INITIATES SECOND PHASE REVERSE CIRCULATION (RC) DRILLING
TESTING FURTHER EXPANSION OF CBSZ
CROTEAU EST PROPERTY, CHAPAIS- CHIBOUGAMAU GOLD CAMP
(*CBSZ NI 43-101 Compliant 640,000 Ounces Gold, 1.7g/t Au Resource)
Sudbury, Ontario (January 11, 2022) Northern Superior Resources (“Northern Superior” or the “Company”) (TSXV: SUP; OCTQB: NSUPF) is pleased to announce results from the initial phase of RC drilling, completed in the Fall of 2021, on the Company’s large (30 x 15kms) 100% owned Croteau Est property in Qubec. The Company is also pleased to announce RC drilling has commenced to complete the holes which were deferred due to wet ground conditions last Fall.
Release Highlights
- Significant expansion of the gold-footprint of the CBSZ area, which currently hosts a 640,000 oz gold at 1.7 g/t Au inferred resource. The gold-footprint expansion was achieved through the Phase 1 RC drill program, which through shallow drilling targeting the bedrock, recorded a high-hit rate of intersecting all the primary lithologies associated with the CBSZ and CNSZ. The expanded footprint was further supported by extensive and pristine gold grains in the area from surface sampling programs, magnetic geophysics and pathfinder element analysis (Figures 1 and 2).
- Phase 2 RC Drilling program has now been initiated, planned to more than the doubling the total number of shallow RC drill holes, with an additional 124 holes planned in multiple drilling areas (Figure 3). The focus is on expanding the gold footprint further north and to the east of the CBSZ area.
- Eight new preliminary deeper core drill targets have been defined as a result of Phase 1 RC drilling. Deeper core drilling plans to commence in Q3 2022 after the Phase 2 RC Drill Program, bedrock sampling and mapping programs are completed.
Dr. T.F. Morris, President and CEO states: “The results from the 2021 RC drill program are very encouraging in that they indicate a larger gold footprint in the area of the CBSZ than previously thought. We are hopeful that the next phase of RC drilling will continue to build our understanding of the potential for the area around the CBSZ to host additional ounces of gold, adding to the already significant resource of 640,000 ounces associated with the CBSZ.”
“The reader is reminded that the Croteau Est Property is a large one (30 x 15km) with not only a 640,000 oz 1.7g/t gold inferred resource on a very small portion of its land package but several gold showings and regional targets on the property defined (Figure 4). Management will initiate a bedrock mapping and prospecting program this summer to not only gain a better understanding of the economic potential of the gold showings identified, but to also better understand the prospectivity of the property’s regional targets."
Phase 1 RC Drilling Summary
- Expanding the gold- footprint of the CBSZ area by identifying a third area of gold-mineralized sericite-carbonate alteration (Figure 1) north of both gold bearing CBSZ (hosting the NI 43-101 compliant resource) and Croteau North Shear Zones (CNSZ) previously defined. This third area defined by the presence of:
- Gold-bearing bedrock chips (highlighted by a gold assay of 0.189 g/t Au);
- Bedrock chips characterized by sericite-carbonate alteration: same alteration associated with the CBSZ; and
- Pervasive dispersal of gold grains from this third area with at least 7 targets defined by the presence of anomalous, pristine gold grain-in-till values (>25; Figure 1, Table 1).
- All primary lithologies associated with the CBSZ, CNSZ, the intervening tuffaceous sediments (as currently mapped) and the area north of the CNSZ host gold. Combined data sets of gold grain-in-till data from all programs completed within this third area indicating
- Preliminary core drill targets defined (Figure 2) within this third area and elsewhere within the area of the CBSZ identified from the combination of various geoscientific data sets including: a) anomalous gold grain-in-till values and distribution; b) magnetic geophysical anomalies; c) bedrock chip alteration and geochemical values (gold + a number of key gold pathfinder elements including As, Ag and K2O); d) anomalous mobile metal ion (MMI) signatures; and e) anomalous soil gas hydrocarbon (SGH) signatures. The Company intends to drill these targets later in the year along with any additional targets defined from the second phase of RC drilling and summer bedrock mapping and prospecting programs.
