Messina Minerals has identified outcropping huge sulphide mineralization, which is rich in copper, at the Brook prospect that is situated in Victoria property, central Newfoundland.
The company has commenced the drilling campaign to examine this mineralization. The location of the Victoria property is around 20 km from the Duck Pond copper-zinc mine, which is owned by Teck. These properties were previously purchased this year. The obtained assay results have been shown first by the company on this potential land package.
A copper-rich immense sulphide outcrop was prominent at the Brook prospect during 1900. A small deep shaft of 15 m was sunk at the existence. Mineralized copper sulphide in two small dump rock piles stays at the surface near to a timber shaft filled with water. During the period from 1910 to 1944, six near-surface drill holes examined the vicinity and the records have shown that the work intercepted copper mineralization. Additional exploration and drilling has not analyzed this zone.
Messina gathered 10 rock grab samples of huge mineralized sulphide from the dump piles of the Brook prospect, which tested 0.1 to 0.3 g/t gold, 5 g/t to 33 g/t silver and between 3.3% and 12.4% copper. Additional testing by the company found outcropping large sulphides towards the Brook shaft’s eastern and western part over 120 m of the strike length. Three representative rock grab samples collected from the east outcrop have examined 0.1 g/t to 0.2 g/t gold, 1.7% to 5.4% copper and 5 g/t to 13 g/t silver. Minimum width of sulphide is 1 m in this outcrop over 10 m length opened by hand-dug trenching. The company is waiting for the assay results from outcrops to the shaft’s western portion. More chaotic carbonate alteration is found in footwall outcrops near the sulphides.
The company has got approval for this diamond drill program, which is ongoing. It has engaged New Valley Drilling of Newfoundland to drill around 500 m in nine short holes. The aim is to examine the shallow copper mineralization continuity. Messina will announce the drilling results in 2012, when it obtains the drill core assay results.