Assays of 17 High-Grade Samples Reported 2.5 g/t Au to 14.3 g/t Au
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 30, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sonoro Gold Corp. (TSXV: SGO | OTCQB: SMOFF | FRA: 23SP) (“Sonoro” or the “Company”) is pleased to report additional assay results from the ongoing surface sampling program at the Company’s Cerro Caliche gold project in Sonora State, Mexico. 275 new samples were assayed, bringing the total for the current sampling program to 1,567 samples over four mineralized corridors as described in the Company’s news release dated July 20, 2021.
The new results further confirmed material extensions of up to 750 meters over two southern linear structural corridors at the Buena Suerte and El Colorado zones. The sampling results also revealed oxide gold mineralized “windows” among the two southern structural corridors. The windows were accessed via recently built road cuts and drill site excavations and future sampling will investigate potential continuation and extensions.
Surface rock samples were collected from several well-defined vein and gold mineralized structures by channel sampling perpendicular across measured veins and wall rocks with sample lengths ranging from 0.4 to 2.0 meters. Assay results from 17 samples returned grades between 2.5 and 14.3 grams of gold per tonne (“g/t Au”). The image below illustrates five high-priority window targets for the upcoming drilling program as each demonstrated strong stockwork quartz veining and outlined broad zones of gold and silver mineralization.
A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on the image or link below:
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Analysis of approximately 284 surface samples collected during the current program from the El Colorado/La Ventana and Buena Suerte/San Quintin corridors confirm the southern extensions of the vein trends with numerous parallel sheeted veins and quartz veinlet stockwork. All samples were given equal weighting.
Sample highlights from the El Colorado/La Ventana Corridor:
- Window A, approximately 100 meters by 130 meters along strike, with 39 samples averaging 0.36 g/t Au and 0.6 grams of silver (“g/t Ag”), including one sample grading 8.6 g/t Au.
- Window B, approximately 300 meters by 280 meters along strike, with 39 samples averaging 0.63 g/t Au and 4.8 g/t Ag, including one sample grading 4.9 g/t Au over 1 meter and another sample grading 3.7 g/t Au over 1.2 meters.
- Window C, approximately 300 meters by 50 meters oriented northeast perpendicular to the northwest-oriented regional vein trends, with 51 samples averaging 0.76 g/t Au and 1.9 g/t Ag.
Sample highlights from the Buena Suerte/San Quintin Corridor:
- Window D, a teardrop shaped area at the Buena Suerte vein zone extension, covering 350 meters in length by a width ranging from 40-80 meters, with 61 samples averaging 0.65 g/t Au and 18.5 g/t Ag.
- Window E, approximately 220 meters by 100 meters along strike, with 94 samples averaging 0.28 g/t Au and 1.3 g/t Ag, including one sample grading 2.7 g/t Au.
Outside of the targeted windows, sample assays from a vein considered to be the Hanging Wall of the Cabeza Blanca vein (located between windows B and D), returned 1.2 meters averaging 10.8 g/t Au. This vein is hosted in the rhyolitic intrusive rock and is mostly soil covered. Almost one kilometer to the east of window D, sample assays from a one-meter vein located near the Cuervos vein returned 7.5 g/t Au.
Rock types hosting veining in the southern corridor are mainly a rhyolite sub-volcanic unit and a meta quartzite-shale unit with lesser biotite granodiorite. Alteration is predominantly silicification associated with quartz veinlets and sericite with gold-silver mineralization cutting these rock types.
The remaining samples were collected from more widespread areas to the northeast and east of the southern extensions (outside of the above map area). Samples results from this region are generally encouraging and the eastern La Española corridor is another priority target for the Company. Mapping and sampling are currently underway at La Española to quantify the size of the exposed vein. Four prior drill holes intersected the vein including previously announced scout hole SCR-068 which was drilled in 2019 and which intercepted 6.179 g/t AuEq over 3.05 meters and 1.327 g/t AuEq over 9.14 meters.
Stockpiled vein material at the La Española mine surface is noteworthy for its distinct multiple bands with greenish quartz, while dikes of rhyolitic composition are common within the ridge that hosts the vein, which cuts both the rhyolitic unit and quartzite.
Mel Herdrick, Sonoro’s VP of Exploration noted, “With this latest round of mapping-sampling information, new priority drill targets have been identified, increasing management’s confidence the next drilling campaign may extend gold mineralization to the south.”
Kenneth MacLeod, Sonoro’s President and CEO added, “With the continuing success of the surface sampling program in areas that had not been previously explored, we are confident that mineralization at Cerro Caliche will continue to expand with the reverse circulation drill program scheduled to restart in the fall.”
