Alpha Minerals Reports 66m U3O8 in 2 Zones; With 6m of 35% U3O8 in 49.5m of 6.26% U3O8 at Patterson Lake South JV, SW Athabasca Basin
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - April 24, 2013) - Alpha Minerals Inc. ("Alpha" or "the Company") (TSX VENTURE:AMW) (FRANKFURT:E2GA), and its Joint Venture partner Fission Energy Corp. are pleased to report assay results from drill hole PLS13-053, part of its successful winter drill program and radon survey on its Patterson Lake South ("PLS") property. PLS13-053 is part of the R390E zone which now has a drill indicated strike length of 30m, is located approximately 375m drill grid east of the Patterson Lake discovery hole PLS12-022 at the R000E zone. Composited drill hole mineralized intersections for PLS13-053 returned two broad zones of uranium mineralization separated by 4.5m of core below cut-off grade:
UPPER URANIUM ZONE = 49.5m (66.0m - 115.5m):
- 49.5m @ 6.26 U3O8
- Includes 6.0m @ 35.0% U3O8
- Including 0.5m @ 45.0% U3O8
LOWER URANIUM ZONE = 16.5m (120.0m - 136.5m):
- 16.5m @ 2.63 U3O8
- Includes 3.0m @ 13.19% U3O8
R390E Zone: has returned 3 holes with high grade mineralization at moderate depths, in the central part of a radon anomaly that extends 240 meters between line 300E and line 540E. The mineralization is open in most directions, located in a 4 km long segment of the Patterson Conductor Corridor.
PLS13-053, within the R390E zone, is located 30m grid west of PLS13-051 (see news released April 22, 2013) in which assays included 53m of 6.57% U3O8 including 10.5m of 29.26% U3O8. PLS13-053 is also located 15m grid west of PLS13-038 (see news release dated March 24, 2013) in which assays included 4.92% U3O8 over 34m. Like drill holes PLS 13-038 and PLS13-53, this latest drill hole was targeted within the large radon anomaly in lake water sampling identified in earlier work this year by the Joint Venture. The radon anomaly extends beyond the area drilled to date.
The drill hole was vertical and intersected the mineralization within a steeply dipping interval of graphitic meta pelitic rock. All measurements of length reflect drill core lengths here and have not been estimated as true widths. There is significant matching of similar assays of the drill holes in this zone over a strike length now exceeding 30 meters and all well within the radon anomaly.
The radon survey is currently being extended beyond the limits original experimental radon work. The results of which, to date, include the discovery of zones R390E and R790E and strongly indicate that significant uranium mineralization is a source, more than 50 meter deep, of the radon anomalies in those zones.
Composited U3O8 mineralized intervals are summarized in Table 1 below. The results show that the uranium is concentrated in two zones separated by 4.5m:
The upper zone shows continuous uranium throughout the 49.50m interval (66.0m - 115.0m) that averages 6.26% U3O8, with a 6.0m wide higher grade core (98.5m - 104.5m) that averages 35.0% U3O8.
The lower zone shows a 16.5m wide interval (120.0m - 136.5m) that averages 2.63% U3O8, with a 3.0m (130m - 133.0m) higher grade interval that averages 13.19% U3O8. Several additional narrow intervals of weak mineralization were present from 145.0m to 219.5m. Not all assay results have been received for PLS13-053, but the outstanding intervals are not expected to contain anomalous uranium values.
| Table 1: | |
| Composited Mineralized Intervals (Down-hole measurements - not true widths) | |
| Zone | Hole ID | Grid Line | From (m | ) | To (m | ) | Interval (m | ) | U3O8 (wt% | ) |
| R390E | PLS13-053 | 375E | 66.00 | | 115.50 | | 49.50 | | 6.26 | |
| | | | 98.50 | | 104.50 | | 6.00 | | 35.00 | |
| | | | 120.00 | | 136.50 | | 16.50 | | 2.63 | |
| | | | 130.00 | | 133.00 | | 3.00 | | 13.19 | |
| | | | 145.00 | | 145.50 | | 0.50 | | 0.14 | |
| | | | 160.50 | | 161.00 | | 0.50 | | 0.09 | |
| | | | 218.50 | | 219.50 | | 1.00 | | 0.07 | |
| Composite Parameters | |
| 1. Minimum Thickness: 0.50m | |
| 2. Grade Cut-Off: 0.05 U3O8 (wt%) | |
| 3. Maximum Internal Dilution: 2.00m | |
Drill hole PLS013-053 was collared as a vertical hole, but deviated slightly to a dip of -86.2° to the SE. The hole was drilled to a depth of 282.6m. The hole is collared 15m grid west of PLS13-038. A thin cap of Devonian sandstone was encountered from 49.4m to 51.4m, overlying a quartzitic gneiss to a depth of 57.5m. The quartzitic gneiss was underlain by an intensely altered graphitic pelitic gneiss hosting multiple discrete graphitic shear zones. The hole was terminated at a depth of 282.6m in barren unaltered semi-pelitic gneiss. Moderate to strong clay alteration is present from 51.4m to 159.3m, flanked above and below by weak to moderate clay and chlorite alteration.
Patterson Lake South Property
The 31,000 hectare (76,000 acres) PLS project is a 50%/50% Joint Venture held by Alpha Minerals Inc (AMW) and Fission Energy (FIS). The Joint Venture property is 100% owned with no underlying royalties or vendor payments. Fission is the Operator until April 1st 2014. The property is accessible by road with primary access from all-weather Highway 955, which runs north to the former Cluff Lake mine, (>60M lbs of U3O8 produced), and passes through the nearby UEX-Areva Shea Creek discoveries located 50km to the north, currently under active exploration and development.
Alpha "Area" Properties
Alpha Minerals also is carrying out exploration on a uranium project adjoining the old Cluff Lake Mine licence. The Company holds a large claim block over its Hook Lake property that covers the northern extensions of the fertile Patterson Lake and Derkson Conductor trends and is flanked by the Purepoint-Cameco- Areva JV and the Nexgen- Clermont project area. Further work is planned for this year on all properties.
Staking activity in the area surrounding the JV accelerated this year with more than twice the area occupied by the JV now covered with new tie on claims. Updated maps highlighting the drilling programs for PLS can be found on the Company's website at www.alphaminerals.ca.
The technical information in this news release has been prepared in accordance with the Canadian regulatory requirements set out in National Instrument 43- 101 and reviewed on behalf of Alpha Minerals Inc, by Garrett Ainsworth, P.Geo., Vice President Exploration, a qualified person.
On behalf of the Board of Directors of Alpha Minerals Inc.
Ben Ainsworth, President, CEO and Director