Star Metro - Western Alaska Minerals Reports Gallium, America’s #1 Critical Mineral, In High-Grade Zinc Concentrates At Waterpump Creek

TUCSON, AZ / ACCESS Newswire / April 10, 2025 / Western Alaska Minerals Corp. (the "Company" or "WAM") (TSXV:WAM) is pleased to announce that significant gallium ("Ga") values were identified in high-grade zinc concentrates generated through recent first-pass metallurgical test work on mineralized materials from the Waterpump Creek ("WPC") Inferred Resource (2.38 M ton high-grade sulfide mineralization grading 279 g/t silver, 11.2% zinc, and 9.8% lead)at its 100% owned Illinois Creek Project in western Alaska (See Press Release of April 2, 2024).

This marks the Company's first report of gallium - which has been designated the United States' #1 critical mineral¹ due to its high risk of supply disruption. Gallium values ranging from 63.8 to 116 ppm were reported in assays of zinc concentrates grading 53 to 58% zinc, generated from sulfide-rich drill core composites ranging from 14.5 to 23.7 ppm gallium head grade. Individual assay results outside of these composites range from 41.1 to 63.9 ppm gallium. Analyses confirm that gallium resides within the zinc mineral sphalerite. Further metallurgical testing is planned and will be reported once in progress.

Highlights:

• Zinc concentrates grade from 53 to 58%

• Total zinc in the Inferred Resource is 591 million pounds (295,000 tons)

• Gallium gradesrange from 63 to116 ppm galliumin zinc concentrates (Table 1)

"With gallium now recognized as the United States' top Critical Metal, we are particularly encouraged to have first-pass metallurgical results show such strong gallium values in potentially marketable grades of zinc concentrate at Waterpump Creek. Producing gallium-rich zinc concentrates like these may be a pivotal opportunity for WAM to benefit from fast-track permitting incentives en route to providing a domestic supply of these two critical minerals," said CEO Kit Marrs. "We are pleased to see that the concentrates grade well over the 50% threshold for salability, and with the overall high grades at Waterpump Creek we could probably produce significant volumes of both gallium and zinc. The new high grade gallium assays indicate areas to focus on in WPC and farther south where we believe sulfides continue into WPC South."

Dr. Peter Megaw, advisor to Western Alaska Minerals adds, "It is unusual to see gallium grades this high in the periphery of any CRD system, so we are ramping up efforts to quantify gallium, and its common Critical Metal associate indium, throughout the project." 

Waterpump Creek Zinc and Gallium Metallurgy:

The WPC Inferred Resource includes gallium-rich sphalerite and silver-rich galena as its principal minerals and metals. The WPC Inferred Resource of 2.38 M tonnes of high-grade sulfide mineralization grading 279 g/t silver, 11.2% zinc, and 9.8% lead was completed and reported on February 22, 2024. Metallurgical testing has been completed on composites taken from 8 selected drill holes. The results reported here are assays of three concentrates reported by ALS Metallurgy Kamloops (March 19, 2025). Additional metallurgical test work is planned for the evaluation of gallium deportment. Results will be reported when available. See below for more metallurgical details.

Table 1: Waterpump Creek Zinc and Gallium Metallurgical Results

High-Grade Gallium Drill Core Assays:

In addition to the zinc concentrate results in Table 1, WAM is re-analyzing select WPC drill core samples by ICP-MS methods for gallium. The first batch of results returned values ranging from 41.1 to 63.9 ppm gallium (Table 2). The second batch of results is expected in Q2 2025. These intercepts were not included in the representative composites reported in Table 1; however, these results in Table 2 highlights that zones of high-grade zinc and gallium exist within the WPC Inferred Resource.

Table 2: First ICP-MS Gallium Assays from Waterpump Creek Deposit Drill Core

Metallurgical Context on WAM's Gallium Analyses

Metallurgical testing of Waterpump Creek drill core and the results reported here are assays of three concentrates reported by ALS Metallurgy Kamloops on March 19, 2025. Three metallurgical composites were generated from sulfide-rich drill core coarse assay rejects from various intervals and depths from 8 WPC drill holes drilled during the 2022 season. Composites represented intercepts between 24.8 and 36.1 meters (drill core lengths) through the WPC mineralized body, and these composites are considered representative of the WPC Inferred Resource. The composites were delivered to ALS labs in Kamloops, British Columbia. ALS Metallurgy used standard metallurgical testing methods for lead, zinc, and silver recovery.

The composites had gallium head grades ranging from 9.45 ppm to 23.7 ppm gallium and concentrate grades in potentially saleable zinc concentrates ranging from 63.8 to 116 ppm gallium. Composite 5 had gallium grades of 23.7 ppm gallium which translated into a zinc concentrate grading 116 ppm gallium (Table 1) using conventional flotation techniques to recover zinc. Composite 5 consists of material from drill holes WPC22-20 and WPC22-22 which represent 35.4m of drill core intercept within the deposit. Additional metallurgical test work is planned for the evaluation of gallium deportment. Results will be reported when available.

