VANCOUVER, BC, March 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Astra Exploration Inc. (TSXV: ASTR) ("Astra" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an exploration update on Pampa Paciencia, its flagship gold-silver project in northern Chile (Figure 5).
Highlights
- Delineation of a 600 metre long mineralized vein & breccia structure at the Paciencia and Paciencia East veins containing wide intervals, up to 28.8 metres of precious metals, including 3.5 metres @ 5.0 grams per tonne (g/t) gold equivalent (AuEq) in trench TRP22-09
- Trenching results and re-logging historical drill core confirms both grade and vein thickness increasing at depth
- 3,000 metre drill program commenced in February. Approximately 1,500 metres are planned to test the Paciencia Vein at depth and along strike (Figure 4) with remainder of metres testing other veins in the North and Central Zone targets .
Astra Exploration's CEO, Brian Miller commented:
"The Company is making great strides with drilling commencing only one month after public listing. Preparation ahead of drilling included systematic trenching and re-logging of historic core. This demonstrates Pampa Paciencia is a large system with wide veins and high grade gold and silver intercepts."
"Most exciting is that historic drilling indicates grades are increasing at depth where the Company's initial drill holes will test. These are the perfect ingredients for a large, preserved system and the Company's maiden drill program will look to step out from open intersections to grow the Pampa Pacienca mineralization further."
Exploration Program Discussion
Pampa Paciencia is a 3,840 ha road-access low sulphidation epithermal (LSE) gold-silver project located within an active mining district less than 15 kilometres from two major mines (Sierra Gorda and Spence) and five kilometres from the Faride LSE mine.
The current exploration program has combined property wide mapping and sampling, geophysical surveys, and localized trenching with the dual aims of defining a larger district and identifying the highest priority initial drill targets.
Trenching
A 1,119 metre trenching program was completed in early 2022 at the Pampa Paciencia project to map the Paciencia and Paciencia East veins, and to confirm underlying magnetic structures coincident with float Au-Ag anomalies. Trenches were concentrated in the outcropping or subcropping areas of the North target, with some trenches targeting covered areas. A total of 311 samples were taken with rock saw and pneumatic hammer and sent to ALS lab in Santiago, Chile.
Above the primary drill target systematic trenches at the Paciencia and Paciencia East veins reported anomalous gold and silver, with best results of of 21.1 metres @ 1.28 g/t AuEq, including 3.5 metres @ 5 g/t AuEq in trench TRP22-09 (Table 1).
Trenches in covered areas (TRP22-01, TRP21-04 and TRP21-06) failed to reach the bed rock due to the combined thickness and hardness of the caliche and alluvial sediments cover. Trenches TRP21-03, TRP21-07 and TPR22-11 did not return significant mineralization.
Detailed trench mapping and interpretation of geophysical lineaments reveals that the the surface expression of the Paciencia vein system is a NW-SE striking fault-related lineament composed mainly by a late tectonic and hydrothermal breccia with limonitic matrix and clasts of the LSE quartz vein. This late breccia event is transporting vein clasts to the surface, creating the large amount of vein float blocks, and diluting the precious metal content of the quartz veins.
Relogging of DDH cores from holes PP15-005, PP15-006 and PP15-007 confirmed that the vein breccias are more abundant at surface and the quartz veins are thicker and more continuous at depth (Figure 3).
Reverse circulation drilling commenced in February at Pampa Paciencia, with 50% of the 3,000 metres program stepping out from known mineralization on the Paciencia vein (Figure 4). The rest of the program will be testing Paciencia Este vein, Paciencia Oeste vein,and geophysical anomalies in the North Zone and the Central Zone (refer to February 17 news release) target.
The Company is stepping out in 35-50 metre steps from previous drilling including hole PP15-007 which returned 3.75 metres @ 8.29 g/t AuEq and hole PP15-006 which returned 2.1 metres @ 8.49 g/t AuEq. This drilling indicates to company geologists that mineralization is getting stronger in the deepest holes, that the mineralization is likely to be fully preserved and that previous drilling was too widely spaced to accurately define the shoots of mineralization that occurs in epithermal veins like those at Pampa Pacienca.
Sampling Procedures
Trench samples were sampled, bagged, and tagged by Astra´s geologists and then delivered in two separate batches to the ALS sample preparation laboratory in Santiago. The first group was delivered by Company personnel directly to the lab, while the second group was sent to the lab by courier. The geologists placed a series of blind blanks, standards and sample duplicates in the sample shipments as part of the Company's QA/QC protocol. The QA/QC results were checked and verified before any sample results were accepted to the assay database. Samples were prepared with PREP 31B code, and then analyzed with fire assay for gold (Au-AA24), acid digestion for silver (Ag-AA62), and multi elements by ICP (ME-ICP61).
Qualified Person Statement
The technical data and information as disclosed in this report has been reviewed and approved by Darcy Marud. Mr. Marud is a Practicing Member of the Association of Professional Geoscientists of Ontario and is a qualified person as defined under the terms of National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.
About the Company
Astra Exploration Inc. is an exploration company based out of Vancouver, BC. Astra is engaged in the acquisition, exploration and development of epithermal gold-silver properties in Chile and is building a portfolio of high-quality projects. Astra's current focus is the development of the Pampa Paciencia Project. Additional information is available on the Compnay's website at www.astra-exploration.com
Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Mineralization hosted on adjacent and/or nearby and/or geologically similar properties is not necessarily indicative of mineralization hosted on the Company's properties.
This news release may contain certain "Forward-Looking Statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws. When or if used in this news release, the words "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "target, "plan", "forecast", "may", "schedule" and similar words or expressions identify forward-looking statements or information. These forward-looking statements or information may relate to the Company's business activities; exploration on the Company's properties; and marketing initiatives. Such statements represent the Company's current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social risks, contingencies and uncertainties. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, without limitation: development of the industry in which the Company operates; risks associated with the conduct of the Company's business activities; risks relating to reliance on the Company's management team and outside contractors; currency fluctuations; risks regarding the failure to generate sufficient cash flow from operations; laws and regulations governing the industry in which the Company operates; the ability of the communities in which the Company operates to manage and cope with the implications of COVID-19; the economic and financial implications of COVID-19 to the Company; operating or technical difficulties; employee relations, labour unrest or unavailability; stock market volatility; conflicts of interest among certain directors and officers; lack of liquidity for shareholders of the Company; litigation risk; and other risk factors disclosed in the Company's public disclosure documents available on the Company's profile at www.sedar.com. Readers are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements or forward-looking information. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be anticipated, estimated or intended. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements or information to reflect changes in assumptions or changes in circumstances or any other events affecting such statements and information other than as required by applicable laws, rules and regulations.
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SOURCE Astra Exploration Limited
