Cascadia Provides Exploration Update and Appoints Vice President of Exploration
VANCOUVER, BC, Sept. 9, 2025 /CNW/ - Cascadia Minerals Ltd. ("Cascadia") (TSXV: CAM) (OTCQB: CAMNF) is pleased to announce the mobilization of crews to the Carmacks Project, the appointment of Thomas Hawkins as Vice President of Exploration, and Catch exploration results.
Key Point Summary
- Crews have been mobilized to Cascadia's recently acquired Carmacks Project to prepare for a 4,000 m diamond drill program (Figure 1);
- Drilling will focus on resource expansion with step-outs on 2021 drill holes that returned 105.52 m of 0.96% copper, 0.18 g/t gold, 4.0 g/t silver and 119.40 m of 0.76% copper, 0.14 g/t gold, 2.6 g/t silver (CRM21-011 and CRM21-025, respectively);
- Appointment of Thomas Hawkins, PhD, as VP Exploration, bringing decades of exploration experience to lead Cascadia's accelerated plans to advance the Carmacks Project and make new discoveries throughout Yukon's Stikine Terrane; and,
- 2025 prospecting at the Amp Zone on the Catch Property returned outcrop samples with visible gold that returned 699 g/t gold with 100 g/t silver and 0.65% zinc, and 80.74 g/t gold with 12.4 g/t silver and 0.11% zinc (Figures 2 and 3); and
- Inaugural drilling at Amp identified sporadic intervals of gold mineralization, but was unsuccessful in determining the source of high-grade surface gold at the Amp (Figure 4).
"We're very excited to get crews on the ground to prepare for Cascadia's inaugural drill program at the Carmacks Project and to have secured such an experienced and passionate field geologist. Tom's experience is well-suited to lead our resource expansion work at Carmacks, make new near-deposit discoveries along the Minto Copper Belt and advance our broader portfolio of Yukon Stikine Terrane properties," stated Cascadia's President and CEO, Graham Downs, "With the merger of Granite Creek now completed and with a healthy treasury, Cascadia is very well positioned to quickly advance one of very few road accessible, copper-gold-silver deposits in a mining friendly jurisdiction. The Cascadia team is highly focused on accelerating Carmacks forward and building value for our shareholders and all Yukoners."
Figure 1 – Carmacks Project Location
Figure 2 – Amp Zone Rock Sample (699 g/t Au)
Figure 3 – Amp Zone Rock Sample (80.74 g/t Au)
Carmacks Property Mobilization
The road-accessible Carmacks Project is located 35 km southeast of the past producing Minto Mine – recently acquired by Selkirk Copper Mines Inc. (Figure 1). The property is accessed off the government-maintained Northern Freegold Road and has an established camp with capacity for up to 40 people. Crews mobilized to the Carmacks Project on September 8th to open camp in preparation for an approximately 4,000 m diamond drill program utilizing two skid-mounted diamond drills.
Cascadia's work at the Carmacks Project is focused on significantly expanding the existing Measured and Indicated Resource of 651 Mlbs of copper and 302 koz of gold (36.3 million tonnes grading 0.81 % copper, 0.26 g/t gold, and 3.23 g/t silver and 0.01% molybdenum).
Drilling in 2025 will step out on previous drill holes that returned very favourable results and test gaps in the sulphide resource. Further details regarding the 2025 drill program will be provided once drilling has commenced.
Vice President of Exploration Appointment
Cascadia has appointed Thomas Hawkins, PhD, as Vice President of Exploration. Dr. Hawkins will oversee exploration strategy and execution across Cascadia's copper-gold portfolio, including the Carmacks Project, and will play a key role in target generation, drill program design, and technical evaluation.
Dr. Hawkins is an economic geologist with over 20 years of experience in copper and critical-minerals exploration, integrating structural geology, geochemistry, and geophysics to develop testable models and prioritize high-value drill targets. He has led multi-disciplinary teams across northern Canada and internationally, with work spanning early-stage generative programs to resource definition drilling. He holds a PhD in geology and is a registered Professional Geologist with Engineers and Geoscientists BC.
