’s Nest mines, located at the property, may not be isolated graphite occurrences, but may be two surface exposures of more extensive graphite-bearing trends – we are connecting the dots. We expect to proceed with on-the-ground verification of the presence and grade of the graphite occurrences by conducting our initial drilling program in the early summer of 2023.”

The Project is located at the southwest portion of the Ruby Range mountains in southwestern Montana, approximately 14 miles (22 km) southeast of the town of Dillon, Montana. The Ruby Graphite project area consists of a combination of private and public lands totaling 1,945 acres (787 hectares) and includes 96 lode mining claims with a total size of 1,764 ac (714 ha). The Federal mining claims provide the rights to explore, mine and extract minerals from the lands.

The Ruby Graphite property encompasses a previously mined natural graphite deposit which operated as the Crystal Graphite Company from 1901 until 1948, having produced more than 2,000 metric tonnes of vein graphite. A fire consumed the small concentration mill and part of the mining camp around 1950, and the location was abandoned and mostly forgotten. Reflex plans to resurrect the graphite production at the Project and become the only currently operating natural graphite mine in the U.S.

Source: Company Press Release