{"success":true,"data":{"pressRelease":{"id":"66384","rtpr_id":"nACSWxvmFa","ticker":"XPL","exchange":"NYSE American","all_tickers":["XPL"],"title":"Solitario Advances 2026 Ponderosa Drilling Program","author":"ACCESSWIRE","published_at":"2026-06-17T12:30:00.390Z","article_body":"Cat Creek Critical Metals Project - Drilling Slated for July\n\nDENVER, CO / ACCESS Newswire (https://www.accessnewswire.com/) / June 17, 2026\n/ Solitario Resources Corp. (\"Solitario\") (NYSE American:XPL)(TSX:SLR) is\npleased to announce that its 2026 Ponderosa drilling program is well advanced\non its 100%-owned Golden Crest gold project in South Dakota. Drilling began in\nthe second half of May. Four core holes have now been completed, all in the\nPonderosa area. Core samples from the first two holes have been shipped to the\nassay lab and samples from the second two holes are being prepared for\nshipment. Initial assay results are expected in early August.\n\nPreparations for the first ever drilling at Solitario's 100%-owned Cat Creek\ncritical metals project are nearly complete. Cat Creek is situated in\nsouth-central Colorado within the world-class Climax-Henderson-Questa\nmolybdenum porphyry belt. Climax is the largest primary molybdenum deposit in\nthe world, Henderson is third largest, and Questa is considered the eighth\nlargest deposit.\n\nThe Cat project was originally discovered by Anaconda Copper (formerly one of\nthe largest mining companies in the world) in the early 1980's. Anaconda\nconducted significant surface exploration, including detailed geologic\nmapping, geochemical sampling and an Induced Polarization geophysical survey.\nThe project was slated for drilling in mid-1983, but due to the sale of\nAnaconda by its parent, Atlantic Richfield (ARCO), all company-wide\nexploration activities were shut down in early 1983. The property was never\ndrill tested and no further exploration activities were subsequently conducted\non the property.\n\nMolybdenum is one of the most valuable industrial metals and rhenium is\nclassified as a Critical Metal by the U.S. Geological Survey. Both are\nextensively used in the defense and aerospace industries for their unique\nproperties as a steel additive imparting extremely high melting temperature,\nhardness and remarkable resistance to wear and corrosion. Molybdenum currently\nsells for approximately $40.00 per pound and rhenium prices are approximately\n$4.20 per gram.\n\nChris Herald, President and CEO of Solitario, stated: \"With drilling now well\nadvanced at the Ponderosa area of Golden Crest, and the soon to be initiated\ndrilling at Cat Creek, we are excited that Solitario now has two active\ndrilling programs and look forward to reporting our progress and results.\nAdditionally, we continue to advance the drilling permit for our recently\nacquired Bright Angel copper-gold project in north-central Colorado. All three\nof our active 100% owned properties are situated in the United States where\ndomestic policies favor nationally sourced critical metals.\"\n\nWalt Hunt, a geologic consultant of Solitario, is a qualified person as\ndefined by NI 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects,\nresponsible for approving the scientific and technical information contained\nin this news release.\n\nAbout Solitario\n\nSolitario is a natural resource exploration company focused on high-quality\nTier-1 gold, copper, zinc and critical metals (molybdenum and rhenium)\nprojects. Solitario's 100%-owned Golden Crest properties in South Dakota\nconstitute strategic land holdings (31,500 acres) along the western and\nsouthwestern extensions of the Homestake-Wharf mining district that has\nproduced approximately 52 million ounces of gold.\n\nIn addition to its Golden Crest and Cat Creek projects, Solitario holds a 100%\ninterest in the Bright Angel copper-gold project in Colorado. Solitario also\nhas a 50% joint venture interest (Teck Resources 50%) in the high-grade Lik\nzinc deposit in Alaska and a 39% joint venture interest (Nexa Resources 61%)\nin the high-grade Florida Canyon zinc project in Peru. Both Florida Canyon and\nLik represent advanced exploration projects with over $110 million spent\ncollectively on the properties. Solitario is carried to production on its\nFlorida Canyon project through its joint venture arrangement with Nexa.\n\nThe Company is traded on the NYSE American (\"XPL\") and the Toronto Stock\nExchange (\"SLR\"). Newmont Corporation is Solitario's largest shareholder with\n9.3% of the Company's 92.4 million shares outstanding. Solitario's Management\nand Directors hold approximately 8.0% (excluding options). Solitario's cash\nposition stands at approximately US$9.2 million with no debt. Additional\ninformation about Solitario is available online www.solitarioresources.com.