MacDonald Mines Exploration Update, Including Assays, from Summer Program on its VMS and Nickel Targets in James Bay Lowlands
TORONTO, ONTARIO, Aug 25, 2010 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX News Network) --
MacDonald Mines Exploration Ltd. (TSX VENTURE: BMK) ("MacDonald" or the "Company") is pleased to provide assays from its summer exploration program, which provided higher grades and greater widths of both copper and zinc than intersected in previous drilling. In addition, a comprehensive update outlining exploration activities on the Butler Property, formerly known as the McNugget Property, is provided below. The Butler Property is located within the southern portion of the emerging "Ring of Fire" area exploration play in the James Bay Lowlands region of Northern Ontario.
Summer Exploration Program
The summer exploration program utilized both bore hole and ground geophysics, combined with a continually developing geochemistry database to direct the drilling. Based on this exploration data it would appear that there are 3-4 separate sources for the mineralization intersected within the Butler Property. The combined efforts of the technical and field personnel in conjunction with the aforementioned geological, geochemical and geophysical tools being employed are assisting MacDonald as it strives to vector-in on these sources.
The grade of mineralization intersected in the summer drill program is higher for both copper and zinc and the widths are also greater than those intersected in drilling completed in 2004, 2006, 2008 and earlier in 2010. Based on alteration mineralogy, geochemical vector analysis and 3-D geophysical modeling, it appears that the higher tenor of VMS mineralization from the latest drill results is still peripheral to the source.
The data obtained from the recently completed summer exploration on Butler 3 (refer to the Company's June 22, 2010 and July 6, 2010 news releases at www.macdonaldmines.com), which utilized these new protocols, highlights a fold-nose structure in Butler 3 target area that is considered to host the most prospective VMS mineralization on the Butler Property (as outlined below in this press release).
Exploration Overview
An overview of MacDonald's exploration activities to date is currently being completed by Robin Chisholm, P.Geol. of Taiga Consultants Ltd. The overview will be a collaboration with all MacDonald's consulting geologists and geophysicists including incorporation of their comments and reports. Initial analysis indicates that the primary conductors of interest on a number of targets have not been intercepted and remain open.
The VMS geological and geochemical interpretation on the Butler Property (primarily Butler 3) being conducted by Robin Chisholm and Craig Scherba has certainly benefited due to their role and participation as part of the exploration team responsible for the discovery of the Bisha VMS and gold deposit in Eritrea, one of the world's largest VMS deposits.
Latest Drilling Verifies Four Target Zones Containing Massive Sulphides
The latest diamond drill program was comprised of 19 drill holes totaling 4,033 metres and tested a series of Airborne Electro-Magnetic (AEM) conductors. The AEM conductors were then subsequently either re-interpreted or were re-surveyed using detailed ground based Crone Surface Time-Domain and Borehole Pulse EM systems. Drilling investigated a series of four target areas within the highly prospective Butler Volcanic-associated Massive Sulphide (VMS) mineral camp as well as one area, the "Butler 5" zone for Ni-Cu-PGE located on the east side of the property.
The main focus of the recent drill program was to explore in the vicinity of previous positive VMS drill results using down-hole EM surveys in historical diamond drill holes to identify conductors adjacent to or at greater depths than those sampled by the airborne EM survey.
The results were encouraging because off-hole Pulse EM anomalies were identified in a number of holes and the anomalies were tested by drilling resulting in intersections of semi-massive to massive sulphide being returned on Butler 1, Butler, 2, Butler 3 and Butler 4 target areas within the north limb and west limb of the Butler Mineral camp. Four holes drilled within the Butler 5 area of the south east limb did not return significant results. Please refer to the map on our website showing the 5 Principal Base Metal Occurrence Areas on Butler.
(https://www.macdonaldmines.com/images/stories/pdf/mcnugget_vms_areas.pdf)
Butler 3 - VMS Target
Holes MN10-126 and MN10-131 (from completed summer program) were drilled on the Butler 3 "fold-nose" area located immediately south of the Butler Camp. The target is located west of the north limb where the favourable horizon rotates from an E-W strike to an N-S strike direction.
Current drilling was completed immediately west of nine previously completed drill holes. The current drilling targeted off-hole anomalies interpreted from the down-hole Crone Pulse EM survey, completed in drill-hole MN06-19. Target selection was also guided by a limited Crone surface survey.
MN10-126 (from completed summer program) averaged greater than 0.6% Cu over 26.71m included two high grade zones of greater than 3% Cu over 2m and a second zone of 3m grading greater than 1% Cu. Zn values over the 26 metre interval were 0.35%.
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