Figure 1. Pristine Gold Grains and Target Area C. Location of a third area (C) of sericite-carbonate alteration, same alteration as observed with the CNSZ (B) and the CBSZ (A). Blue ellipsoids represent target areas as defined from distribution of gold grains, various RC and overburden sampling programs. The blue box represents an overburden sampling study focused over an exposed high grade gold shoot. Gold grain values dropped significantly (23 total: N581954) 15m away from a sample collected directly over the shoot (877 total: N581952) (Table 1).
Table 1. Summary, pristine gold grain-in-till values (>25 grains).
| Target # | Sample | Program | Gold Grain Counts | | |
| No. | No. | Year | Total | Reshaped | Modified | Pristine |
| 1 | CBRC21-92 | 2021 | 120 | 12 | 9 | 99 |
| | CBRC21-93 | 2021 | 55 | 9 | 3 | 43 |
| 2 | L755665 | 2012 | 112 | 8 | 7 | 97 |
| 3 | L772459 | 2012 | 76 | 14 | 21 | 41 |
| | L772842 | 2012 | 50 | 3 | 11 | 36 |
| 4 | L755303 | 2012 | 29 | 0 | 2 | 27 |
| | CBRC21-63 | 2021 | 55 | 5 | 8 | 42 |
| 5 | 1132459 | 2021 | 33 | 3 | 1 | 29 |
| 6 | CBRC21-57 | 2021 | 44 | 2 | 0 | 42 |
| | CBRC21-95 | 2021 | 29 | 1 | 0 | 28 |
| 7 | L772499 | 2012 | 63 | 7 | 19 | 37 |
| | L772498 | 2012 | 102 | 13 | 10 | 79 |
| 8 | CRO14-186 | 2014 | 244 | 12 | 60 | 172 |
| 9 | L773976 | 2012 | 104 | 6 | 13 | 85 |
| | L773977 | 2012 | 151 | 4 | 16 | 131 |
| | L772638 | 2012 | 104 | 12 | 33 | 59 |
| Test | N581952 | 2013 | 877 | 4 | 29 | 844 |
| | N581953 | 2013 | 182 | 12 | 13 | 157 |
| | N581954 | 2013 | 23 | 2 | 3 | 18 |
| | N581955 | 2013 | 47 | 3 | 9 | 35 |
Figure 2. Target Areas and Preliminary Drill Plan Preliminary drill plan to test: i) 4 areas north of the CNSZ (B) and including Area 3 (C); ii) one target associated with the CNSZ (B); iii) two targets directly east of the CBSZ (A); and iv) one target within an area mapped as tuffaceous sediments between the CBSZ (A) and CNSZ (B). Number of core drill holes, location of core drill collars and trace orientation are subject to change pending results from phase II RC drill program and Q2 bedrock mapping and prospecting programs. Initiation of core drill program anticipated Q3, 2022.
Initiated Phase II RC Drilling
Northern Superior is also pleased to announce the initiation of a second phase of RC drilling designed to complete the RC drilling program not completed in 2021 due to saturated ground conditions. 114 holes (567m) were completed in 2021, the current program is designed to complete the remaining 124 holes (Figure 3).
Management anticipates that results from this second phase of RC drilling will not only further refine the targets identified from the first phase of RC drilling but may produce additional targets in the area of the CBSZ, potentially establishing a broad area of gold mineralization north and east of the current CBSZ.
Figure 3. Distribution of RC holes completed in 2021 (green collars) and those proposed for 2022 (red collars).
Summer Bedrock Mapping and Prospecting Program
The Company is in the process of planning a bedrock mapping and prospecting program this summer to:
i) improve our understanding of the economic potential of gold showings previously discovered across the Croteau Est property; and
ii) explore several areas identified across the property as being highly prospective for gold mineralization (Figure 4).
CBSZ Deposit Summary
The CBSZ is a gold deposit consisting of high-grade gold material, existing within a large alteration system The potential extension of the high-grade shoots at depth remains a compelling target with a supportive geological model as witnessed by our 96 percent success rate with our Phase II 2017 drill program.
The CBSZ gold deposit is currently defined from only 64 drill holes, 350m maximum depth over a 550m strike length, open at depth and open along strike both to the east and west. Within the CBSZ, gold is hosted in a 75-120m wide, east-west trending sericite-carbonate alteration zone and associated stockwork quartz veins. The system remains open along strike, east and west and also at depth.
Evidence for high grade gold material associated with the CBSZ comes from various sources (Table 2): bedrock grab samples (see Northern Superior press releases July 20, 2011, November 12, 2013), channel samples (see Northern Superior press releases, October 12, 2011, July 5, 2017) and core drilling (see Northern Superior press release November 13, 2017, January 10, 2018).