\n\nSolitario has a long history of committed Environmental, Social and\nResponsible Governance (\"ESG\") of its business. We realize ESG issues are also\nimportant to investors, employees, and all stakeholders, including communities\nin which we work. We are committed to conducting our business in a manner that\nsupports positive environmental and social initiatives and responsible\ncorporate governance. Importantly, we work with joint venture partners that\nnot only value the importance of ESG issues in the conduct of their business\non our joint venture projects but are leaders in the industry in this\nimportant segment of our business.\n\nFor More Information Please Contact:\n\nChris Herald, President and CEO\nSolitario Resources Corp.\nTel. 303-534-1030 ext. 1\n\nCautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Information\n\nThis press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of\nthe U.S. Securities Act of 1933 and the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934,\nand as defined in the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act\nof 1995 (and the equivalent under Canadian securities laws),that are intended\nto be covered by the safe harbor created by such sections. Forward-looking\nstatements are statements that are not historical facts. They are based on the\nbeliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the\nstatements are made and address activities, events or developments that\nSolitario expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future, and are\nbased on current expectations and assumptions. Forward-looking statements\ninvolve numerous risks and uncertainties. Consequently, there can be no\nassurances that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results\nand future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such\nstatements. Solitario's Golden Crest land position does not cover any of the\nareas of historical gold production or historical unmined resources. Certain\nhistorical information concerning exploration and gold production in the Black\nHills region has been obtained through both public and private sources and are\nbelieved to be substantially factual, but Solitario can give no assurances of\nthe accuracy of such information. The existence of historic mines and\nresources adjacent to Solitario's land position do not necessarily support the\nexistence of economic mineral deposits on Solitario's land position. Such\nforward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements regarding\nthe Company's expectation of the projected timing and outcome of engineering\nstudies; expectations regarding the receipt of all necessary permits and\napprovals to implement a mining plan, if any, at any of its mineral\nproperties. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ\nmaterially from those in the forward-looking statements include, among others,\nrisks relating to risks that Solitario's and its joint venture partners'\nexploration and property advancement efforts will not be successful; risks\nrelating to fluctuations in the price of zinc, gold, lead and silver; the\ninherently hazardous nature of mining-related activities; uncertainties\nconcerning reserve and resource estimates; availability of outside\ncontractors, and other activities; uncertainties relating to obtaining\napprovals and permits from governmental regulatory authorities; the\npossibility that environmental laws and regulations will change over time and\nbecome even more restrictive; and availability and timing of capital for\nfinancing the Company's exploration and development activities, including\nuncertainty of being able to raise capital on favorable terms or at all; risks\nrelating to the impacts of pandemics or similar epidemics; as well as those\nfactors discussed in Solitario's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange\nCommission (the \"SEC\") including Solitario's latest Annual Report on Form 10-K\nand its other SEC filings (and Canadian filings) including, without\nlimitation, its latest Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. The Company does not\nintend to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result\nof new information, future events, or otherwise, except as may be required\nunder applicable securities laws.\n\nSOURCE: Solitario Resources Corp.