Greetings Contrarian,

This is The Next Big Rush, your daily drop of mining/energy investing news. Where we come together and can't even tell what day it is.

Here are the coordinates:

😫 Integra + Millennial M&A

😫 Hercules Shows Strength

😫 Metallic Minerals Corp. Starts Off Well

🤝 Integra + Millennial Get Hitched

Integra Resources (TSX-V: ITR) (NYSE American: ITRG) and Millennial Precious Metals (TSX-V: MPM) (OTCQB: MLPMF) have entered into a definitive agreement to get hitched in holy matrimony merge at market pricing, creating one of the largest precious metals mining companies in the Great Basin.

The combined company will have one of the largest gold-silver endowments in the Great Basin not controlled by a major mining company, including exploration potential in the DeLamar and Millennial projects.

Millennial shareholders will receive 0.23 of a common share of Integra for each Millennial common share held. Concurrently, the companies announced equity financings for aggregate gross proceeds of C$35 million and welcomed Wheaton Precious Metals as a new cornerstone investor.

The net proceeds will be used for resource estimates and mine planning, mineral resource estimates and preliminary economic assessments, and baseline work for additional permitting and exploration. 

💪🏼 Hercules Shows Strength in Maiden Program

Hercules Silver Corp. (TSXV: BIG) (OTCQB: BADEF) (FSE: 8Q7) came out with confirmation of historicals with their first drilling campaign.

Several important intervals showed decent grades, among them the first drill hole of the program, named HER-22-01. This hole intercepted 38 meters of mineralization containing 353 g/t silver, 0.64% lead, 2.28% zinc, and 0.16% copper, which equates to 487 g/t silver equivalent. The mineralization began at a shallow depth of 26 meters. So shallow.

The grades obtained from drilling were significantly higher than the grades obtained from surface samples, which suggests that there may be supergene enrichment of mineralization below the surface. This provides support for this concept.

Beyond that, the information gathered from the geological data is extensive enough to help in guiding an expanded 3,000-meter Phase II core drilling program that is planned for spring 2023.

Boom.

🕶 Metallic Minerals Hits Wide Intercept

Metallic Minerals Corp. (TSX.V: MMG; OTCQB: MMNGF) just came out with the last of its 2022 results for its La Plata copper-silver-gold-platinum group element in Colorado.

Two holes totalling 1,730 meters (“m”) were drilled to test lateral extensions of the existing 985-million-pound copper equivalent NI 43-101 mineral resource1. Hole LAP22-04, drilled to the north of the resource area, intercepted the longest and highest-grade interval ever encountered at La Plata at 816 m of 0.41% Recovered Copper Equivalent (“CuEq”)

According to the company, this is one of the top intersections for any North American copper project in the past several years.

The Company will host a live webcast on March 2, 2023, at 10am PT | 1pm ET to discuss the La Plata project, along with a general overview and update on the Company. To register, click here

Don't look now, but it's almost March.

The Editor

DISCLAIMER: None of this is financial advice. This newsletter is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. Please be careful and do your own research.