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Sacre-Coeur extends mineralization at Million Mountain
2006-12-20 14:53 ET - News Release
Mr. Irwin Olian reports
TRENCHING AT MILLION MOUNTAIN CONFIRMS CONTINUATION OF MINERALIZED ZONE TO THE SOUTH; REFINED GEOLOGIC MODEL HIGHLY ENCOURAGING
Sacre-Coeur Minerals Ltd. has made major strides in refining the geologic model controlling gold mineralization at its Million Mountain project located in the Puruni River region of Guyana. Recent trenching has now expanded the mineralized zone approximately 325 metres to the south of the initial discovery holes reported in March, 2006. Previous trenching at Tiger Creek to the east and in the recently discovered Western zone had revealed extensions of the zone along the northwest-southeast-trending strike. Assays for 21 drill holes are pending, owing to major backlog at the company's outside assay laboratories. Assays for these holes are expected shortly and will be reported as soon as practicable.
Based on previously reported drilling and trenching, it was believed that gold mineralization at Million Mountain was hosted both in northwest-striking shear boundaries and in west-southwest-striking tensional features, which formed a stockwork of veinlets between shear boundaries. It was believed that the host rocks were a series of thrust slabs related to the Million Mountain break, a major thrust feature striking 252 degrees and dipping approximately 37 degrees to the north-northwest and that the dominant vein set in the tensional zone approximated the attitude of the Million Mountain break.
Recent work undertaken by the company's team, which now includes three new senior exploration geologists, as well as core drilling at several different orientations, and a major trenching and surface mapping program consisting of over 1,400 m of deep trenching, with all data three-dimensionally modelled using Vulcan Geomodeler, has confirmed the basic notion of mineralized shears bounding a tensional zone consisting of stockwork-like veins. However, several important refinements have emerged:
* the host rock for gold mineralization is an in-place intrusive body of brittle quartz monzonite (previously characterized as felsite or leucogranite), over which slabs of a variety of barren rock types were thrust from the north-northwest postmineralization. These trust slabs have now largely weathered back on the south flank of Million Mountain ridge, leaving the underlying mineralized quartz monzonite nearly exposed under a thin overburden of detritus remaining from the weathered thrust slabs;
* the quartz monzonite host has been sheared by north-west-trending shears and fractured in tension with major tensional features, striking approximately 240 degrees and dipping approximately 80 degrees to the southeast. The tensional features noted to date are generally spaced 10 m apart or less;
* the tensional features in the quartz monzonite are generally homogenous, angular breccia zones persisting more than 100 m along strike and ranging in width to 10 m or more. These breccia zones are mineralized with quartz-pyrite and gold intrusions, with pyrite content ranging to 20 per cent in certain instances locally, but generally great than 5 per cent pyrite in these breccia zones; and
* the in situ quartz monzonite between zones of brecciation also contains very fine-grained disseminated pyrite, ranging to 1 to 2 per cent along with attendant disseminated gold.
The trenching program, while aimed at exposing in situ geologic units for surface mapping, has also served to expand the mineralized zone well beyond previous limits. Trench TR1006 and trench TR1106 both cut saprolite and kaolinite, after quartz monzonite, which contained mineralized quartz veins suggestive of the tenor encountered in drilling into unweathered rock. Trench TR1106 is positioned 325 m to the south of the original discovery holes reported in March of 2006. The results of these trenches are as follows.
TABLE OF SUMMARY ASSAY RESULTS
From To Length Assay
Trench ID (m) (m) (m) (g/t Au)
TR1006 27.0 49.5 22.50 1.13
TR1106 2.5 54.0 51.50 0.71
TABLE OF SURVEY DATA
Total
Trench ID Azimuth Start co-ordinates Elevation length
(degrees) East North (m) (m)
TR1006 127 241117.94 697054.91 65.92 49.50
TR1106 17 241172.53 696828.63 92.34 55.00
Despite its highly weathered state near surface, discovery in trenches of the chemical remnants of the mineralized quartz monzonite host rock, continuing to the south more than 300 m, is very encouraging, with respect to potential continuous mineralization at depth, as the drilling program progresses further to the south.
Recent drilling has advanced to the west-northwest of the original discovery holes for a distance of more than 270 m. As reported above, assays for 21 additional drill holes in this area are pending, due to laboratory backlog, but are expected very soon. Observation of the core during the logging process has confirmed long intervals of mineralized quartz monzonite, including numerous mineralized brecciated zones consistent with the dilational features discussed above.
Following the holiday shutdown, trenching and drilling will resume in earnest, commencing the first week in January to continue to test the resource area to the south and to the west along the south side of the Million Mountain break thrust. With the clearer understanding of the geologic model and with the new surface exposures of mineralized quartz monzonite revealed in trenching, drilling is now proceeding on a 24-hour-a-day-seven-day-a-week basis, with an additional drill rig contemplated to be added to the program later in the first quarter of 2007.
The company's exploration program is overseen by Gregory B. Sparks, PEng, senior vice-president mining and exploration for the company, along with the project geologic staff, including Jack King, senior project geologist, Alan Davies, PEng, senior project geologist, Joseph Calpito, senior project geologist, and Thomas Clarke, project geologist, with assistance from Dr. Hendrikus Aarden, PGeo, senior geologic consultant. Mr. Sparks, Mr. Davies and Dr. Aarden are all qualified persons under NI 43-101. Ardito Martohardjono, a director of the company and laboratory specialist, has provided assistance establishing lab protocols, and sample handling and assay quality control.
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