News Release 2004 Sep 14 Solitaire receives work permits to commence trenching and drilling on Union Mine Property | Solitaire receives work permits to commence trenching and drilling on Union Mine PropertyTuesday, September 14, 2004 September 14, 2004: Solitaire Minerals Corp. (the Company) is pleased to announce the receipt of work permits to commence trenching and drilling on the Company's 100% optioned Union Mine Property, located near Grand Forks, British Columbia.
A program of prospecting, geological mapping and rock sampling was completed by Linda Caron, M.Sc., P. Eng., on the Union Property during August, 2004 to follow-up on the results of the VLF-EM survey by Wilkinson & Carson, and to prepare specific targets for trenching during September. Based on the work to date, five target areas have been selected for follow-up trenching and/or diamond drilling. Targets include the Maple Leaf Crush Zone, Cabin, West Union, White Bear and Gloucester Creek Zones. These areas are described briefly below.
Maple Leaf Crush Zone: The Maple Leaf Crush Zone is a major east-west shear zone that cuts a large body of syenite intrusive. Gold mineralization occurs in the shear zone and is associated with areas of silicification, veining and sulfide mineralization (pyrite, galena, sphalerite, chalcopyrite). The mineralized zones trend at various orientations within the shear zone. There is little outcrop in this area, and no prior trenching.
Previous wide spaced drilling (Longreach Resources 1986 and Placer Dome 1987) has tested the Crush Zone over a strike length of about 200 meters. Anomalous intercepts from drilling include 0.5 meters @ 25.9 g/t Au, 3.0 meters @ 6.8 g/t Au and 2.7 meters @ 3.25 g/t Au. This is a high priority trench target, to better expose mineralized zones so that they can be drilled most effectively.
Cabin Zone: The Cabin Zone is a siliceous quartz breccia zone/vein, similar in appearance to the Union Vein, which is situated just west of the Maple Leaf road and about 30 meters south of the Maple Leaf cabin. A shaft, now caved, was dug on the zone in the early 1900's and the vein was reported to carry values in gold and silver, but not high enough for shipping purposes. The vein is very poorly exposed. This area should be trenched to explore the vein on-strike and provide better exposures for sampling.
West Union Zone: The Union Vein produced a total of 122,555 tonnes at an average grade of 14 g/t Au and 353 g/t Ag. Historically the vein was mined, in three discrete faulted segments, over a width of 1.5-7.5 meters, over a cumulate strike length of about 410 meters, and over a vertical range of about 160 meters. The vein is truncated on the west by the Maple Leaf fault. Post-mineral sediments cover the area prospective for the offset portion of the vein, west of the Maple Leaf fault. These post-mineral sediments hamper exploration and make the faulted offset of the vein a "blind target". A weak airborne EM conductor was defined by the 2001 helicopter-borne geophysical survey (Fugro Airborne Surveys) in the area of post-mineral sedimentary cover to the west of the Maple Leaf fault. It is possible that the airborne anomaly represents a conductive zone beneath the Eocene cover, such as the faulted offset of the Union Vein. A follow-up ground VLF-EM survey was done in July which did not reproduce the airborne EM conductor. Given the depth limitation of ~ 20-30 meters penetration for VLF, however, it is unlikely that this survey would have been able to see beneath the sedimentary cover.
One drill hole has been drilled to explore for the faulted offset of the vein, but was unsuccessful in intersecting mineralization. A fence of 3 diamond drill holes is recommended to test for the faulted offset of the Union vein and to test the airborne EM conductor.
White Bear Zone: An epithermal silicified/quartz breccia zone is poorly exposed in outcrop in the northeast part of the property. Mineralization is hosted within Eocene conglomerate and belongs to a regionally important metallogenic event. Mineralization at the former Cannon Mine at Wenatchee, Washington (~ 5.2 million tons @ 0.214 oz/t Au) was similar in style and was hosted in the equivalent rocks. Mineralization at Kinross' Emanuel Creek gold mine in Washington State and the historically mined gold mineralization at Republic, Washington are also part of this same regional metallogenic event.There is very little outcrop in the vicinity of the White Bear epithermal zone and apart from very minor rock and soil sampling, there has not been any previous work on the zone. One rock sample collected in 1984 by BC Gold Syndicate and J. Walls did return elevated gold (900 ppb Au). This is a high priority target for trenching, in order to test the zone along strike and provide better rock exposure for sampling.
Gloucester Creek Zone: A very strong north-south trending EM conductor was defined along Gloucester Creek by the airborne geophysical survey. A second weaker, conductor parallels the first about 100 meters to the east. The EM conductors are parallel to, and situated only about 200 meters west of, the White Bear epithermal zone. Epithermal mineralization at the White Bear zone may be related to these conductors. They are a high priority for follow-up.
Both conductors were successfully reproduced by the follow-up ground VLF-EM survey. There is no rock exposure in this area and the valley is filled with thick overburden. It is unlikely that trenching will be successful at penetrating the overburden layer, although an attempt should be made to trench the eastern conductor. Both conductors should be drilled.
Trenching to test the Cabin, Crush and White Bear Zones is scheduled to begin in the 3rd week of September.
Drill tenders have been sent to 4 different drilling contractors, for bids on the proposed drill program. Drilling is tentatively planned for late October, once the results from the trenching program have been received and evaluated.
This program is under the supervision of independent consulting geologist Linda Caron, M.Sc., P.Eng. , a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.
The Union Mine Property. The Union Mine Property consists of approximately 1,500 acres located in the Franklin Mining Camp, roughly 60 kms north of Grand Forks. The regional area of this part of the province is locally referred to as the Boundary district and encompasses the Rossland Camp on the east (produced over 3,500,000 oz of silver and over 2,700,000 oz of gold), the Republic area on the south, Buckhorn Mountain on the west and the Union Mine to the north. The Boundary District has a number of historical production areas and several current unmined reserves, including Buckhorn Mountain and Emanuel Creek (in production since December 2003). The Union Mine property is accessible via good quality all-weather road, and contains extensive underground workings. Historical production from a series of ore bearing veins was carried out between 1913 and 1989, with the majority of production occurring prior to 1942.
The above data is referenced in the 2004 technical and recommendations report on the Union Property, written by Linda Caron, M.Sc., P.Eng. The report is compliant with National Instrument 143-101. To view the report in its entirety please visit www.sedar.com About Solitaire Minerals Corp. Solitaire Minerals Corp. is a Canadian mineral exploration company with a specific focus on gold properties in North America. The Company has assembled a portfolio of precious metal exploration prospects in Ontario and British Columbia. Solitaire's Ontario properties in the Red Lake/Birch-Uchi Greenstone Belt include the Baird, Heyson and Chukuni River Prospects, in which the Company has agreements to earn 100% in, but has not yet vested its interest. In addition, the Company has entered into an option agreement with another company, whereby that company may earn up to a 50% interest in the Baird Property. In British Columbia, the Company has an agreement to earn 100% interest in the Union Mine Property, but has not yet vested its interest.
For additional information you can contact Solitaire Minerals Corp. or visit www.solitaireminerals.com. On Behalf of the Board of Directors SOLITAIRE MINERALS CORP. "Charles Desjardins" Charles Desjardins President and Director The TSX Venture Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. |