HM Exploration Corp. provided an update on the first five holes of the phase one drilling program at the Company?s Lewis Pilley?s Project, located in Newfoundland, Canada. The first five holes of the maiden drilling program represent 1,088 metres of a planned minimum 2,500 metres of diamond drilling.
Three of the first five drill holes intersected massive, semi-massive and disseminated sulphide mineralization. Copper-bearing sulphide-clast debris flow mineralization was successfully intersected in drilling, confirming the targeted geological model. Angular chalcopyrite-bearing clasts were observed in multiple holes, potentially indicating limited transport from source and proximity to a hydrothermal vent environment.
Multiple mineralized intervals were encountered, including 6.27m in PI-26-001, 8.00 m in PI-26-002 and 6.98 m in PI-26-005. Assays are pending. Drilling was focused on evaluating the continuity of the mineralized system below known surface showings and along strike of Clifford Jones Zone to improve the Company?s understanding of the geological controls on mineralization.
Visual observations from the initial five holes indicate that the targeted copper-bearing debris flow was successfully intersected, with zones of alteration and massive to semi-massive sulphide mineralization observed in the drill core. Core samples for the first five holes have been submitted to the laboratory for analysis. Assay results will be released once they have been returned to the company.
Three of five holes intersected a wide range of massive, semi-massive and disseminated sulphide mineralization over the following drill core lengths: PI-26-001: From 10.74 ? 16.56m downhole; 5.82m drilled length; From 51.48 ? 57.75m downhole; 6.27m drilled length.
PI-26-002: From 10.00 ? 18.00m downhole; 8.00m drilled length. PI-26-005: From 14.00 ?
18.00m downhole; 4.00m drilled length; From 34.04 ? 41.02m downhole; 6.98m drilled length. Mineralization can be described as clast-dominated debris zones consisting of sub-angular to angular fragments of massive sulphide (~85% of intercept) composed of Cpy + Py ± Sph ± Gn suspended in interstitial fine-grained disseminated sulphides (Py + Cpy ± Sph ± Gn) and milled felsic ± mafic rock.
Matrix-dominated debris flow composed of fragments of sub-rounded to angular clasts of massive sulphide (Py + Cpy ± Sph ± Gn) and felsic ± mafic lithic fragments suspended in a matrix of fine-grained sulphide (Py + Cpy ± Sph ± Gn) and milled felsic ± mafic rock. More detailed classifications for individual intercepts are referenced in Table 2. The Company cautions that the presence of visible sulphides and visual estimates of mineral abundance are not indicative of grade and should not be considered a substitute for laboratory analysis. Assay results are pending.
The Property is located within the Notre Dame Subzone of the Dunnage Tectonostratigraphic Zone. Most of the Property is underlain by Ordovician submarine volcanic rocks of the Roberts Arm Group which is regionally identified as part of a mature arc sequence referred to as the Buchans-Roberts Arm Belt that also hosts the historic Buchans mine. Mineralization occurs as lower grade (Spencer?s Dock); medium grade (Old Mines); and high grade (3B-Zone/Clifford Jones) deposits that are of both sub-seafloor replacement and exhalative varieties.
The deposits are often flanked by extensive chlorite, sericite, silica, K-feldspar and epidote alteration often observed in bimodal-felsic VMS systems. The Spencer's Dock area displays sericite/silica alteration that generally increases in intensity near mineralized zones, while the 3B/Old Mine areas display sericite/silica alteration that is abundant but less widespread and is more intense when proximal to mineralized zones. VMS deposits are a globally significant source of copper, zinc, lead, silver, and gold. The Property?s geology shares key characteristics with known Volcanogenic Massive Sulphide districts in Newfoundland, including the past producing Buchans, Ming and Rambler Mines, supporting the exploration potential of the Property.
The Property is road accessible and situated approximately twenty-five km east of the town of Springdale, approximately fifty-five km southeast of Firefly Metals? Green Bay Project and approximately one hundred fifty km from the Pine Cove Mill and Port by way of major roads. The Property has a long history of mining and exploration dating back to the late 1800s when the Pilley?s Island Pyrite Company Ltd. produced approximately 450,000 tonnes of massive pyritic ore from the Pilley?s Island Mine-Old Mines.
The Property hosts a cluster of VMS systems and prospects with demonstrated high-grade Zn-Pb-Cu-Ag+/-Au intersections. Mineralization is typical bimodal-felsic VMS, with both massive sulphide and sulphide-clast breccias. The geological setting is directly analogous to the Buchans camp, and the presence of sulphide-clast breccias is a strong vector toward proximal massive sulphide lenses.
Most of the historic showings that fall within the extents of the Property have not seen systematic exploration. Many of the historic drill holes were shallow and drilled in a vertical orientation limiting the geological knowledge of the extents of the underlying lithology and mineralization. Work is being planned to validate historic assay results as well as collect new data from the 3B-Zone, Clifford Jones Extension, Bouzanne Shaft, Henderson, Mansfield and Pilley?s Cove Showings.
Drill collar locations were determined from hand-held GPS (NAD83-Zone 21N) and the drill rig was aligned using a Reflex TN-14 Gyrocompass alignment tool. All samples are given a unique sample ID and number and shipped directly to Eastern Analytical Ltd., a commercial laboratory that is ISO/IEC 17025 accredited and completely independent of the company. Analytical methods include ICP-OES (34 element) with four-acid digestion, Au Fire Assay (30g) with AA finish, and Ore Grade Assay (multi-acid digestion) with AA finish.
The company inserts standard, blank, and duplicate samples as part of its standard QA/QC procedures.
