Mr. David Blann reports
HAPPY CREEK DRILLS 50 METRES OF 0.39% COPPER AND CONTINUES EXPANDING ZONE 1 TO THE SOUTH
Happy Creek Minerals Ltd. is providing results of additional drilling from its continuing exploration on the Rateria property, Highland Valley district, British Columbia, Canada.
The company has a 100-per-cent interest in approximately 145 square kilometres of mineral claims that adjoin Teck's Highland Valley copper (HVC) mine property, Canada's largest copper producer, located in south-central British Columbia. Over 1.8 billion tonnes of resources in five deposits have been discovered in the Highland Valley district. HVC is currently mining material with an average grade of around 0.26 per cent copper.
Happy Creek has discovered zone 1 and zone 2 on the Rateria property, located approximately 6.5 kilometres south-southeast of Teck's Highmont mine. Previous highlights of drilling include R10-12, with 120.0 metres of 0.38 per cent copper starting at surface; R11-1, with 95.0 metres of 0.67 per cent copper and 3.6 grams per tonne silver; and R11-8, with 250.0 metres of 0.25 per cent copper. Zone 2 is located approximately two kilometres to the northeast where drilling has returned 126.0 metres of 0.46 per cent copper, 0.008 per cent molybdenum and 0.10 gram per tonne gold, as well as significant intercepts such as 38.2 metres of 2.14 g/t rhenium.
New results from zone 1 include drill hole R11-10 with 50.0 metres of 0.39 per cent copper and 2.4 g/t silver within an overall mineralized interval of 280.3 metres containing 0.14 per cent copper that starts at 190.0 metres. R11-10 is located approximately 65 metres south of R07-13 (189 metres of 0.22 per cent copper including 84 metres of 0.30 per cent copper) and approximately 50 metres north of R07-12/14, relatively shallow holes with positive alteration and geochemical levels of copper that are of exploration interest. R11-10 cut the zone beneath R07-12/14, has extended significant grades in zone 1 to the south by 65 metres and it remains open in extent.
David Blann, president and chief executive officer of Happy Creek, states: "R11-10 is important as it has expanded zone 1 and suggests increasing size and grade beneath previous shallow holes. In addition, many of our widespread exploration holes look similar to these shallow holes and reflect positively on the size of this mineral system and the potential within it. Zone 1 is continuously mineralized over 900 metres, remains open in extent and we are encouraged with the persistence of the structure. There is an excellent chance it continues and may lead us to the discovery of another deposit."
Drill hole R11-9 is located approximately 800 metres west of R11-10. The hole was drilled to the west, intersected multiple 2.5-metre intervals containing chalcocite, bornite and chalcopyrite (copper sulphides) with up to 0.15 per cent copper, and is of exploration interest. Drill core contains copper and geochemical levels of molybdenum, silver and rhenium associated with quartz veins and quartz sericite/muscovite alteration. The hole was lost at a depth of 305.7 metres with the final 3.2 metres containing 0.11 per cent copper. R11-9 is thought to have intersected a different part of the zone 1 hydrothermal system. As with other exploratory drilling, R11-9 supports a larger overall footprint for a productive mineral system around zone 1.
Approximately seven metres to 12 metres of glacial till cover zone 1 and the company's drilling to date confirms the copper zone occurs from bedrock surface to over 400 metres below surface. Copper and silver values occur with predominantly bornite, chalcocite and minor chalcopyrite. Pyrite (iron sulphide) is rare. This low-sulphur and relatively higher copper style of mineralization can impart metallurgical benefits that are being considered for further study. Zone 1 is within a northerly trending structure that is parallel to the Lornex fault to the west and is hosted by the important Bethsaida and Skeena phases of the Guichon batholith. This geological setting is thought to be similar to the deposits currently in production to the north.
Logging activity in the company's Copper Creek target is near completion and drill access trails to this area are in preparation. The Copper Creek area is located 800 metres south of R11-9 and west-southwest of zone 1. This target is defined by positive stream-sediment samples of up to 1,625 parts per million, or 0.16 per cent copper; 80 parts per million molybdenum; and angular quartz vein boulders containing positive values up to a maximum 3.34 per cent copper, 0.021 per cent molybdenum and 5.78 g/t silver within the favourable Bethsaida or Skeena phase of the batholith. A large, positive induced-polarization and magnetic geophysical signature occurs. In part due to irregular-shaped historical claim boundaries, this prospective area is thought to have never been previously explored by drilling. This and other similar untested target areas occur within the 100-per-cent-owned Rateria property.
David Blann, PEng, is a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and is responsible for the preparation and approval of the technical information disclosed in the news release. Preliminary analyses are performed by certified Agat Laboratories using a geochemical aqua regia digest and ICP-MS finish, and results for copper, silver, molybdenum and rhenium are provided in parts per million or grams per tonne, with values converted to per cent by dividing by 10,000. Samples greater than 5,000 parts per million copper are automatically rerun with a larger pulp sample, aqua regia digest and atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AA) finish. AA results are provided in per cent copper. Quality control protocol includes on-site pickup of samples by the laboratory, routine insertion of blanks, standards and duplicates, in addition to the laboratory internal controls.