For more information about gallium, refer to the USGS Gallium fact sheet (https://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2013/3006/pdf/fs2013-3006.pdf) and the USGS report, Chapter H of Critical Mineral Resources of the United States - Economic and Environmental Geology and Prospects for Future Supply (https://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/1802/h/pp1802h.pdf).

Targeting Additional High-Grade Silver at Waterpump Creek South

Moving forward, Western Alaska Minerals will focus on precious metals and critical minerals, so the 2025 exploration program will be primarily directed at targeting discovery of the southern extension of the high-grade WPC silver-lead-zinc resource in the Waterpump Creek South area (see Figure 1). The WPC Inferred Resource includes gallium-rich sphalerite and silver-rich galena as its primary minerals and metals and remains open to the south across the 4700N fault. The Waterpump Creek South target presents the highest potential for significant expansion of our existing resource base.

Figure 1. Waterpump Creek Resource and WPC South Target Area

National Security and Potential Fast-Track Development Implications:

Gallium: Top-ranked U.S. critical mineral due to its high supply risk and essential role in technology and defense applications¹

Zinc: An important US Critical Mineral due to its essential role in infrastructure and renewable energies²

Domestic Supply: Claim package covers >73,000 acres on State of Alaska land; all claims are 100% owned by WAM with no underlying royalties - a clean asset.

Direct contribution to U.S. defense and technology sector mineral independence: Alaska-based reporter, Shane Lasley recently published, "Alaska, which happens to host 49 out of the 50 U.S. critical minerals and some of the nation's richest deposits of copper and gold, stands to benefit from Trump's push for increased domestic minerals production and his overall vision of unleashing Alaska's extraordinary resource potential." ³

Executive Order: Potential to fast-track development of domestic critical mineral supply chains further to a Critical Minerals Executive order, issued by the U.S. Government (March 20, 2025)

¹https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R47982

²https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center/zinc-statistics-and-information#:~:text=Zinc%20is%20necessary%20to%20modern,products%20to%20rubber%20and%20medicines.

³https://www.miningnewsnorth.com/story/2025/03/28/news/trump-order-adds-to-alaska-mining-tailwinds/9009.html

Qualified Person

The Qualified Person who reviewed and approved the technical disclosure in this release is Andrew West, Certified Professional Geologist, a Qualified Person as defined under National Instrument 43-101. He is a Certified Professional Geologist with the American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG CP-11759). Mr. West was WAM's VP Exploration from 2023 to April 2025.

His review verified the technical data disclosed, including geology, sampling, analytical and QA/QC data underlying this news release, including reviewing the reports of ALS, methodologies, results, and all procedures undertaken for quality assurance and quality control in a manner consistent with industry practice.

Jeffrey B. Austin, P.Eng., of International Metallurgical and Environmental Inc., a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, registered in British Columbia, has reviewed and approved the metallurgical results.

About WAM

Western Alaska Minerals (WAM.V) is pioneering North America's next major silver and critical minerals district at the Illinois Creek Project, a prolific 8-km mineral corridor hosting two stand-alone deposits with a new Warm Springs discovery zone in between. The IC project claims cover a 100% owned land package of 73,535 acres (115 square miles or 29,758 hectares), located approximately 38 kilometers by road to the region's marine highway, the Yukon River.

Anchored by the high-grade silver mineralization of the Waterpump Creek zone, 75 Moz @ 980 g/t AgEq (Inferred), open to the north and south and the historic Illinois Creek mine, 525 Koz AuEq - 373 Koz @ 1.3 g/t AuEq (Indicated), 152 Koz @ 1.44 g/t AuEq (Inferred), WAM's 100% owned carbonate replacement deposit shows significant exploration potential across its entire length.

Headquartered in both Alaska and Arizona, WAM brings together a team with a proven track record of large-scale mine discoveries.

On behalf of the Company

"Kit Marrs"

Kit Marrs
President & CEO
[email protected]
Phone: 1-520-200-1667

For further information, please contact:

Vanessa Bogaert, Director of Corporate Communications/IR
[email protected]

Or visit our website at: www.westernalaskaminerals.com

Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward Looking Information

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. "Forward-looking information" includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the activities, events or developments that the Company expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future. Generally, but not always, forward-looking information and statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", or "believes" or the negative connotation thereof or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved" or the negative connation thereof.

Such forward-looking information and statements are based on numerous assumptions, including among others, Although the assumptions made by the Company in providing forward-looking information or making forward-looking statements are considered reasonable by management at the time, there can be no assurance that such assumptions will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements.

Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's plans or expectations include risks relating to market conditions, metal prices, and risks relating to general economic, market or business conditions, uninsured risks, regulatory changes, defects in title, availability of personnel, materials, and equipment on a timely basis, accidents or equipment breakdowns, unanticipated environmental impacts on operations and costs to remedy same, and other exploration or other risks detailed herein and from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulators. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking information or implied by forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information and statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE: Western Alaska Minerals Corp

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