Trevali Discovers and Re-Assays Historic Drill-Core Confirming Puajanca as Fourth Silver-Lead-Zinc Mineralized Body at Santander Project in Peru
Mineralization extends to 225 metres vertical depthremains openHighlights include: 105.35 metres at 2.7 oz/t (91.8 g/t) Silver equivalent14.55 metres at 10.7 oz/t (367.7 g/t) Silver equivalent
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(MARKET WIRE)--Mar 12, 2009 -- Trevali Resources Corp. ("Trevali" or the "Company") (CNSX: TV)(Other OTC:TREVF.PK - News)(Frankfurt:4TI.F - News) is pleased to announce that the recent discovery and re-assaying of historic diamond drill core from the Puajanca target has confirmed the presence of a significant silver-lead-zinc mineralized zone extending to depth on the Santander Mine project in Peru.
Hole PJ-2E, a historic exploration hole, intersected significant mineralization from approximately 100 metres down-hole - 75 metres vertical extent. The hole terminated at 106.7 metres down-hole in massive sulphide mineralization - the final sample is 2.12 metres grading 186 g/t silver, 3.6% lead and 3.36% zinc.
Hole PJ-3E intersected a very broad zone of disseminated and vein-style mineralization from approximately 150 metres down-hole - within which numerous higher-grade intervals occur down to vertical depths of 225 metres (Table 1).
The high silver-lead to zinc mineral ratios are similar to the company's silver-rich Magistral Norte and Central orebodies and are indicative of the upper portions of a productive mineralized system, the fourth identified by the Company to date. Mineral system analysis and empirical observations based upon the three Magistral orebodies and the former Santander Pipe suggest very significant additional depth potential at Puajanca, conservatively estimated to be on the order of 350 to 500 metres or more.
Geologically the Puajanca target, in conjunction with the former producing Santander Pipe, defines an important second mineralization fairway - that extends over approximately 3 kilometres strike length - on the Company's large 44-square kilometre property. The Puajanca target is located approximately 1 kilometre east-northeast of the Magistral Norte orebody and 3 kilometres north of the historic Santander Pipe where approximately 8 million tonnes of high-grade polymetallic mineralization was mined over a 35-year period (to view Figure 1, please click on the following link: https://media3.marketwire.com/docs/tvmap312.pdf).
In detail the Puajanca prospect occurs in the breached extension of the Santander anticline, host to the historic Santander Pipe.
Limited structural mapping indicates that mineralization is hosted by the Paritambo formation, a shaley unit and poor host formation with the known productive Lower Chulec Formation, host to all three Magistral orebodies and the lower portions of the Santander Pipe occurring at depth.
Modeling of the mineralized body based on the historic drilling defines a steeply plunging pipe-like body centered on the breached Santander anticline.
Mineralization occurs as replacement bodies and fracture fill in the Upper Chulec Formation. Historic drilling only partly tested this model with the majority of the holes stopping short of the down-dip extension of the plunging anticline.
An aggressive exploration program is currently being designed to define the Puajanca prospect for inclusion in the Santander Mine plan.
A National Instrument 43-101 resource estimate is currently being prepared for the Magistral Norte, Central and Sur zones all of which remain open at depth and to the East.
Table 1: Summary assay results - Puajanca Prospect
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Zone/ Down
Borehole hole Ag
(dip/ From-To Inter- equivalent Ag oz
azimuth) (metres) val (i) (g/t) Pb% Zn% Cu%
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Puajanca 97.78- 8.95m 8.2 oz/t 2.0 oz/t 2.24% 2.84% 0.03%
PJ-2E 106.73m (281.8g/t) (68.75g/t)
(-44.6
degrees/ Inc 104.61- 2.12m 14.1 oz/t 5.4 oz/t 3.6% 3.36% 0.08%
89.9 106.73m (483.3g/t) (186g/t)
degrees)
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Puajanca 150.85- 105.35m 2.7 oz/t 0.7 oz/t 0.29% 1.35% -
PJ-3E 256.2m (91.8g/t) (24.3g/t)
(-69.9
degrees/ Inc 211.3- 14.55m 10.7 oz/t 2.9 oz/t 1.23% 5.13% 0.06%
86.8 225.85m (367.7g/t) (97.8g/t)
degrees)
Inc 215.9- 2.2m 22.5 oz/t 5.7 oz/t 2.09% 11.6% 0.08%
218.1m (771g/t) (197g/t)
Inc 238.1- 1.9m 20.6 oz/t 4.4 oz/t 1.16% 11.8% 0.15%
240m (705.7g/t) (152g/t)
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(i) Silver equivalent calculated using following metal prices: Ag $15/oz,
Pb $0.9/lb, Zn $0.9/lb, Cu $3/lb and assumes 100% recoveries.
Project Background
The Santander silver-lead-zinc mine project is located approximately 215 km by road from Lima, in the western extent of Peru's prolific Cerro de Pasco mineral district. The mine operated from 1958-1993 targeting a single Carbonate Replacement Deposit-type pipe and manto structure, the Santander Orebody.
Substantial site infrastructure at the formerly-producing operation includes a fully refurbished 200-man camp and associated support facilities, an ore processing / concentrator plant (including various crushers, mills, flotation cells and filters able to produce zinc, lead-silver and copper concentrates) currently undergoing a refurbishment program, and the Tingo hydroelectric power-station located approximately 17 km down-valley to the west. The Santander project and the considerable existing infrastructure form a highly strategic asset in this mining district. The Company commenced exploration at Santander in November 2007 discovering three new high-grade silver-lead-zinc replacement and massive sulphide bodies to date.
Qualified Person and Quality Control/Quality Assurance
EurGeol Dr. Mark D. Cruise, Trevali's President and CEO and a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, has supervised the preparation of the scientific and technical information that forms the basis for this news release. Dr. Cruise is not independent of the Company, as he is an officer and shareholder.
The work programs at Santander were designed by, and are supervised by, Mark D. Cruise, President & CEO, Trevali, and Tim Kingsley (independent geological consultant), who together are responsible for all aspects of the work, including the quality control/quality assurance program. On-site personnel at the project rigorously collect and track samples which are then security sealed and shipped to ALS Laboratories, Vancouver, for assay. ALS's quality system complies with the requirements for the International Standards ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 17025: 1999. Analytical accuracy and precision are monitored by the analysis of reagent blanks, reference material and replicate samples. Quality control is further assured by the use of international and in-house standards. Blind certified reference material is inserted at regular intervals into the sample sequence by Trevali personnel in order to independently assess analytical accuracy. Finally, representative blind duplicate samples are routinely forwarded to ALS and an ISO compliant third party laboratory for additional quality control