\nView the original press release\n(https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/metals-and-mining/solitario-advances-2026-ponderosa-drilling-program-1178437)\non ACCESS Newswire\n\n\nCopyright 2026 ACCESS Newswire. All Rights Reserved.","article_body_html":"","raw_payload":{"data":{"id":"nACSWxvmFa","title":"Solitario Advances 2026 Ponderosa Drilling Program","author":"ACCESSWIRE","ticker":"XPL","created":"2026-06-17T12:30:00.390Z","tickers":["XPL"],"exchange":"NYSE American","article_body":"Cat Creek Critical Metals Project - Drilling Slated for July\n\nDENVER, CO / ACCESS Newswire (https://www.accessnewswire.com/) / June 17, 2026\n/ Solitario Resources Corp. (\"Solitario\") (NYSE American:XPL)(TSX:SLR) is\npleased to announce that its 2026 Ponderosa drilling program is well advanced\non its 100%-owned Golden Crest gold project in South Dakota. Drilling began in\nthe second half of May. Four core holes have now been completed, all in the\nPonderosa area. Core samples from the first two holes have been shipped to the\nassay lab and samples from the second two holes are being prepared for\nshipment. Initial assay results are expected in early August.\n\nPreparations for the first ever drilling at Solitario's 100%-owned Cat Creek\ncritical metals project are nearly complete. Cat Creek is situated in\nsouth-central Colorado within the world-class Climax-Henderson-Questa\nmolybdenum porphyry belt. Climax is the largest primary molybdenum deposit in\nthe world, Henderson is third largest, and Questa is considered the eighth\nlargest deposit.\n\nThe Cat project was originally discovered by Anaconda Copper (formerly one of\nthe largest mining companies in the world) in the early 1980's. Anaconda\nconducted significant surface exploration, including detailed geologic\nmapping, geochemical sampling and an Induced Polarization geophysical survey.\nThe project was slated for drilling in mid-1983, but due to the sale of\nAnaconda by its parent, Atlantic Richfield (ARCO), all company-wide\nexploration activities were shut down in early 1983. The property was never\ndrill tested and no further exploration activities were subsequently conducted\non the property.\n\nMolybdenum is one of the most valuable industrial metals and rhenium is\nclassified as a Critical Metal by the U.S. Geological Survey. Both are\nextensively used in the defense and aerospace industries for their unique\nproperties as a steel additive imparting extremely high melting temperature,\nhardness and remarkable resistance to wear and corrosion. Molybdenum currently\nsells for approximately $40.00 per pound and rhenium prices are approximately\n$4.20 per gram.\n\nChris Herald, President and CEO of Solitario, stated: \"With drilling now well\nadvanced at the Ponderosa area of Golden Crest, and the soon to be initiated\ndrilling at Cat Creek, we are excited that Solitario now has two active\ndrilling programs and look forward to reporting our progress and results.\nAdditionally, we continue to advance the drilling permit for our recently\nacquired Bright Angel copper-gold project in north-central Colorado. All three\nof our active 100% owned properties are situated in the United States where\ndomestic policies favor nationally sourced critical metals.\"\n\nWalt Hunt, a geologic consultant of Solitario, is a qualified person as\ndefined by NI 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects,\nresponsible for approving the scientific and technical information contained\nin this news release.\n\nAbout Solitario\n\nSolitario is a natural resource exploration company focused on high-quality\nTier-1 gold, copper, zinc and critical metals (molybdenum and rhenium)\nprojects. Solitario's 100%-owned Golden Crest properties in South Dakota\nconstitute strategic land holdings (31,500 acres) along the western and\nsouthwestern extensions of the Homestake-Wharf mining district that has\nproduced approximately 52 million ounces of gold.\n\nIn addition to its Golden Crest and Cat Creek projects, Solitario holds a 100%\ninterest in the Bright Angel copper-gold project in Colorado. Solitario also\nhas a 50% joint venture interest (Teck Resources 50%) in the high-grade Lik\nzinc deposit in Alaska and a 39% joint venture interest (Nexa Resources 61%)\nin the high-grade Florida Canyon zinc project in Peru. Both Florida Canyon and\nLik represent advanced exploration projects with over $110 million spent\ncollectively on the properties. Solitario is carried to production on its\nFlorida Canyon project through its joint venture arrangement with Nexa.\n\nThe Company is traded on the NYSE American (\"XPL\") and the Toronto Stock\nExchange (\"SLR\"). Newmont Corporation is Solitario's largest shareholder with\n9.3% of the Company's 92.4 million shares outstanding. Solitario's Management\nand Directors hold approximately 8.0% (excluding options). Solitario's cash\nposition stands at approximately US$9.2 million with no debt. Additional\ninformation about Solitario is available online www.solitarioresources.com.