In this new role, Dr. Hawkins will focus on:
- Designing and executing near-term drill programs on priority targets;
- Advancing data-driven generative work to expand Cascadia's discovery pipeline; and
- Strengthening technical partnerships and community engagement.
"We are very fortunate to have Tom join our team, and the board and I would like to offer him a very warm welcome. As Cascadia accelerates work at the Carmacks Project and continues to advance our pipeline of projects, Tom's technical leadership and disciplined approach to exploration are an ideal fit for us," stated Graham Downs, President and CEO.
"I'm excited to join Cascadia at this pivotal time," said Dr. Hawkins. "Cascadia's assets in the Yukon offer outstanding growth and discovery potential, and I look forward to working with the team to efficiently convert geologic models into high-quality drill results."
Catch Exploration Results
2025 exploration at the Catch Property comprised an inaugural diamond drilling program targeting high-grade gold surface samples at the Amp Zone, as well as the collection of 114 surface grab samples and 319 soil samples from across the property.
Prospecting at the Amp Zone resulted in the discovery of visible gold in subcrop near a 2024 sample which retuned 1,065 g/t gold with 267 g/t silver. Narrow brecciated and discontinuous veinlets (0.50-0.75 cm) of clear-white-grey quartz with late ankerite and calcite host gold flakes within micro-fractures in the quartz vein. Two samples with visible gold were collected from this subcrop and returned 699 g/t gold with 100 g/t silver and 0.65% zinc, and 80.74 g/t gold with 12.4 g/t silver and 0.11% zinc (Figures 2 and 3).
Mapping identified a series of northeast striking alteration zones that vary in width, dip steeply to the south and consist of moderate to strong silicification, oxidation, bleaching, brecciated and discontinuous quartz-calcite veinlets as well as varying amounts of pyrite ± sphalerite ± chalcopyrite. Vein textures and mineral assemblage are indicative of intermediate sulphidation epithermal style mineralization.
A total 741.50 metres over five diamond drill holes tested the alteration zone directly below and along strike of the gold bearing outcrop and subcrop at the Amp Zone (Figure 4). This inaugural drilling program on the Amp Showing encountered veins and alteration similar to surface observations but returned only sporadic intervals of elevated gold.
Table 1: 2025 Catch Drill Highlights
Drill Hole |
From (m) |
To (m) |
Interval (m) |
Gold (g/t) |
Silver (g/t) |
CA-25-011 |
198.00 |
201.00 |
3.00 |
1.51 |
0.9 |
CA-25-012 |
No Significant Mineralization |
||||
CA-25-013 |
107.00 |
109.28 |
2.28 |
0.33 |
7.7 |
CA-25-014 |
1.88 |
4.88 |
3.00 |
- |
49.3 |
CA-25-015 |
No Significant Mineralization |
||||
The source of high-grade gold found during surface sampling remains unexplained. Drilling has revealed that gold mineralization at the Amp Zone is structurally complex, and results of this drilling will inform future work to identify the source of surface gold.
Table 2: 2025 Catch Drill Hole Collars*
Drill Hole |
Easting (m) |
Northing (m) |
Azimuth (°) |
Dip (°) |
Depth (m) |
CA-25-011 |
482753 |
6860774 |
310 |
-50 |
253.5 |
CA-25-012 |
482753 |
6860775 |
310 |
-65 |
152.0 |
CA-25-013 |
482793 |
6860807 |
310 |
-50 |
120.0 |
CA-25-014 |
482793 |
6860806 |
312 |
-65 |
105.0 |
CA-25-015 |
482725 |
6860863 |
183 |
-50 |
111.0 |
* Easting and Northing are UTM co-ordinates in the NAD 83 datum, zone 8N. Azimuth is respect to true north. |
Equity Incentive Plan Grants
Cascadia also announces the granting of incentive stock options (the "Options") to certain of its directors, officers, employees and consultants, pursuant to the plan, entitling them to purchase up to 650,000 common shares at a price of $0.15 per share. These options have a term of five years and will vest on a quarterly basis, commencing three months from the date of grant.
