NorZinc Launches Metallurgical Test Program for Prairie Creek

14 September 2022

Vancouver, British Columbia ? September 14, 2022 ? NorZinc Ltd. (TSX: NZC; OTCQB: NORZF) (the “Company” or “NorZinc”) is pleased to announce the initiation of a feasibility study level metallurgical test program on its Prairie Creek Project (“Prairie Creek” of the “Project”) located in the Dehcho Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. The Company has engaged SGS Canada Inc., one of the leading technical services providers, to conduct a full and comprehensive test program with the objective of finalizing milling parameters and performance characteristics for the planned first 3-5 years of production. Drilling, which commenced in June 2022, remains well underway with drillcore samples already out for delivery to an assay laboratory September 13, 2022.

Running concurrently with this drill program is a geotechnical study utilizing the same holes, aimed at improving dilution estimates for mineralized material to be extracted during the same first 3–5-year time period in the mine plan. The geotechnical program involves acquiring oriented structural data through the use of oriented drillcore, acoustic and optical downhole televiewer scanning, manual geotechnical logging, and rock mechanics testing of all relevant lithologies. The field data collection program is being carried out by Terrane Geosciences with oversight by Mining One and Mostert Consulting.

The drill program, which the Company announced and commenced earlier this year on June 19, is approximately 2/3 complete with 3,700m drilled to date. Another 1,000m-1,500m of drilling is still planned with successful completion of the drill campaign aimed at generating the final amount of material required for comprehensive metallurgical testing of 3 composites by SGS as follow-up work. As the geotechnical study requires fewer holes than required for the metallurgical program, it is expected the field component of the geotechnical study will conclude near the end of this month.

All drillcore samples from these programs will be fed into metallurgical testing with SGS Laboratories but will initially be submitted for various rock mechanics and traditional base and precious metal assays in the coming weeks, with assays being handled by ALS Laboratories in North Vancouver. Final assay results are expected in late November, with metallurgical testing to be initiated immediately after.

Results will be incorporated into updated resource and reserve models, in order to provide an updated mine plan incorporating the additional confidence these summer field programs are expected to bring. In addition, the Company expects to follow up on the above drill programs with a smaller <1,000m channel twinning program if weather conditions allow, using the on-site surface drill rigs to core into the Main Quartz Vein (“MQV”) near the historical underground channel samples, to confirm the validity of that dataset.

“As the Company continues to make permitting progress with the recent receipt of the Land Use Permit portion of the mine operating licence, we are pleased to continue to advance the Project and commence the metallurgical test program as apart of preparing the project for an updated feasibility study and definitive offtake agreements,” said Rohan Hazelton, President & CEO, NorZinc. “Metallurgical testing represents a critical step in successfully transforming an exploration stage project into an economically viable mining opportunity and we are pleased to have engaged SGS Canada to complete this next phase with us which will ensure this study is conducted to the highest standards.”

 About NorZinc

NorZinc is a TSX-listed mine development Company trading under the symbol “NZC” and on the OTCQB under the symbol “NORZF”. NorZinc is focused on developing its 100%-owned high-grade zinc-silver-lead Prairie Creek Project, located in the Northwest Territories.