Blackthorn Resources Limited
(ASX:BTR) is pleased to provide the following project update for the Phase 5 drilling program at Mumbwa in Zambia. The Company’s exploration model is targeting a large Iron Oxide Copper Gold (IOCG) style of mineralisation.
The Company is continuing drilling operations at Mumbwa despite the onset of the annual wet season. In late 2011, Blackthorn Resources engaged a replacement drilling contractor which has efficiently mobilised to site and now has 3 drill rigs progressing on planned targets. Drilling progress rates have improved significantly and are now in-line with expectations to complete the program by March 2012.
The Phase 5 program is planning to drill 16 targets as shown in Table 1 which includes a series of 14 ‘in-fill’ and ‘step-out’ holes over the Kitumba mineral resource area, and 2 ‘scout’ holes on a geophysical target at Mutoya which is located approximately 6km NW from Kitumba. Currently Phase 5 drilling has completed 9 holes for a total 4,612.66 meters, including 1 abandoned hole. A further 3 holes are in progress and another 5 target sites remain to be drilled.
The Company has received copper (Cu) assay results from a further 4 drill holes, namely S36-025 and S36-026 at Kitumba, and MUSH-002 and MUSH-003 at Mutoya.
The holes located at Kitumba were designed to test the continuity of mineralisation and improve confidence in the maiden inferred mineral resource model which was reported in October 2009. The other 2 holes at Mutoya were designed to test a geophysical anomaly generated through updating and re-processing of the original FALCON™ data-set which produced an anomaly with favourable characteristics similar to that at Kitumba. The physiology of the Mutoya target area is also expressed as a prominent topographical high.
Kitumba Inferred Mineral Resource Area
Drill hole S36-025 was designed to test the continuity and eastern contact of the highgrade mineralised core of copper mineralisation previously identified at Kitumba. S36-025 is situated in the central-eastern part of the Kitumba mineral resource area as shown in Figure 1, and was drilled at an angle of 65 degrees towards the west (270 degrees) to an end of hole depth of 532.3 meters.
A total of 420 samples of core were taken from the entire length of the drill hole and submitted to the AH Knight Laboratory in Kitwe, Zambia for preparation and analysis for copper. A sample split was taken for gold analysis and sent to either the AH Knight Laboratory in Fairbanks, Alaska or ACME Analytical Laboratories in Vancouver, Canada.
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