The new zone is situated between the S1 and Main Zones where there is limited historic diamond drilling.
The target was identified from a compilation of historic data coupled with ongoing exploration efforts on the property, principally 3D geological modelling and borehole geophysics. The new zone remains open for expansion and has potential for substantial size and grade.
All of the new drill intercepts are outside of the currently defined NI 43-101 inferred resource of 5.5 million tonnes grading 6.1% zinc, 2.6% lead, 0.4% copper, 54 g/T silver and 0.6 g/T gold.
"The fact that after approximately 50-years of property-wide exploration the Trevali exploration team, using the latest exploration technology, can model, predict, target and discover significant new blind massive sulphide mineralization is highly encouraging and bodes well for ongoing future discoveries at Stratmat and within the Bathurst Mining Camp," stated Dr. Mark Cruise, Trevali’s President and CEO.
"While our focus and efforts are firmly concentrated on near-term re-start of mining operations at our 3,000 tonne-per-day Caribou Zinc Mine, new discoveries and expansion of our resource base will remain a key driver in our goal to grow the Company’s presence in the region."
To date seven drill holes have tested the new zone and have intersected semi-massive to massive sulphide intervals with core length intercepts ranging from sub-metre to 79.2 metres. Geologically the new zone is located close to the Main Zone, approximately 200 metres to the southwest, starting at a depth of approximately 360 metres below surface (Figure 2).
The discovery hole, ST-763, collared to target a geophysical anomaly (downhole electro-magnetics), intersected predominantly copper-rich sulphide horizons ranging from sub-metre to 15.4 metres wide. Step-out drill hole ST-770 intersected a 79.2-metre wide copper-rich sulphide horizon within which higher grade intervals occur (Table 1). Follow-up drill holes ST-776 and ST-779 suggests the zone thins to the south-west and current drilling is targeting the eastward extents towards the Main Zone. Assay results are pending.
The style of mineralization in ST-763 is similar to the "copper vent proximal" mineralization observed in the Main Zone and may be indicative of the potential presence of spatially related zinc-lead-silver mineralization. There is limited historic drilling between the Main Zone and the S1 zone, where the bulk of the currently defined resource is hosted leaving excellent expansion potential (Figures 1 and 2).
PROPERTY EXPLORATION
Trevali’s New Brunswick exploration team is currently defining the extents of this new zone at Stratmat, as well as identifying new opportunities through property wide reconnaissance, compilations, and investigations.
The Stratmat drilling and ongoing technical programs form a portion the study and review process into potential longer-term Bathurst Mining Camp plans, including the possibility for a second stand-alone milling facility to support development of the Company’s fully-permitted Halfmile Mine and the Stratmat Deposit.
Qualified Person and Quality Control/Quality Assurance
EurGeol Dr. Mark D. Cruise, Trevali’s President and CEO and M. Dayle Rusk, P.Geo, Trevali’s Director, Geology, are qualified persons as defined by NI 43-101, have supervised the preparation of the scientific and technical information that forms the basis for this news release. Dr. Cruise is not independent of the Company, as he is an officer, director and shareholder. Ms. Rusk is not independent of the Company as she is an officer and shareholder. On-site personnel at the project rigorously collect and track samples which are then security sealed and shipped to ACME Laboratories (ACME) preparation facility in Val D’Or, Quebec for crushing and splitting and coarse rejects were assayed at ACME in Vancouver, BC. ACME quality system complies with the requirements for the International Standards ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 17025: 1999. Analytical accuracy and precision are monitored by the analysis of reagent blanks, reference material and replicate samples. Quality control is further assured by the use of international and in-house standards. Blind certified reference material is inserted at regular intervals into the sample sequence by Trevali personnel in order to independently assess analytical accuracy. Finally, representative blind duplicate samples are routinely forwarded to an ISO compliant third party laboratory for additional quality control.
