Vancouver, British Columbia CANADA, June 27, 2011 /FSC/ - Sacre-Coeur Minerals Ltd. (SCM - TSX Venture, S5N - FWB), (the "Company") today announced that the Company's exploration team has identified a new area containing both alluvial and elluvial (concentrated by chemical weathering of host rock) gold near its Million Mountain operations center, located in North-central Guyana. The new area exhibits attractive gold grade, good continuity, and other favourable factors for alluvial mining which make it ideal for start-up of the Company's new dredge system, expected to be commissioned in July. Though systematic testing of this area is still ongoing, a grid of 65 test pits on 30m x 60m spacing has yielded very encouraging results. A table of key statistics from this the program to date is presented below.
-***-
---------------------------------------------------
OG Test Pit Statistics a/o 24-Jun, 2011---------------------------------------------------Total Test Pits 65---------------------------------------------------Assumed Cutoff Grade (g/cu m) 0.3---------------------------------------------------Total pits above cutoff grade 37---------------------------------------------------Number of pits grading 0.3 - 0.5 g/cu m 3---------------------------------------------------Number of pits grading 0.5 - 1.0 g/cu m 19---------------------------------------------------Number of pits grading 1.0 - 1.5 g/cu m 4---------------------------------------------------Number of pits grading 1.5 - 2.0 g/cu m 2---------------------------------------------------Number of pits grading 2.0 - 2.5 g/cu m 4---------------------------------------------------Number of pits grading 2.5 - 3.0 g/cu m 2---------------------------------------------------Number of pits grading > 3.0 g/cu m 3---------------------------------------------------Weighted average Au grade (g/cu m) 1.26---------------------------------------------------Total alluvial volume above cutoff (cu m) 79,200---------------------------------------------------Average strip ratio (ob : alluvial material) 0.61---------------------------------------------------Test area length (m) 360---------------------------------------------------Test area width (m) 240---------------------------------------------------
-****-
This new area is particularly favourable as:
> the contained gold particles are generally significantly coarser than in other alluvial deposits identified by the Company to date, thus making gold recovery by simple gravity concentration more effective,
> owing in part to the elluvial contribution from highly weathered veins, fifteen pits have encountered gravity recoverable gold grades over 1.0 gram Au per cubic meter, with one pit grading 7.3 g/cu meter, based on the testing methodology discussed below,
> the stripping ratio is low at 0.61 cu m overburden per 1.0 cu m alluvial material, and
> the deposit is situated on higher ground than other areas previously identified, thus making it less susceptible to flooding during periods of heavy rainfall.
The 37 pits which yielded results above the assumed cut-off grade, and which contained alluvial/elluvial zones of minable thickness, exhibit remarkable continuity of both grade and thickness, clearly suggesting a reasonably continuous mineralized body suitable for orderly mining. Twenty-eight of the total 65 pits yielded results suggesting they were located on the margins or out of the alluvial paleo-channel and away from the contribution of elluvial gold concentration. Based on test pits completed to date, the orientation of the mineralized trend is well indicated. This trend, which is currently open in three directions, will be expanded to its fullest extent with the continuing test pitting program.
The Company's new high capacity dredge pumping system has arrived in Guyana and is expected to be fully commissioned and operational in July. Owing to the favourable attributes of this new alluvial/elluvial zone enumerated above, mining will commence on this deposit once the new system is operational.
QuotingGreg Sparks, President & CEO, "We are very pleased to have identified this promising area upon which to put our new dredge system to work initially. We are hopeful that on-going exploration will continue to expand this deposit and identify others with similar attributes to support the addition of multiple, similar production units, each designed to mine and process 25,000 cubic meters of alluvial material per month. Concurrently, we will be continuing with development of processing techniques to profitably recover very fine alluvial gold which is beyond the recovery capabilities of the current system."
