North Atlantic Titanium Corp. (CSE: NATO) (OTCQB: NATQ.F) (FSE: Y33) has provided additional information regarding its submission for drilling permits at the Everett Titanium-Vanadium-Phosphate project near Havre-Saint-Pierre, Quebec. The company, in a news release, outlined the significance of a mineralogical characterization by Corem, which found that approximately 99% of oxide minerals in a composite sample consist of high-quality hemo-ilmenite with very low magnesium, manganese, and aluminum impurities.
The Everett Oxide Body, located just 3 km from Rio Tinto's Lac Tio Mine, is being drill-tested not only for its TiO2 content but also for its low Mg/Mn/Cr hemo-ilmenite, apatite as a potential phosphate coproduct, and vanadium, with potential scandium credits. This polymetallic assemblage distinguishes it from the massive hemo-ilmenite orebody at Lac Tio and represents a broader Fe-Ti-V-P critical-minerals opportunity, according to the company.
The company holds the 2,406-hectare Everett property under option from Romaine River Titanium Inc. Pending permits include a Permit for Forestry Activities (PAF) and an Authorization for Work with Impact (ATI) for the drilling campaign. The drilling plan targets the northern area of the exposed Everett Oxide Body, totaling approximately 25,000 m across 20 drill pads over three years. The northern area represents about 50% of the oxide body's tested surface strike length.
The Corem composite metallurgical sample from 57 sites across the Everett oxide body graded 37.0% Fe2O3, 17.4% TiO2, 0.18% V2O5, and 2.27% P2O5. Corem's results determined that over 99% of the oxides in the sample are hemo-ilmenite (FeTiO3), with very low magnetite content averaging 0.9%. The hemo-ilmenite and apatite together comprise over 50% of the sample.
The drilling program is divided into two stages. Stage 1 will comprise 6,000 m of widely spaced drilling between sections 9N and 19N to delineate the oxide body limits and collect samples. Stage 2 will involve success-contingent infill drilling of about 19,000 m to define a Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE). Stage 1 drilling is expected to commence upon acceptance of the ATI application, with Stage 2 likely beginning in late winter 2026-27.
Dwayne Yaretz, CEO of North Atlantic Titanium, stated: "Metallurgical results reinforce the Company’s strategy to advance a secure, domestic critical minerals processing supply chain in Canada - supporting defense readiness and the reshoring of Western titanium metal production. Our Stage 1 Program will define our technical program and follow-up drilling for the next 18 to 24 months."
The Everett project is situated within the Grenville Province of eastern Quebec, a region with several Proterozoic anorthosite-mangerite-charnockite-granite magmatic systems. The Lac Allard Anorthosite, which hosts both Everett and Lac Tio, is dated at approximately 1.06 Ga. Unlike Lac Tio, which is a massive hemo-ilmenite cumulate with MgO content of 1.6-3.2 wt.%, the Everett mineralization is hosted by a layered intrusion with an oxide-apatite-gabbronorite composition. The Corem analysis shows a mean MgO content of 0.38% in the hemo-ilmenite, indicating a more evolved magmatic system.
The company's qualified person, Julien Davy, P.Geo., M.Sc., MBA, has approved the technical information in this release. For more information, visit www.natitanium.com.