John Darch Sonoro’s Chairman commented, “These newly identified oxide gold mineralized windows are essential to our fall drilling campaign to expand mineralization at Cerro Caliche. The presence of strong stockwork quartz veining and broad zones of gold and silver mineralization in all five windows confirm that these will be our high-priority targets. We are particularly encouraged with the number of high-grade samples results as we continue to investigate the potential for near-surface higher-grade mineralization. Confirmation of high-grade mineralization could potentially improve the economics of our proposed open-pit Heap Leach Mining Operation in the initial years of mining.”
As previously announced, drilling activities on the concession have been paused since April 2021 to provide the exploration team sufficient time to ensure all data and assistance was available for the completion of a Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) anticipated to be completed in the Fall. The Company has engaged Micon International Ltd. to prepare an updated resource estimation for inclusion in the PEA being prepared by D.E.N.M. Engineering Ltd.
Quality Assurance/Quality Control (“QA/QC”) Measures and Analytical Procedures
Samples are collected as continuous chip samples by hand into plastic bags, GPS positions and rock descriptions noted, the bags are numbered using Bureau Veritas (BV) bar code number books, then sealed and taken to secure storage in Cucurpe village near the project.
Company personnel transport those bagged samples directly to the BV preparation laboratory in Hermosillo, Sonora. At the preparation laboratory samples are logged into the BV system using bar code labels, opened, then reduced in size through crushing, splitting and pulverization. Thirty grams of each pulverized sample is split apart in that laboratory and undergoes a fire assay for gold content by reducing the fire assay to a concentrated button of material that is dissolved in acids, and from the solution the gold content is determined by atomic absorption. About 200 grams of each sample are sent by BV to their Vancouver, Canada laboratory where samples are individually dissolved in aqua regia for multi-element ICP analysis, including silver. Quality control standards were inserted in the sample lineup by the BV Vancouver, laboratory.
No QA/QC issues were noted with the results received from the laboratory.
Geologic Description
Cerro Caliche is located 45 kilometers east southeast of Magdalena de Kino in the Cucurpe-Sonora Mega-district of Sonora, Mexico. Multiple historic small underground gambusino gold mines were developed in the concession including Cabeza Blanca, Los Cuervos, Japoneses, Las Abejas, Boluditos, El Colorado, Veta de Oro and Espanola. Mineralization types of the Cucurpe-Sonora Mega-district include variants of epithermal low sulfidation veins and related mineralized dikes and associated volcanic domes. Local altered and mineralized felsic dikes cut the mineralized meta-sedimentary rock units and may be associated with mineralization both in the dikes and meta-sedimentary rocks.
Qualified Person Statement
Stephen Kenwood, P.Geo., a Director of Sonoro, is a Qualified Person within the context of National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101) and has read and approved this news release. Readers are cautioned that the presence of mineralization on historic mines adjacent to or on Cerro Caliche is not necessarily indicative of economic gold mineralization in the concessions held by the Company.
About Sonoro Gold Corp.
Sonoro Gold Corp. is a publicly listed exploration and development company holding the near development stage Cerro Caliche project and the exploration stage San Marcial properties in Sonora State, Mexico. The Company has highly experienced operational and management teams with proven track records for the discovery and development of natural resource deposits.
On behalf of the Board of Sonoro Gold Corp.
Per: “Kenneth MacLeod”
Kenneth MacLeod
President & CEO
For further information, please contact:
Sonoro Gold Corp. - Tel: (604) 632-1764
Email: info@sonorogold.com
Forward-Looking Statement Cautions: This press release contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation, relating to, among other things, the Company's plans for the exploration, development and operations at the above-described Cerro Caliche Concessions, located in the municipality of Cucurpe, Sonora, Mexico, including statements regarding the Company’s plans for additional exploration drilling, an anticipated update of the current resource estimate for Cerro Caliche to be included in a planned preliminary economic assessment (“PEA”) to be published in 2021 reporting on the viability of a proposed 15,000 tonne/day mining operation, and other material conditions set out above on which the Company’s development plans are dependent. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable based on current circumstances, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts; they are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "aims", "potential", "goal", "objective", "prospective" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "can”, "could" or "should" occur, or are those statements, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions that forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made and they involve a number of risks and uncertainties, including the possibility of unfavorable exploration and test results, unfavorable results of the contemplated PEA of the Cerro Caliche project, the lack of sufficient future financing to carry out exploration and development plans and unanticipated changes in the legal, regulatory and permitting requirements for the Company’s exploration programs. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law or the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange. Readers are encouraged to review the Company’s complete public disclosure record on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
