Maple begins Ardeen drill programMaple and East West begin Ardeen drill program
Maple Minerals Corp (TSX-V:MPM)
Shares Issued 28,981,885
Last Close 7/5/2005 $1.34
Wednesday July 06 2005 - News Release
Also East West Resource Corp (TSX-V:EWR) News Release
Mr. Gino Falzone of Maple Minerals reports
EXPLORATION COMMENCES ON ARDEEN GOLD-BASE METAL PROPERTY - SHEBANDOWAN BELT, THUNDER BAY, ONTARIO
Maple Minerals Corp. and East West Resource Corp. have started a drill program to assess iron formation and shear-hosted gold settings on the newly optioned Ardeen property. Geological mapping is under way to identify gold shear-hosted targets as well as locate base metal settings. An intense whole rock sampling program will be carried out to locate base metal alteration patterns such as sodium depletion and magnesium footwall-style alteration. A 120-kilometre line grid at 100-metre spacing will be cut in the southern half of the property to be used for geological mapping and an induced polarization survey. These data will be merged with previous surveys around the Ardeen mine. A detailed time domain helicopter EM-magnetic (VTEM dream catcher system) survey will be completed at 100-metre spacing to locate volcanogenic massive sulphides. The drilling emphasis will be initially to test gold targets, but will continue on the Cu-Zn-Ag (copper-zinc-silver) VMS (volcanic massive sulphide) targets as they develop. The property contains basalt-rhyolite contacts, rhyolite breccias and numerous sulphide showings that have not been explored for VMS copper-zinc-silver deposits.
Four gold zones occur on the common south boundary of the Ardeen claims and the Hamlin-Powell claim groups with assays from grab samples ranging from one gram gold per tonne to 21 grams gold per tonne. With this joint land package, grids and surveys can now trace all the shear zones for the first time. Grids will cover the junction, middle, west and north zones. Drilling will initiate on the southwest extension of the west zone, which contains iron formation and parallel shears where grab samples of 27.1 grams gold per tonne have been obtained. Known targets on the junction zone will also be drilled.
Other parts of this extensive 14 km long property will be explored after the airborne data has been received in final form and interpreted. The Ardeen mine is situated in a particular basalt volcanic unit, which contains sheared and iron carbonate (ankerite) alteration similar to Timmins (Porcupine) and Red Lake gold deposits. The extension of the mine will be carefully examined including parallel zones.
The occurrence of the Vanguard VMS copper-zinc-silver-gold zones as well as the former Cu-Ag-Au producer North Coldstream mine to the northeast of the Ardeen property and fold structures, suggests that the key base metal horizons pass through the Ardeen property to the south and then continue through the Hamlin and Deaty properties to the Sungold claims to the south where Freewest Resources has announced an important copper-zinc base metal discovery.
Maple and East West have acquired an option to acquire up to a 60-per-cent interest in the Ardeen property. Reference is made to the Maple news issued in Stockwatch dated June 8, 2005. The project is being supervised by R. Middleton, PEng, who is the qualified person and responsible for quality control of the assaying and reporting.