Trek Metals Limited (ASX: TKM) ('Trek' or the 'Company') is pleased to advise that its multi-pronged 2024 exploration field season has commenced at the Christmas Creek Gold and Rare Earth Element (REE) Project in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, with extensive field work programs now underway ahead of a major drilling campaign scheduled to commence next month.
Trek Metals' CEO Derek Marshall said: 'After many months of data review and desktop studies, it is pleasing have boots on the ground at Christmas Creek. Our field camp has been established, station tracks have been graded to facilitate easy access, and the soil sampling crew have already collected several hundred samples. We are well underway! 'Outside of the gold potential that initially attracted Trek to this Project, the emergence of robust REE and critical metals targets is adding some extra excitement. The in-fill soil survey has been designed to strengthen these target areas prior to future drill testing. 'We are due to commence earthmoving this week in preparation for our upcoming drilling program in collaboration with heritage monitors from the Yi-Martuwarra. We also have aheritage survey scheduled to commence this week with representatives from the Jaru to assess the proposed drilling areas at high-priority gold target Willis. I look forward to keeping investors informed as work progresses and when results come to hand.'
Soil sampling is being completed to strengthen existing targets and generate additional targets for further exploration. Targets fall into two broad categories - follow-up or in-fill sampling around previously recorded anomalous results and areas where no previous sampling is recorded but where there are features of interest in the geophysical data.
Being located adjacent to RareX's (ASX: REE) Cummins Range Critical Metals Project, which has a significant REE and Phosphate Resource, the Christmas Creek Project is also highly prospective for similar carbonatite-hosted mineralisation. In light of this, Trek has been re-evaluating historic exploration data with a view to identifying the potential for critical minerals discoveries as well as gold. While the previous project owners were not targeting critical metals, there are samples and assays that are encouraging and warrant follow-up sampling and mapping. The Cummins Range REE deposit was discovered by CRA Exploration (CRAE) in 1980 by following up prospective magnetic features in a regional survey. CRAE identified several additional targets surrounding the Cummins Range Deposit, with limited follow-up work completed. Wide-spaced soil sampling by the previous project operator generated a base metal anomaly co-incident with the CRAE B153 anomaly. With niobium-enriched carbonatites identified in adjacent anomalies and no drilling at the Price/B153 anomaly, this is a high priority for targeted exploration, where an initial in-fill soil sampling program is to commence shortly.
Turner North - Rare Earth Elements
The Turner North Prospect comprises three field samples that returned highly elevated REE results, such as 3,069ppm TREO including 900ppm NdPr oxides and 1,121ppm TREO including 247ppm NdPr. Geologic descriptions of the Turner North samples indicate an iron-rich lithology that appears similar to recorded surface samples associated with the Cummins Range deposit. Covering a strikelength of 150m, the samples provide a target for additional field mapping and sampling, and potentially drilling, pending a thorough assessment of the scale and mineralisation potential.
About the Christmas Creek Project (Kimberley, Western Australia)
The Christmas Creek Project, located south-west of Halls Creek, represents a largely concealed districtscale gold and rare earths exploration opportunity, associated with a major continental-scale tectonic lineament intersection. The Project covers a total area of 1,183km2 , all of which is covered by Heritage Access Agreements, with total exploration expenditure to date of $5.7 million. The Project previously sat within Newmont's suite of exploration projects, held under a joint venture with Archer X Pty Ltd (Archer X). Under the previous joint venture and earn-in agreement, Newmont successfully earned a 75% interest in the Project. Newmont subsequently relinquished that interest following a rebalancing of its global exploration portfolio, returning the Project to 100% Archer X ownership. Archer X targeted the area as it believed it may be an extension of the prolific Granites-Tanami Orogen, exposed as a basement high, with metasediments in the area showing a correlation to the Tanami host sequences
Four major prospects have been identified within the Christmas Creek Project area - Martin, Coogan, Zahn and Willis utilising Newmont's proprietary Deep Sensing Geochemistry (DSG) which has been developed to explore for mineralisation concealed under cover. The presence of bedrock gold mineralization has been confirmed by drilling at Martin and Coogan, although both these prospects remain sparsely drill tested, in particular Coogan with drill lines approximately 1km apart. The strong gold surface anomalism at Zahn remains unexplained in drilling and there has been no drilling to date at the Willis Prospect. Drill intersections at Martin include 7m @ 4.9g/t Au and 2m @ 9.65g/t Au, with the mineralisation remaining open (refer ASX:TKM 11 October 2023). A broad gold-mineralised structure with intersections such as 34m @ 0.18g/t Au and 38m @ 0.16g/t Au has been defined at Coogan by drilling on two sections about 1km apart, with the central core of the anomaly (between these sections) remaining untested (refer ASX:TKM 11 October 2023). Trek completed the acquisition of the Christmas Creek Project in October 2023 (refer ASX:TKM 11 October 2023). Having acquired a considerable data package with the Project, the Trek team has been systematically working through this data and building a pipeline of targeted work programs. Standout drill targets are interpreted at the Zahn, Coogan, Martin and Willis Prospects.
Contact:
Derek Marshall
Email: dmarshall@trekmetals.com.au
Competent Persons Statement
The information in this report relating to Exploration Results is based on information compiled by the Company's Exploration Manager, Mr Chris Shaw, a Competent Person, and Member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists (AIG). Mr Shaw has sufficient experience relevant to the style of mineralisation and to the type of activity described to qualify as a competent person as defined in the 2012 Edition of the 'Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves.' Mr Shaw has disclosed that he holds Performance Rights in the Company. Mr Shaw consents to the inclusion in this announcement of the matters based on his information in the form and content in which it appears.
DISCLAIMERS AND FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This announcement contains forward looking statements. Forward looking statements are often, but not always, identified A words such as 'seek', 'target', 'anticipate', 'forecast', 'believe', 'plan', 'estimate', 'expect' and 'intend' and statements that an event or result 'may', 'will', 'should', 'could' or 'might' occur or be achieved and other similar expressions. The forward-looking statements in this announcement are based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections about Trek and the industry in which it operates. They do, however, relate to future matters and are subject to various inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual events or results may differ materially from the events or results expressed or implied by any forward-looking statements. The past performance of Trek is no guarantee of future performance. None of Trek's directors, officers, employees, agents or contractors makes any representation or warranty (either express or implied) as to the accuracy or likelihood of fulfilment of any forwardlooking statement, or any events or results expressed or implied in any forward-looking statement, except to the extent required by law. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forwardlooking statement. The forward-looking statements in this announcement reflect views held only as at the date of this announcement.
TREK METALS LIMITED 
