Domestic Metals Provides Corporate Update and Results from Geological Reconnaissance Work and Thin Section Analysis at the Smart Creek Project, Montana

/EIN News/ -- VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Domestic Metals Corp. ("Domestic Metals" or the "Company") (TSXV:DMCU; OTC:DMCUF; Frankfurt: 03E) provides a corporate update and results from geological reconnaissance work and thin section analysis at the Smart Creek Project located in western Montana (Figure 1). In addition, the Company outlines the exploration field work plans and strategy for 2025 at Smart Creek. Domestic Metals is planning a comprehensive 2025 field program that includes geological mapping, geochemical sampling and IP (induced polarization) geophysics designed to identify diamond drill targets at the Smart Creek, Sunrise Mine and Radio Tower targets (Figure 1). These robust Tier 1 target areas are driven by overlapping anomalies in multiple datasets, and they are highly prospective for porphyry copper-gold and carbonate replacement style copper-gold-silver deposits (Figures 1 and 2).

Highlights:

• The re-naming of the company has now been completed, and it is now Domestic Metals Corp., a name that reflects the advancement of the Smart Creek Copper-Gold project located in Montana, United States.
• Domestic Metals Corp. has defined 3 high-priority target areas at Smart Creek with the potential to host porphyry copper and carbonate replacement deposits (“CRD”) copper-gold-silver ore deposits.
• The Company has identified new alteration vectors toward mineralization based on thin section petrography which increase confidence and copper-gold prospectivity in all targets.
• Domestic Metals has outlined plans for systematic mapping and sampling at Smart Creek to identify and refine drill targets for exploration drilling scheduled for Q4, 2025

Domestic Metals CEO Pat Varas stated “Our confidence has increased in the target styles and the opportunity for high-grade discoveries on the property. In the minerals business grade is king and we focus exclusively on exploration opportunities such as Smart Creek that can yield high unit value mineralization.”

The Company has now completed the name change to Domestic Metals Corp. reflecting the company’s aim to work in exploration and mining friendly jurisdictions where policies and permitting requirements are not obstacles to Junior explorers. Domestic Metals believes that the time has come for copper and gold projects to finally break out of the Junior investment slump. Copper and gold prices have reached new heights, and the current US government administration is aiming to secure domestic supply of critical metals including copper. With the increasing market demand for domestic production of metals, the stage is now set for Tier 1 exploration projects such as Smart Creek to leverage market appetite and deliver an outstanding investment opportunity.

To that end, Domestic Metals has established a new investor focused philosophy centered on Smart Creek, an exploration project that is typically controlled by major mining companies. The acquisition of exploration rights, from Rio Tinto, reflects that sentiment and provides Domestic Metals with the opportunity to explore an attractive porphyry copper / CRD project located in the mining friendly state of Montana. Domestic’s team believes that with the copper endowment of Montana, with super-giants like Butte as a noteworthy mine (5,200 Mt@ 0.673% Cu, 0.028% Mo and 0.042 g/t Au¹), the Company is now hunting for the type of mine usually reserved for Majors including Rio Tinto, Vale, Freeport and BHP. 

Recent geological mapping and project evaluation work has confirmed that the present erosion level at Smart Creek provides several opportunities to test not only two advanced porphyry copper targets with potential high grades but also carbonate replacement deposits (CRD’s) and gold mineralized targets. The degree of preservation and the extensive alteration footprints, combined with the abundance of reactive host rocks (that can yield high grades) indicate that there is excellent potential for the discovery of ore deposits on the Smart Creek Property that Domestic Metals asserts have the potential to be world class.

Thin Section Results:

Reconnaissance petrographic work on samples from the Radio Tower and Smart Creek porphyry targets has yielded significant new information. Extensive porphyry and skarn-related minerals pyroxene and K-feldspar are associated with mapped sericite and marble alteration indicating the potential for these targets.

