Eagle Plains Resources Ltd. (EPL:TSX-V) has received and compiled analytical results from its 100% owned Sprogge project, located within the Tintina Gold Belt approximately 35km southeast of the Cantung Mine, along the Yukon/NWT border.
The property lies 15km east of the Nahanni Range Road, and is located 9km east of Northern Tiger Resources' 3-Aces project. A $200,000 exploration project was conducted on the claims during the 2010 summer exploration season and yielded the following encouraging results.
Highlights
- Channel sampling in the Main Zone returned 1.4 g/t Au, 3 g/t Ag and 0.18 % Cu over 11m
Including: 3.04 g/t Au, 4 g/t Ag and 0.22% Cu over 3 m
- Additional Main Zone sampling returned 2.07 g/t Au, 1.47 g/t Ag, 0.06% Cu over 7 m
Including: 3.15 g/t Au over 3m
- Channel sampling at the Confluence Zone returned 1.6 g/t Au, 2.4 g/t Ag over 4 m
- Chip Samples from the Kangas Zone returned up to 2.85 g/t Au. 4.2 g/t Ag over 1.5 m
- A new gold discovery was made (the Pow Zone), which returned 0.54 g/t Au, 3.27 g/t Ag over 3m and .88 g/t Au, 2.5 g/t Ag over 1 m. Grab samples of mineralized vein material returned up to 2.9 g/t Au. Accessory metals include copper, molybdenum and zinc.
- Historical grab samples from the Confluence Zone reported up to 59.25g/t Au, with historical chip samples from the Main Zone returning 2.38g/t Au over 22.5m
The Sprogge property has the potential to host both high-grade and bulk-tonnage gold mineralization. Many targets on the property remain to be tested with further exploration including trenching and diamond drilling. Follow-up exploration work is strongly recommended for the property.
2010 Program:
The 2010 exploration program consisted of a 207 line km airborne geophysical survey and a 16 day field program. The focus of the field program was to evaluate and re-sample the known mineralization occurrences and locate further mineralization on the property. The purpose of the airborne geophysical survey was to locate any buried intrusions and major structural features that could be controlling and influencing mineralization on the property. Channel samples were taken over the known Main and Confluence zones and chip samples taken over the Kangas zone. Prospecting and Geological Mapping was completed over areas that had seen less historic work.
A new mineralized zone was discovered during the program, the Pow Zone. This zone consists of both a calc-silicate skarn system as well as chalcedonic and quartz veining with arsenopyrite and pyrhhotite in coarse clastic sediments. On the margin of this zone is a newly discovered granodiorite plug. It is the first surficial expression of intrusive activity located in the greater Hyland valley region.
The airborne geophysical program was successful in identifying some major structural features that are likely to play a major role in controlling mineralization on the property. Many areas of magnetic highs from the survey correlate with known pyrite hornfels zones and some areas of magnetic lows could represent buried intrusive plugs.
The Sprogge property contains widespread mineralization of different styles and consistent values of anomalous gold. Sampling from the 2010 program confirmed and expanded on the historic results of known mineralization, including 1.4 g/t Au over 11 m at the Main Zone and 2.85 g/t Au and 4.2 g/t Ag over 1.5 m from the Kangas Zone. New mineralization was located at the Pow Zone, where a new skarn was found on the margins of an intrusive plug and returned up to 2.4 g/t Au from the skarn and 2.9 g/t Au from mineralized quartz veins. Another new skarn unit was also found to the south of the Confluence Zone, returning 83.4 g/t Ag and 9% Pb-Zn from a subcrop grab sample.
Property Geology
The regional geology of the southeast Yukon is represented by the basement rocks of the Selwyn Basin, Late Precambrian to Early Cambrian Hyland Group sediments. Regional mineralization is generally controlled by Mid-Cretaceous Tombstone Suite quartz monzonite intrusive stocks. The Sprogge Property is underlain by sedimentary rocks assigned to the Yusezyu Formation. Three distinct styles of mineralization are documented on the property. These are thought to be a direct reflection of a long lived, widespread mineralizing event occurring in reactive calcareous sediments.
Property History
The claim area was first explored in 1964, when the area was staked to cover skarn and replacement style pyrite, pyrrhotite and chalcopyrite mineralization. Various operators worked the property sporadically until the late 1980s. Four holes were drilled in 1987 and returned encouraging, but sub-economic results. The property was restaked by Bernie Kreft in 1995 and subsequently optioned to Hemlo Gold, Viceroy Exploration and NovaGold Resources. These companies explored the property during the late 1990s and conducted geologic mapping, prospecting, soil sampling, and limited hand trenching. The property was optioned from Kreft by Eagle Plains in 2002 and subsequently purchased 100% from (subject to a 1% Net Smelter Royalty) 2005. The 2010 exploration program represents the first major exploration program undertaken by Eagle Plains Resources since acquiring the property.
Technical aspects of this news release have been reviewed and approved by T.J. Termuende, P.Geo., hereby designated as a qualified person under National Instrument 43-101.
Source: Eagle Plains Resources Ltd.