Nio Strategic Metals Inc. (TSXV: NIO) (OTCQB: NIOCF) has released the results of a high-resolution heliborne magnetic and radiometric survey over its 100%-owned Oka property in Québec, revealing the three-dimensional internal architecture of the Oka carbonatite complex. The interpretation, completed by senior geophysicist Jean David and senior geologist Ali Ben Ayad, integrates 2023 survey data with seventy years of historical drilling, mapping, and academic research. The work has identified structural settings considered most likely to host significant rare earth element (REE) concentrations, prompting a recommended nine-hole reconnaissance diamond drilling program totalling approximately 4,460 metres.

Key Points

  • Nio Strategic Metals Inc. (TSXV: NIO) (OTCQB: NIOCF) is a critical mineral exploration company focused on its Oka, Québec carbonatite property.
  • A 2023 heliborne survey covering 921 line-kilometres has been interpreted to reveal the 3D architecture of the Oka carbonatite and key REE-hosting structures.
  • Three distinct REE mineralisation types were identified, with historical sample grades ranging from 1.5% to 4% total rare earth oxides, and cerium concentrations between 2.1% and 15.8% CeO in pyrochlore.
  • Investors may be watching for regulatory authorisation progress and drilling program commencement at the Oka property.

Survey Methodology and Structural Findings at Oka

The 2023 survey was flown by Prospectair across the Oka property's North and South Rings and their Grenvillian host rocks, covering 921 line-kilometres at 25-metre line spacing. A magnetometer operated at a mean height of 33 metres, while a gamma-ray spectrometer measuring potassium, uranium, and thorium flew at 52 metres. The interpretation identified five major magmatic dyke structures within the North Ring — Husereau, Manny North, Manny, Bond, and Central Structure — organised along the carbonatite's NW-SE elongation axis. Magnetic inversion sections suggest a possible connection between all dykes at depth beyond 800 metres.

Three REE Mineralisation Types Identified Within the Oka Carbonatite

The geoscientific compilation distinguishes three categories of REE mineralisation within the Oka system: REE associated with niobium minerals such as pyrochlore, perovskite, and niocalite; REE associated with phosphates including apatite, monazite, and britholite; and REE associated with carbonates such as ancylite and bastnäsite. Historical sample grades in selected specimens ranged from 1.5% to 4% total rare earth oxides. The release states a strong correlation between REE minerals and thorium anomalies, providing a geophysical signature that the company's technical team considers a strategic tool for identifying zones favourable to REE concentration.

Recommended Nine-Hole Drilling Program Targeting REE in the North Ring

Based on the integrated interpretation, the technical team recommends a nine-hole reconnaissance diamond drilling program totalling approximately 4,460 metres in the North Ring, with the primary objective of intersecting significant REE concentrations and, secondarily, niobium. The corporation has engaged GHD Environnement to guide and communicate transparently through the process of obtaining an authorisation for impact-causing exploration work (ATI) from the Québec Ministry of Natural Resources and Forests. The technical disclosure was reviewed and approved by qualified person Pierre-Jean Lafleur, P.Eng., under National Instrument 43-101.