Five hand specimens were collected from the Radio Tower and Smart Creek porphyry targets for petrographic (thin section) evaluation to characterize the alteration and estimate the potential distance to porphyry centers. The main findings include:

1. Recognition of cryptic potassic and calc-silicate alteration styles at the Radio Tower and Smart Creek porphyry targets.
2. Styles of alteration indicate high temperatures and close proximity to porphyry centers.
3. Telescoping identified in the rock samples (superposed alteration/mineralization styles). Telescoping in porphyry systems creates multiple overprinting mineralization events and high grades.
4. Confirmation of marble alteration styles overprinting the carbonate host rocks; reactive host rocks yielding optimal opportunity for high-grade mineralization.

2025 Exploration Program Plans

The recent evaluation and analytical work at Smart Creek has improved Domestic Metals’ understanding of the target styles, erosion levels, and opportunity for exploration discovery. Key features of the exploration framework include the following:

1. Porphyry targets can be de-risked using inexpensive mapping, thin-section and slab-staining techniques
2. We have detected high-temperature sub-domains within the widespread marble and sericite alteration zones mapped to-date. These areas are now increased in priority for exploration follow-up as they are proximal to fluid source and potential copper-rich porphyry targets.
3. Exploration follow-up is considered high-priority at Radio Tower, Sunrise and Smart Creek as the surface exposures are proximal to fluid source and potential copper-rich porphyry zones.
   

The exploration techniques planned for 2025 are outlined below.

Geological Mapping and Geochemical Sampling

Domestic Metals will conduct a systematic mapping and geochemical sampling campaign designed to advance the Smart Creek, Sunrise and Radio Tower targets to drill testing which is scheduled to be conducted in Q4, 2025 (Figure 1). Lithological and structural mapping will be conducted to establish the distribution of favourable host rocks and structures which will then be modeled in 3-dimensions to define drill targets.

Rock and soil geochemical sampling techniques will be deployed at Smart Creek and Sunrise to detect mineralization related to porphyry copper and carbonate replacement deposits.

Rock Geochemistry: Analysis using portable XRF in the field to obtain preliminary geochemistry to help guide sampling in real time. Limestone/marble samples will be submitted for Carbon-Oxygen isotope analysis to quantify the degree of alteration and determine sample proximity to porphyry/CRD mineralization.

Soil sampling: Infill soil sampling campaign to refine and extend target zones.

Rock alteration mapping: All samples will be stained to detect the presence of potassium feldspar, which can also be used to quantify the intensity of alteration and proximity to porphyry copper mineralization.

Carbonate veins: Veins will be tested using ultraviolet light to determine the presence of metals and evaluate their proximity to fluid sources and to prioritize drill targets.

IP Geophysics

Domestic Metals will expand the footprint of the project IP geophysics which can be used to identify sulphide mineralization in the subsurface (Figure 2). This technique is particularly effective in carbonate replacement and porphyry copper environments because it will detect chargeable sulphides in the subsurface aiding substantially in guiding exploration drilling.

Smart Creek Project Overview

Smart Creek is a 4187 Ha road-accessible project located in western Montana, a prolific metallogenic province with superb copper pedigree in addition to a mining-savvy workforce. Montana State is a pro-mining jurisdiction with active copper mines and exploration projects including the giant Butte Mine owned by Montana Resources LLP that has hosted 5.4 Billion Tonnes averaging 0.46 % Cu, 0.033 % Mo, and 4.30 g/t Ag¹. The Smart Creek project is characterized by:

1. Multiple UNTESTED Porphyry-skarn-CRD style alteration footprints with coincident geophysical and geochemical signatures.
2. Extensive property-wide copper mineralization in rock and soil datasets. Historic drill results with long copper intercepts and limited follow-up. 4+ target areas and the opportunity to develop further exploration upside.
3. Reactive carbonate and diabase host rocks with the potential of yielding high-grade mineralization.
   

The Company has the opportunity to unlock shareholder value by exploring this world-class exploration asset and earning up to 60% in the project from partner Rio Tinto (see Norden Crown news release from August 20, 2024).

