Freewest drills 44 m of 41.3% Cr2O3 at McFaulds
2009-09-17 08:42 ET - News Release
Mr. Mackenzie Watson reports
FREEWEST REPORTS ADDITIONAL EXCELLENT DRILL RESULTS FROM ITS 100%-OWNED MCFAULDS PROPERTY, NORTHERN ONTARIO AND ON OTHER EXPLORATION DEVELOPMENTS
Freewest Resources Canada Inc. has released partial assays results obtained from recently completed diamond drilling (phase 2) on its wholly owned McFaulds property. The property, consisting of 1,036 hectares, comprises one of three properties in which the company is exploring on its own and in joint-venture agreements in the "Ring of Fire" metals district.
In all, the phase 2 diamond drilling program consisted of 10,663 metres comprising 29 holes. To date, complete assays have been received from eight of the 29 holes drilled. This news release details and comments on the results of these eight drill holes. Results from the remaining 21 drill holes will be released as they become available.
Black Thor diamond drilling results
Recently completed diamond drilling on the Black Thor chromite occurrence has been of infill nature, using drill holes spaced 100 metres and 50 metres apart, along its current 2,600-metre strike length. Previously completed drilling, up to the end of April, 2009, had been largely completed at 200-metre centres, over this strike length (see Freewest news release in Stockwatch dated June 2, 2009).
Highlighting the new results are drill intercepts including 41.3 per cent Cr2O3 over 44.0 metres, 42.5 per cent Cr2O3 across 26.0 metres, 43.0 per cent Cr2O3 over 21.0 metres, 41.4 per cent Cr2O3 over 19.0 metres, 40.0 per cent Cr2O3 over 15.0 metres and 41.1 per cent Cr2O3 over 8.0 metres. The details of these drill intercepts are listed in the table.
Although many of the assays remain pending, in general, ore-grade chromite zones display good continuity along strike and to depth. To date, Black Thor has been drill tested over a 2,600-metre strike length (between drill sections 500N and 3100N) and to a maximum vertical depth of about 400 metres. It currently remains open ended along strike and to depth. Chrome-to-iron rations for mineralization averaging greater than 30 per cent Cr2O3 are in the range of 1.60 -- a favourable ratio comparable with those seen in established chromite mining camps, including deposits in the Bushveldt igneous complex in South Africa (1.60) and the Kemi deposit located in Finland (1.53).
Hole From To Interval %Cr2O3 Cr:Fe
No. (m) (m) (m)
BT-09-52 174.0 214.0 40.0 28.8 1.3
that includes
174.0 192.0 18.0 35.1 1.5
and also
includes
202.0 214.0 12.0 36.4 1.6
followed by
288.0 341.0 53.0 38.2 1.5
that includes
292.0 336.0 44.0 41.3 1.6
BT-09-53 306.0 310.0 4.0 23.0 1.2
BT-09-54 138.0 144.0 6.0 33.1 1.4
followed by
189.0 255.0 66.0 30.1 1.4
that includes
234.0 255.0 21.0 43.0 1.7
BT-09-55 186.0 204.0 18.0 34.5 1.6
followed by
276.0 330.0 54.0 33.8 1.5
that includes
290.0 330.0 40.0 38.9 1.7
that includes
304.0 330.0 26.0 42.5 1.8
BT-09-59 122.0 141.0 19.0 34.3 1.5
followed by
178.0 193.0 15.0 40.0 1.7
and then
204.0 221.0 17.0 25.3 1.4
and then
228.0 236.0 8.0 41.1 1.7
BT-09-60 162.0 186.0 24.0 33.6 1.6
followed by
287.0 301.0 14.0 25.3 1.2
and then
318.0 337.0 19.0 41.4 1.8
and then
360.0 366.0 6.0 30.7 1.5
and then
378.0 391.0 13.0 31.2 1.3
AT12 extension drilling results
Based on geological and geophysical evidence, one of the priority areas for nickel-copper-platinum-group-element mineralization (PGE) is in the northern portion of the wholly owned property, adjacent to the north claim boundary shared with Noront Resources Ltd. At the AT12 occurrence on the Noront property, broad intercepts of mineralization, including 122.9 metres grading 0.56 per cent nickel, 0.29 per cent copper and 1.06 grams per tonne platinum and palladium (includes a higher-grade section of 5.5 metres yielding 2.38 per cent nickel, 3.05 per cent copper, 0.92 gram per tonne platinum and 2.62 grams per tonne palladium), occur at the basal contact of the ultramafic intrusion and its feeder zones (Ring of Fire intrusion) and the statigraphically underlying granodiorite. This same contact, along trend to the southwest on the 100 per cent-owned property, has been named the AT12 extension and offers similar potential for magmatic nickel-copper-PGE mineralization as at AT12.
Freewest drilled two holes to test this target area, BT-09-62 and BT-09-67. Both holes intersected significant thicknesses (up to 50 metres) of disseminated copper and nickel-sulphides (1 to 3 per cent) that locally contain heavily disseminated to semi-massive sulphides over narrow widths (10 to 30 per cent). The sulphides are hosted in ultramafic rocks, closely associated with the contact with the underlying granodiorite.