About Cascadia
Cascadia's flagship asset is the Carmacks Project in the high-grade Minto Copper Belt in Yukon Territory, Canada. The project is located 35km southeast of the past-producing Minto Mine, which was recently acquired by Selkirk Copper Mines. The Carmacks Project hosts a Measured and Indicated Resource containing 651 Mlbs of copper and 302 koz of gold (36.3 million tonnes grading 0.81 % copper, 0.26 g/t gold, and 3.23 g/t silver and 0.01% molybdenum) with a 2023 PEA demonstrating positive economic potential ($230.5 M Post-Tax NPV(5%) and 29% Post-Tax IRR).
Cascadia also has a pipeline of discovery stage copper-gold properties throughout the Yukon Stikine Terrane including its Catch Property, which hosts a copper-gold porphyry discovery where inaugural drill results returned broad intervals of mineralization (116.60 m of 0.31% copper with 0.30 g/t gold). Catch exhibits extensive high-grade copper and gold mineralization across a 5 km long trend, with rock samples returning peak values of 3.88% copper, 1,065 g/t gold, and 267 g/t silver.
QA/QC
Analytical work was completed by ALS Canada Ltd., with sample preparation in Whitehorse, Yukon and geochemical analyses in North Vancouver, BC, and Thunder Bay, Ontario. Samples were fine crushed before a 250-gram split was pulverized to better than 85% passing 75 microns. Rock samples were analyzed for gold by the Au-AA23 procedure which involves fire assay preparation using a 30-gram charge with an atomic absorption spectroscopy finish. Core samples were analyzed for gold by the Au-PA01 procedure which involves analysis by Photon Assay on a 500g crushed sample. Multi-element data for 48 elements was determined by the ME-MS61 procedure, which involves a four-acid digestion followed by inductively coupled plasma – atomic emission spectrometry ("ICP-AES") and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Overlimit values for copper, silver, and Zinc were determined by the Cu-OG62, Ag-OG62, and Zn-OG62 procedures which involve a four-acid digestion followed by ICP-AES analysis.
Rigorous procedures are in place regarding sample collection, chain of custody and data entry. Certified assay standards, duplicate samples and blanks are routinely inserted into the sample stream of diamond drill samples to ensure integrity of the assay process. All diamond drill samples included in this news release have passed the QA/QC procedures as described above. All assay intervals presented in this news release are uncut. Core was sampled using a diamond saw, with half of each interval sent to the lab for analysis, and the other half retained.
Prospecting grab samples referenced in this release represent highlight results only and include results from 2025 and previous seasons. Grab samples are selective by nature, below detection values for copper, gold and silver have been encountered in grab samples in these target areas. Estimated true widths vary but are expected to be typically 60-70% of the intersected widths.
The Mineral Resources and economic analysis disclosed here are referenced from the 2023 Technical Report on the Carmacks Project Preliminary Economic Assessment, authored by SGS Canada Inc. Pricing for the Carmacks Project PEA base case economic analysis was US $3.75/lb copper, US $1,800/oz gold, and US $22/oz silver at an exchange rate of $1:US$0.75. The results of the Carmacks preliminary economic assessment are preliminary in nature, it includes inferred mineral resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves, and there is no certainty that the preliminary economic assessment will be realized.
The technical information in this news release has been approved by Austin Schneebeli, P.Geo., Senior Geologist for Cascadia and a qualified person for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101.
NEITHER THE 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 NEWS RELEASE.
Cautionary note regarding forward-looking statements:
This press release may contain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Readers are cautioned to not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Actual results and developments may differ materially from those contemplated by these statements. The statements in this press release are made as of the date of this press release. Cascadia undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information, except as required by securities laws.
SOURCE Cascadia Minerals Ltd.
For further information, please contact: Andrew Carne, M.Eng., P.Eng., VP Corporate Development, Cascadia Minerals Ltd., T: 604-688-0111 ext. 106, [email protected]
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