Foundation drilling 6000m at Coldstream, 43-101 compliant resource plan underway
posted on
Feb 01, 2011 01:56PM
Edit this title from the Fast Facts Section
Foundation, Alto to drill 6,000 m at Coldstream
2011-02-01 08:10 ET - News Release
Also News Release (C-ATV) Alto Ventures Ltd
Mr. Paul Chung of Foundation reports
FOUNDATION RESOURCES INC.: 6,000 METRES OF DIAMOND DRILLING COMMENCES AT THE COLDSTREAM PROPERTY, ONTARIO
Foundation Resources Inc. and Alto Ventures Ltd. have commenced a 6,000-metre diamond drilling program on the Coldstream property in Northwestern Ontario. Foundation is the operator of this program and owns a 60-per-cent interest in the property and Alto owns the remaining 40 per cent. The three priority targets for the drill program are:
In addition to the drilling, a 3-D-IP survey is also planned on the Span Lake claims adjacent to the Moss Lake gold deposit (1.1 million ounces in indicated and 520,000 ounces in inferred categories).
Approximately 10,000 metres of diamond drilling was completed during the 2010 winter and summer exploration programs on the East Coldstream deposit. The recent drilling has confirmed the continuity of gold mineralization between widely spaced historical holes and has extended the down-plunge and lateral continuity of the deposit. In 1991 Noranda calculated the deposit to contain a non-NI 43-101-compliant historic resource of 5.1 million tonnes grading 1.4 g/t gold (234,000 ounces contained gold)(i).
In addition, surface exploration work consisting of a 3-D-IP survey adjacent to the deposit and litho-geochemical sampling and prospecting in the Iris zone were carried out. Both the drilling and surface programs generated very positive results and the current 2011 winter drilling program is designed as a follow-up to these favourable exploration results.
Encouraged by the positive drilling results, the companies strongly believe that the 2010 drilling programs were executed successfully and have potentially increased the area of gold mineralization. The drilling planned in 2011 will continue to advance the deposit toward an NI 43-101-compliant resource estimate. Furthermore, with planned drilling of several 3-D-IP targets this winter, the companies believe there is potential for lateral extension to the east and south of the deposit.
(i) A qualified person (QP), as defined in NI 43-101, has not done sufficient work to classify this historical estimate as current mineral resources. Foundation is not treating the historical estimate as current mineral resources, as defined in NI 43-101, and thus the historical estimate should not be relied upon.
Results of 2010 winter and summer drilling programs
Results from the 2010 winter and summer programs (38 holes, totalling 10,107 metres) were very positive as they represent some of the best grades and widths drilled on the property to date (see Foundation's 2010 news releases on its website). Of the 38 holes, 36 were drilled to test the deposit and two holes were drilled in the northern part of the Span Lake area. Drilling of the two Span Lake holes yielded wide mineralized intercepts with anomalous gold grades (such as 0.34 g/t gold over 39.55 m in hole SL-10-TW and 0.23 g/t gold over 73.0 metres, including 0.49 g/t gold over 14.1 m in hole SL-10-01).
The 36 holes (C-10-14 through C-10-49) that were completed to test the deposit demonstrated potential for increased grades and widths as compared with the historical drilling. Hole C-10-14 intersected 4.88 g/t gold over 27.3 m and C-10-16 cut a wide section of mineralization averaging 1.12 g/t gold over 111.3 m. Both of these holes were drilled to test the Main zone. In addition, hole C-10-49 returned two significant intercepts of 45.6 m averaging 1.04 g/t gold and 49.9 m averaging 1.01 g/t gold. These intercepts occur at vertical depths of approximately 180 m and 260 m respectively in an area of the Main zone that had not been drilled previously. These are encouraging results as they increase the potential for hosting additional gold mineralization in the Main zone. For an interpretation of these and the following drill hole results from other zones, please refer to cross-sections and longitudinal sections in the "investor presentation" folder on Foundation's website.
Drill hole C-10-39 tested the Sanders zone and returned 35.6-metre-wide zone averaging 2.10 g/t gold. Three additional holes were drilled and yielded similar results confirming gold mineralization extends down plunge and remains open at depth. Results from the four holes testing the Sanders zone are significant as this zone was not part of Noranda's historical holdings and the mineralization was not included in their historical resource estimate in 1991. The Sanders zone is located on strike approximately 500 m northeast of the Main zone. Foundation's drilling on this zone indicates significant potential to increase the size of the deposit.
The East and North zones, which occur parallel to both the Main and Sanders zones, are the other two of the four zones comprising the 1.5 km long East Coldstream deposit. Wide intervals of gold mineralization similar to the Main and Sanders were also intersected in the East and North zones. Drill hole C-10-32 intersected a 34.8-metre-wide section averaging 1.84 g/t gold in the East zone. In the North zone, hole C-10-18 intersected 67.9 m averaging 1.1 g/t gold and C-10-23 cut 34.5 m averaging 1.93 g/t gold. These results confirm gold mineralization extends down plunge and remains open at depth.
About the Coldstream property
The 5,738-hectare Coldstream property is located along the TransCanada Highway 115 km west of the city of Thunder Bay, Ont. The area is road accessible and has excellent infrastructure with a major power line and CN rail line passing just north of the property. Skilled labour is readily available locally. Mineralization at the East Coldstream deposit is hosted in intensely sheared, silicified and iron-carbonate altered mafic to felsic metavolcanics and porphyries in a zone extending northeast over a 1.5 km strike length.
For more details regarding the Coldstream property, please visit the company's website.
Ike Osmani, MSc, PGeo, the president of Foundation and the qualified person for the Coldstream project, has reviewed and approved the technical content of this news release.