\n\nSolitario has a long history of committed Environmental, Social and\nResponsible Governance (\"ESG\") of its business. We realize ESG issues are also\nimportant to investors, employees, and all stakeholders, including communities\nin which we work. We are committed to conducting our business in a manner that\nsupports positive environmental and social initiatives and responsible\ncorporate governance. Importantly, we work with joint venture partners that\nnot only value the importance of ESG issues in the conduct of their business\non our joint venture projects but are leaders in the industry in this\nimportant segment of our business.\n\nFor More Information Please Contact:\n\nChris Herald, President and CEO\nSolitario Resources Corp.\nTel. 303-534-1030 ext. 1\n\nCautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Information\n\nThis press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of\nthe U.S. Securities Act of 1933 and the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934,\nand as defined in the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act\nof 1995 (and the equivalent under Canadian securities laws),that are intended\nto be covered by the safe harbor created by such sections. Forward-looking\nstatements are statements that are not historical facts. They are based on the\nbeliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the\nstatements are made and address activities, events or developments that\nSolitario expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future, and are\nbased on current expectations and assumptions. Forward-looking statements\ninvolve numerous risks and uncertainties. Consequently, there can be no\nassurances that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results\nand future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such\nstatements. Solitario's Golden Crest land position does not cover any of the\nareas of historical gold production or historical unmined resources. Certain\nhistorical information concerning exploration and gold production in the Black\nHills region has been obtained through both public and private sources and are\nbelieved to be substantially factual, but Solitario can give no assurances of\nthe accuracy of such information. The existence of historic mines and\nresources adjacent to Solitario's land position do not necessarily support the\nexistence of economic mineral deposits on Solitario's land position. Such\nforward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements regarding\nthe Company's expectation of the projected timing and outcome of engineering\nstudies; expectations regarding the receipt of all necessary permits and\napprovals to implement a mining plan, if any, at any of its mineral\nproperties. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ\nmaterially from those in the forward-looking statements include, among others,\nrisks relating to risks that Solitario's and its joint venture partners'\nexploration and property advancement efforts will not be successful; risks\nrelating to fluctuations in the price of zinc, gold, lead and silver; the\ninherently hazardous nature of mining-related activities; uncertainties\nconcerning reserve and resource estimates; availability of outside\ncontractors, and other activities; uncertainties relating to obtaining\napprovals and permits from governmental regulatory authorities; the\npossibility that environmental laws and regulations will change over time and\nbecome even more restrictive; and availability and timing of capital for\nfinancing the Company's exploration and development activities, including\nuncertainty of being able to raise capital on favorable terms or at all; risks\nrelating to the impacts of pandemics or similar epidemics; as well as those\nfactors discussed in Solitario's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange\nCommission (the \"SEC\") including Solitario's latest Annual Report on Form 10-K\nand its other SEC filings (and Canadian filings) including, without\nlimitation, its latest Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. The Company does not\nintend to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result\nof new information, future events, or otherwise, except as may be required\nunder applicable securities laws.\n\nSOURCE: Solitario Resources Corp.\nView the original press release\n(https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/metals-and-mining/solitario-advances-2026-ponderosa-drilling-program-1178437)\non ACCESS Newswire\n\n\nCopyright 2026 ACCESS Newswire. All Rights Reserved."},"type":"article","timestamp":"2026-06-17T12:30:00.480947401Z","server_sent_at_ms":1781699400480},"received_at":"2026-06-17T12:30:00.623Z","source_url":"https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/metals-and-mining/solitario-advances-2026-ponderosa-drilling-program-1178437"},"analysis":{"id":"55801","press_release_id":"66384","analysis_json":{"industry":{"label":"Metals & Mining","sector":"Materials"},"redFlags":[],"eventType":"operations_update","narrative":"Solitario has completed four core holes at the Ponderosa area of its Golden Crest project in South Dakota, with initial assay results expected in early August.