Mr. David Blann reports
HAPPY CREEK DRILLS 95.0 METRES OF 0.65% COPPER IN HIGHLAND VALLEY B.C.
Happy Creek Minerals Ltd. has released preliminary analytical results from the first hole of 2011 in zone 1 on its Rateria property, Highland Valley in British Columbia.
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 southeast of Teck's Highmont mine. Previous highlights of drilling include 253.7 metres of 0.24 per cent copper, including 120.0 metres of 0.38 per cent copper in zone 1. Zone 2 is located approximately two kilometres to the northeast, and has returned 126.0 metres of 0.46 per cent copper, 0.008 per cent molybdenum and 0.10 gram per tonne gold. Zone 2 also contains intercepts such as 38.2 metres of 0.029 per cent molybdenum and 2.14 g/t rhenium.
Happy Creek has intersected 95.0 metres grading 0.65 per cent copper and 3.62 grams per tonne silver from 220 to 315 metres in drill hole R11-1. This hole is angled at minus 55 degrees across the northerly trending zone 1. Low copper values occur above and below this interval with the final 12.5 metres containing 0.10 per cent copper to 404.5 metres where the hole was shut down due to drilling difficulty. The significant interval in R11-1 is approximately 100 to 150 metres beneath R07-09 that returned 100.0 metres of 0.29 per cent copper near surface and, on this section, importantly indicates good continuity of the zone and higher grade at depth. Glacial till in zone 1 is around seven to nine metres in thickness, and potentially economic copper grades are confirmed from bedrock surface to 250 metres below surface and remain open in extent.
"We are very encouraged from results of the first hole this year, which shows good continuity and increasing copper grade," states David Blann, president and chief executive officer of Happy Creek. "This phase of drilling is focusing on the definition of zone 1 and testing similar geophysical targets nearby."
The company is currently completing the fourth of up to 25 drill holes and has approximately $3.4-million in working capital.