Gold within the CBSZ is associated with at least 9 high grade gold shoots. All 9 high grade gold shoots are of mineable width and grade, dip to the east and are contiguous, as evidenced by the 96% hit rate experienced in the Company’s 2017 core drill program (see Northern Superior Corporate Presentation, www.nsuperior.com). The mineralization was proven to extend directly to surface by projecting the shoots to surface and exposing it. This shoot consisted of two zones of >10g/t Au, 2.5m (long) x 2.0 m (wide) and 2.0m (long) x 0.5m (wide), enclosed by a halo of >5g/t Au, 7.0m (long) x 2.5m (wide) in turn enclosed by a halo of gold mineralization of >3g/t Au over an area of 8.0m (long) x 3.0m (wide)(see Northern Superior press release, November 3, 2014).
Figure 4. Croteau Est Target Areas. The CBSZ 43-101 compliant resource occurs at the intersection of the east to west oriented Croteau Bouchard Shear Zone and the northeast to southwest oriented Croteau Fault. There are at least 11 other such opportunities that occur on the Croteau Est property where east-west oriented shear zones are cross-cut by northeast to southwest faults. Gold showings at several of these intersections including Trench 101, Area # 5 and Croteau South emphasize this opportunity.
Table 2. Examples of various materials with high grade gold assays.
| Evidence, High Grade Gold |
| Highlighted Bedrock Grab Samples |
| 150g/t Au | 52.8g/t Au | 68.7g/t Au | 58.8 g/t Au |
| Highlighted Channel Samples |
| 92.7g/t Au over 1.0m incl. 12.8g/t Au over 7.8m |
| 14.37g/t Au over 7.5m |
| 8.49g/t Au over 5.7m |
| Highlighted Core Intersections |
| 11.06g/t Au over 9.1m incl. 43.75g/t Au over 2.0m |
| 61.24g/t Au over 5.95m incl. 705g/t Au over 0.5m |
| 7.5g/t Au over 7.95m incl. 56.4g/t Au over 1.0m |
| 1.99g/t Au over 34.65m incl. 9.46g/t Au over 2.35m |
* Reference for Northern Superior’s 640,000 ounce Inferred Gold Resource: “Drabble, Mark (B. App. Sci. (Geology), MAIG, MAusIMM); Glacken, Ian (BSc Hons (Geology), FAusIMM (CP), MIMMM, CEng; Kahan, Cervoj (B. App. Sci., MAIG, MAusIMM); Morgan, Rebecca (BSc Hons (Geology), GDip (Mining), MAIG, MAusIMM). October 12, 2015. Technical Report on the Croteau Est Gold Project, Qubec September 2015, Mineral Resource Estimate.”
Qualified Person
Stephen Keays (P.Geo) is a Qualified Person within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101. Mr Keays has reviewed and approved the RC program and gold grain related information disclosed in this press release.
About Northern Superior Resources Inc.
The Croteau Est gold property is one of three key mineral properties 100% owned by Northern Superior. The Company’s two other properties (TPK and Lac Surprise) also represent regional scale exploration opportunities (see Northern Superior Corporate Presentation, www.nsuperior.com).
Northern Superior is a reporting issuer in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Qubec, and trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol SUP, and the OTCQB Venture Market under the symbol NSUPF.
For Further Information
Please refer to Northern Superior news available on the Company’s website (www.nsuperior.com) and on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) or contact:
Thomas F. Morris PhD., P.Geo., FGAC , ICD.D
President and CEO
Tel: (705) 525 0992 Fax: (705) 525 7701
email: info@nsuperior.com
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This Press Release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual results to differ materially from the statements made. When used in this document, the words “may”, “would”, “could”, “will”, “intend”, “plan”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “estimate”, “expect” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements reflect our current views with respect to future events and are subject to such risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause our actual results to differ materially from the statements made, including those factors discussed in filings made by us with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties, such actual results of current exploration programs, the general risks associated with the mining industry, the price of gold and other metals, currency and interest rate fluctuations, increased competition and general economic and market factors, occur or should assumptions underlying the forward looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, or expected. We do not intend and do not assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law. Shareholders are cautioned not to put undue reliance on such forward-looking statements.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.