News on Mt. KakoulimaMaple Minerals partner finishes Mt. Kakoulima program
Maple Minerals Corp (TSX-V:MPM)
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Thursday September 15 2005 - News Release
Mr. L.M. Falzone reports
MT. KAKOULIMA NICKEL PROJECT, GUINEA, WEST AFRICA PHASE 3 DRILLING COMPLETED
Maple Minerals Corp. has been advised by FNX Mining Company Inc. that the Mount Kakoulima phase 3 exploration drill program has been completed. The objective of the drilling was to establish the geometry of the basal contact of the Kaloum igneous complex (KIC) and further explore for Ni-Cu-PGE (platinum group element) sulphide mineralization in the vicinity of basal irregularities that are consistent with those that can host economic concentrations of Ni-Cu-PGE sulphide mineralization. Drill targets were designed as a follow-up to holes drilled during the phase 2 program in late 2004 that intersected disseminated sulphides on both south (DDH AF0014 and AF0015) and north grids (DDH AF0007 through AF0012), where disseminated sulphide mineralization was intersected at the base of the intrusion over a 1.6-kilometre strike length. A total of 4,476 metres was drilled during the phase 3 program, and included five holes on the south grid, three on the north grid and a total of 152 samples for assay. Drill holes AF0016, 17, 18, 19 and 20 all intersected the KIC basal contact and all intersected disseminated pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite, pentlandite and pyrite sulphides at or within a few metres of the contact on the south grid. This brought the distance between drill sections on the south grid to approximately 2.5 km. Assay results for AF0017 were encouraging, with high metal tenors for the disseminated sulphide. Significant intersections in pyroxenite occurred approximately 210 m and 130 m above the KIC basal contact as follows:
from 168.5 to 173.4 m (4.9 m) at 1.23 per cent S, 0.18 per cent Ni, 0.38 per cent Cu, 1.05 grams per tonne (g/t) Pt plus Pd plus Au (0.22 g/t Pt, 0.78 g/t Pd); and
from 241.8 to 256.5 m (14.7 m) at 1.49 per cent S, 0.35 per cent Ni, 0.39 per cent Cu, 0.99 g/t Pt plus Pd plus Au (0.17 g/t Pt, 0.77 g/t Pd).
On the north grid holes AF0021, AF0022 and AF0023 intersected disseminated sulphides, with up to 4 per cent pyrrhotite plus chalcopyrite in AF0022. The resulting assay yielded 0.30 per cent S, 0.09 per cent Ni, 0.13 per cent Cu and 0.5 g/t Pt plus Pd plus Au over 0.45 m (from 34.15 m to 34.6 m depth), again reflecting high metal tenors for the disseminated sulphide. The resulting phase 3 drilling on the north grid reduced the distance between drill sections to between 500 and 1,000 m.
A Crone geophysics geophysical technician was on site for the duration of the phase 3 program and completed pulse electromagnetic borehole surveys as each hole was completed so that the program could be adapted to test apparent anomalies as soon as possible.
The KIC is approximately 60 km long, and the existing property licence covers 30 km of this contact on both north and south margins. Phases 1 and 2 of the exploration program, completed in 2004, were successful in defining and confirming the initial concept that the basal contact of the KIC dips into the centre with variable steepness. Drilling in both phases 2 and 3 confirmed that sulphide mineralizing processes were active at or near the base of the KIC, a position favourable for the economic concentration of Ni-Cu-PGE sulphides. Assays showed these pyrrhotite-rich sulphides to be Ni- and Cu-bearing, and not barren. Drilling by Semafo/Afcan from 1996 to 1998 intersected a one-metre thick horizon of massive sulphide in the upper gabbro unit of the KIC with average grades of 3.6 per cent Ni, 1.1 per cent Cu, 0.15 per cent Co and three g/t Pt plus Pd plus Au.
Catharine Farrow, PhD, PGeo (chief geologist, FNX), is acting as the qualified person for the Mt. Kakoulima project.