Sampling and Analytical Procedure
1. Test pits are excavated by hydraulic excavator to 20cm below bedrock contact,2. Vertical section (thickness) of overburden and alluvial strata are each measured and recorded to the nearest centimeter,3. Alluvial horizon is sampled by careful collection of a representative sample from each alluvial stratum separately (typically including a basal gravel zone, overlain by a sand stratum, collecting a sample volume of 100 liters (0.1 cubic meter) for each zone,4. Each sample is processed over a mini-sluice to replicate the performance of the production scale sluice,5. Concentrate consisting of heavy mineral sands and gold from each sample run is removed from the mini-sluice and further concentrated by hand panning,6. Pan concentrates are amalgamated to collect the gold from the concentrate,7. Amalgam resulting from each sample is parted using nitric acid to leave a clean gold bead representing the total gold recovered from the sample,8. The resulting gold bead is weighed on a micro-balance to a precision of 0.005 grams and recorded to the nearest 1/100th of a gram, and9. The weight of the gold bead resulting from each sample is multiplied by 10 (sample is 1/10th of a cubic meter) to calculate the gravity recoverable gold contained in a cubic meter represented by the sample.
Compilation of Results
1. A weighted composite grade for the entire alluvial zone in each test pit is calculated by multiplying the sample grade for sand by measured sand thickness added to the sample grade for the gravel stratum multiplied by measured gravel thickness and dividing the sum by the total alluvial zone thickness (sand and gravel).2. The area represented by each pit is based on the grid spacing, in this case 30 meters x 60 meters or 1,800 sq meters per pit.3. Volume represented by each pit is then determined by multiplying the area (1,800 sq meters) by the measured thickness of the total alluvial zone for the pit.4. A weighted average grade for all pits with composite sample grades above the assumed cut-off grade (0.3 g/cu m), and for which the alluvial zone thickness is greater than minimum mining thickness (25cm) is calculated by weighting each composite sample by its thickness.
Discussion
Based on more than a year of testing various sampling and testing protocols, and with the contribution of Mr.Randy Clarkson, a leading international expert in alluvial sampling, mining, and processing, the Company believes that the foregoing procedure provides the best practicable quantitative determination of in situ alluvial grade which closely simulates the actual production scale processing. Despite the close simulation of production methodology at pilot scale, the recovery performance of production scale process equipment is likely to be attenuated somewhat from that predicted by the carefully controlled pilot scale simulation. Based on testing to date, the Company expects that recovery at production scale will be approximately 75% of that achieved at pilot scale. Mining dilution is expected to be negligible given the very well defined interface between the alluvial zone and the over/underburden.
Cautionary Statement
Though the testing program presented herein was directly overseen by Mr.Henry Salvado, Exploration Manager for the Company, who is a Qualified Person under NI 43-101, assisted by other senior geologic staff, and the results compiled therefrom are believed to be a reasonable assessment of the in situ grade of gravity recoverable gold mineralization, no attempt to qualify this data as a Resource under NI 43-101 has been made. The results presented herein are therefore not represented to be Resources under NI 43-101.
Technical Staff
The Company's exploration program is overseen by Mr.Henry Salvado, Registered Geologist and Exploration Manager for the Company, under the overall supervision of Mr.Gregory B. Sparks, P. Eng., President and CEO. Mr. Salvado is assisted by Mr.Bjorn Jeune, Sr. Project Geologist and Mr.Wilmar Ladia, Sr. Project Geologist. Mr.Carl Brink, Manager Alluvial Operations for the Company, collaborates with the Exploration Department with regard to all alluvial sampling and analytical programs. Mr. Ardito Martohardjono a Director of the Company, and a laboratory specialist provides assistance with lab protocols, sample handling procedures, and assay quality control. The undersigned and Mr. Salvado are qualified persons under NI 43-101.
About Sacre-Coeur
The Company is engaged in the acquisition, exploration and development of properties for the potential mining of gold, metals and diamonds in South America, initially focussing on exploration for gold on its properties in Guyana. The Company presently has an interest in approximately 1000 sq. km of mineral properties in Guyana, including the Million Mountain Property. The Company has offices in Vancouver, Canada and Georgetown, Guyana. More information about the Company is available at www.scminerals.com.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OFSACRE-COEUR MINERALS, LTD."Gregory B. Sparks" Gregory B. Sparks, P. Eng.President & CEO
For further information, contact:
Gregory Sparks, President and CEOEmail: greg@scminerals.comPhone: 604-899-0100Fax: 604-899-0200Don Mosher-B&D Capital, Corporate ConsultantEmail: don@scminerals.comPhone: 604-899-0100Mobile: 604-617-5448Fax: 604-899-0200
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. The statements made in this press release may contain certain forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual events or results may differ from the Company's expectations.
Sacre-Coeur Minerals, Ltd.Suite 1450, Box 11553650 West Georgia StreetVancouver, BCV6B 4N8