\n\nPreparations are nearly complete for the first-ever drilling program at the Cat Creek critical metals project in Colorado, situated within the Climax-Henderson-Questa molybdenum belt.\n\nThe company holds a strong balance sheet with $9.2 million in cash and no debt, and lists Newmont Corporation as its largest shareholder with a 9.3% stake.","sentiment":"bullish","agentHooks":{"shouldPost":false,"suggestedAngle":"Exploration update: two active drilling programs advancing in the US."},"keyFigures":{"customDimensions":{"cash_position":"$9.2 million","rhenium_price":"$4.20 per gram","molybdenum_price":"$40.00 per pound","newmont_ownership":"9.3%","shares_outstanding":"92.4 million","jv_exploration_spend":"$110 million"}},"quotedText":"With drilling now well advanced at the Ponderosa area of Golden Crest, and the soon to be initiated drilling at Cat Creek, we are excited that Solitario now has two active drilling programs and look forward to reporting our progress and results.","namedEntities":{"people":[{"name":"Chris Herald","role":"President and CEO"},{"name":"Walt Hunt","role":"Geologic Consultant"}],"products":["Golden Crest gold project","Ponderosa area","Cat Creek critical metals project","Bright Angel copper-gold project","Lik zinc deposit","Florida Canyon zinc project"],"companies":[{"name":"Teck Resources","relationship":"Joint Venture Partner"},{"name":"Nexa Resources","relationship":"Joint Venture Partner"},{"name":"Newmont Corporation","relationship":"Shareholder"},{"name":"Anaconda Copper","relationship":"Historical Owner"},{"name":"Atlantic Richfield (ARCO)","relationship":"Historical Owner"}],"dollarAmounts":[{"amount":"$40.00 per pound","context":"current market price of molybdenum"},{"amount":"$4.20 per gram","context":"current market price of rhenium"},{"amount":"US$9.2 million","context":"company cash position"},{"amount":"$110 million","context":"collective historical spend on Lik and Florida Canyon projects"}]},"materialImpact":{"score":2,"reasoning":"Routine operational update regarding the advancement of drilling programs at two exploration assets; no material assay results or resource estimates have been released yet."},"tickerRelevance":{"others":[{"ticker":"SLR","relevance":"TSX listing"}],"primary":"XPL"},"globalImportance":10,"audienceRelevance":15,"eventTypeSecondary":[],"importanceComponents":{"tickerTier":"micro-cap","eventGravity":"exploration_update","sectorWeight":"materials"}},"event_type":"operations_update","event_type_secondary":null,"sentiment":"bullish","material_impact_score":2,"narrative":"Solitario has completed four core holes at the Ponderosa area of its Golden Crest project in South Dakota, with initial assay results expected in early August.\n\nPreparations are nearly complete for the first-ever drilling program at the Cat Creek critical metals project in Colorado, situated within the Climax-Henderson-Questa molybdenum belt.\n\nThe company holds a strong balance sheet with $9.2 million in cash and no debt, and lists Newmont Corporation as its largest shareholder with a 9.3% stake.","key_figures":{"customDimensions":{"cash_position":"$9.2 million","rhenium_price":"$4.20 per gram","molybdenum_price":"$40.00 per pound","newmont_ownership":"9.3%","shares_outstanding":"92.4 million","jv_exploration_spend":"$110 million"}},"named_entities":{"people":[{"name":"Chris Herald","role":"President and CEO"},{"name":"Walt Hunt","role":"Geologic Consultant"}],"products":["Golden Crest gold project","Ponderosa area","Cat Creek critical metals project","Bright Angel copper-gold project","Lik zinc deposit","Florida Canyon zinc project"],"companies":[{"name":"Teck Resources","relationship":"Joint Venture Partner"},{"name":"Nexa Resources","relationship":"Joint Venture Partner"},{"name":"Newmont Corporation","relationship":"Shareholder"},{"name":"Anaconda Copper","relationship":"Historical Owner"},{"name":"Atlantic Richfield (ARCO)","relationship":"Historical Owner"}],"dollarAmounts":[{"amount":"$40.00 per pound","context":"current market price of molybdenum"},{"amount":"$4.20 per gram","context":"current market price of rhenium"},{"amount":"US$9.2 million","context":"company cash position"},{"amount":"$110 million","context":"collective historical spend on Lik and Florida Canyon projects"}]},"model_name":"qwen3_6_27b_awq","prompt_hash":"sha256:727b4b9429a443af","schema_hash":"sha256:05005c02d9cffac9","created_at":"2026-06-17T12:54:23.441Z","global_importance":10,"audience_relevance":15,"importance_components":{"tickerTier":"micro-cap","eventGravity":"exploration_update","sectorWeight":"materials"}},"durationMs":164972,"modelName":"george-droid-qwen-72b"}}