Hole BT-09-61 yielded a narrow zone of heavily disseminated copper-nickel sulphide mineralization over a width of 2.4 metres. The most heavily mineralized portion of the intercept yielded 1.62 per cent nickel, 1.24 per cent copper and 5.22 grams per tonne TPM (platinum plus palladium plus gold) over a core length of 1.77 metres. The underlying hole, BT-09-67, yielded an 18-metre wide zone of disseminated sulphides returning 0.79 gram per tonne TPM as well as anomalous levels of nickel and copper.
Although the widths of economic nickel-copper-platinum-group-element mineralization obtained to date at the AT12 extension are narrow, the company is encouraged to see this tenor of mineralization occurring at the favourable ultramafic -- granodiorite contact. Based on geophysical evidence, this contact can be traced over a distance of at least 2.3 kilometres on the property. Additional drilling is clearly warranted testing the AT12 extension.
Phase 3 diamond drilling
A third phase of diamond drilling is currently being planned and is anticipated to commence in early October. Two drills will likely be employed, the first to continue detailed drilling of the Black Thor chromite zone and the second to test the AT12 extension and other nickel-copper-PGE targets, including the F2 zone. The company is currently on target with its goal of producing a 43-101-compliant mineral resource estimate on the Black Thor chromite zone by late 2009 to early 2010.
Freewest-Noront joint venture
In other developments, the company reports that pending the receipt of results of a recently completed Crone Pulse EM (electromagnetic) survey, the joint-ventured property with Noront Resources is ready for diamond drilling. Preliminary diamond drilling of the bull's-eye-shaped magnetic anomaly will likely commence in mid-October.
Clarence Stream, New Brunswick
Freewest and partner, Rockport Mining Corp., are preparing for the resumption of the resource expansion diamond drilling program at Clarence Stream in New Brunswick.
The immediate goal of the resource expansion project is to increase the mineral resource to the one-million-ounce-plus range -- a realistic goal, given that most of the gold zones are open along strike and to depth. The resource defined to date is localized within a 1.8-kilometre strike length of the defined 12-kilometre-long mineralized structure. Numerous untested gold-in-soil anomalies and surface showings containing visible gold located away from the known gold resource outline offer excellent potential for the discovery of new gold zones as well. The next phase of exploration will also include:
- Further in-fill and resource expansion drilling along strike and down plunge from established resource blocks to achieve the immediate one-million-ounce-plus resource target;
- Exploration drilling to test other defined priority targets along the proven 12-kilometre mineralized structure which is believed to have multimillion-ounce potential.;
- Updating the property's mineral resource estimate;
- Completing a preliminary economic assessment (scoping study) to examine the viability of commercial production.
In June of 2008, Scott Wilson Roscoe Postle Associates (Scott Wilson RPA) calculated a National Instrument 43-101 mineral resource estimate on two deposit clusters on the property. It includes an indicated mineral resource of 817,400 tonnes at an uncut grade of 8.43 grams per tonne gold, or 221,620 ounces of gold, and an inferred mineral resource of 642,000 tonnes at an uncut grade of 7.81 grams per tonne gold, amounting to 161,340 ounces of gold. In addition to the gold, an indicated mineral resource of 7.3 million pounds of antimony is present at Clarence Stream.
Of particular note, is the fact that Scott Wilson RPA's mineral resource estimate incorporates results only up to drill hole CS08-272 and that 40 additional holes have been drilled since that time. Such holes have encountered significant mineralization such as 7.11 grams per tonne gold over five metres, 17.25 grams per tonne gold over five metres, 9.71 grams per tonne gold over five metres and 8.24 grams per tonne gold over five metres in drill holes 273, 290, 295 and 208, respectively. Such drill holes have further expanded the limits of the gold-bearing system and will add to the mineral resource.
Rockport is currently financing the exploration and resource expansion program at Clarence Stream. Rockport may earn a cumulative 50-per-cent interest by spending an additional $7.5-million on exploration prior to October, 2011. A cumulative 65-per-cent interest may be obtained by Rockport financing the property through to a feasibility study. Rockport is a well-financed private St. Andrews-based (New Brunswick) mineral exploration company.
Independent quality control and analytical protocol
A thorough quality control program has been implemented for the McFaulds project, including grouping samples into batches of 35 into which are added two certified reference material standards, two field blanks composed of barren drill core and a field duplicate. Coarse reject and pulp duplicates also from part of the quality control program. The company is confident that all assays reported in this news release have passed rigorous control guidelines as set out by Freewest's independent quality assurance/quality control person.
All samples were submitted to Activation Labs (Actlabs) of Ancaster, Ont., for analyses. The samples were analyzed for multielements using a four-acid digestion followed by ICP analyses. Gold, platinum and palladium were assayed by the fire assay method on 30 grams of prepared sample. For higher-grade chromium analyses (greater than 1 per cent), the samples are analyzed by the neutron activation method wherein they are irradiated prior to final reading. This method yields analyses in per cent for elemental chromium, Cr2O3 and elemental iron. Additional information on the analytical techniques employed can be accessed on the Actlabs website.
Additional quality control measures have also been recently adopted for Cr and Fe including the insertion of a certified reference material SARM 8, purchased from Mintek in South Africa. This quality control method provides a check for high-grade chrome samples yielded by INAA analyses provided by Actlabs.
Donald Hoy, PGeo (Ontario), vice-president of exploration and a director of Freewest Resources Canada, is the qualified person (under National Instrument 43-101) on the McFaulds project and is responsible for the preparation of this news release.
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