Smart Creek Exploration Targeting

Exploration targeting has identified four key target areas including the Smart Creek porphyry target (copper-gold-molybdenum porphyry mineralization), the Sunrise CRD target (copper-gold-silver carbonate replacement mineralization), the Radio Tower Porphyry target (copper-gold-molybdenum porphyry and carbonate replacement and skarn mineralization), and the Smart Creek South target (exotic copper mineralization). Remarkable historic work includes:

1. Recent drilling in 2022 resulted in excellent copper assay results including a 109.73 meter @ 0.75% Cu; 18.74 g/t Ag intercept (SMCR0022; see NR dated August 20, 2024) ².
   
2. Structurally controlled/replacement style gold targets at the Sunrise mine area with historic grades of 6.22 g/t Au, 31.1 g/t Ag and 1.5% Cu³.
   

Ongoing and upcoming technical work plans include geological mapping, geochemistry, IP geophysics and/or magnetotelluric geophysics. Drill targets are expected to be finalized in Q2 2025, with drilling expected to commence in the second half of 2025.

References

¹https://mbmg.mtech.edu/pdf/geologyvolume/ReedDillesButteChapter_Final.pdf

²Norden Crown Announces Acquisition of Option Over the Smart Creek Copper-Gold Porphyry Project (Montana, USA), Public announcement, August 2024.

³Emmons, W.H., and Calkins, F.C., 1913. Geology and Ore Deposits of the Philipsburg Quadrangle, Montana. United States Geological Survey Professional Paper #78.

Investor Relations Appointment

The company would like to welcome Mr. John Liviakis from Liviakis Financial to the Domestic team, to provide investor relations services to the Company.

The Company has entered into an agreement with Liviakis Financial Communications, Inc. (“Liviakis Financial”) whereby Liviakis Financial will provide investor relations services to the Company.

Liviakis Financial is based in San Francisco, California and has experience with providing investor relations services to junior public companies. The Company and Liviakis Financial are at arm’s length and Liviakis Financial does not currently hold, directly or indirectly, any securities of the Company, nor does it have the right or intent to acquire any such securities of the Company. (See Domestic Metals news release from March 31, 2025.)

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About Domestic Metals Corp.

Domestic Metals Corp. is a mineral exploration company focused on the discovery of large-scale, copper and gold deposits in exceptional, historical mining project areas in the Americas.

The Company aims to discover new economic mineral deposits in historical mining districts that have seen exploration in geologically attractive mining jurisdictions, where economically favorable grades have been indicated by historic drilling and outcrop sampling.

The Smart Creek Project is strategically located in the mining friendly state of Montana, containing widespread copper mineralization at surface and hosts 4 attractive porphyry copper, epithermal gold, replacement and exotic copper exploration targets with excellent host rocks for mineral deposition.

Domestic Metals Corp. is led by an experienced management team and an accomplished technical team, with successful track records in mine discovery, mining development and financing.

Qualified Person

Daniel MacNeil, P.Geo, a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, has read and approved all technical and scientific information contained in this news release. Mr. MacNeil is a technical advisor for the Company.

On behalf of Domestic Metals Corp.

Patricio Varas
Chairman and CEO
(604) 831-9306

For more information on Domestic Metals, please contact:
Patricio Varas, Phone: 604-831-9306 or Michael Pound, Phone: 604-363-2885. Please visit the Company website or contact us at info@domesticmetals.com.

For all investor relations inquiries, please contact:
John Liviakis, Liviakis Financial Communications Inc., Phone: 415-389-4670.

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.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains certain statements that may be deemed “forward-looking statements”. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words “expects”, “plans”, “anticipates”, “believes”, “intends”, “estimates”, “projects”, “potential” and similar expressions, or that events or conditions “will”, “would”, “may”, “could” or “should” occur. Forward-looking statements may include, without limitation, statements relating to the Company’s name and ticker symbol change, matters in connection with the agreement entered into between the Company and Liviakis Financial, and the planned exploration activities on properties. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance, are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results or realities may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Such material risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: competition within the industry; actual results of current exploration activities; environmental risks; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; future price of commodities; failure of equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; accidents, and other risks of the mining industry; delays in obtaining approvals or financing; risks related to indebtedness and the service of such indebtedness; as well as those factors, risks and uncertainties identified and reported in the Company’s public filings under the Company’s SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and, accordingly, are subject to change after such date. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise unless required by law.