President & CEO, Steve Roebuck, comments:
“We believe there’s an exceptional opportunity at Roger and are pleased to be working with SOQUEM to quickly move the project forward. Roger hosts the MOP-II gold-copper deposit with a historical Inferred Resource of 167,000 ounces of gold that was estimated using a gold price of US$500 per ounce.”
“The 2018 Phase 1 exploration program is scheduled to commence by end of February and is budgeted at $500,000 including 3,000 m of diamond drilling. Several holes will be drilled to verify historical results as well as deepening of holes that ended in mineralization. The results of the 2018 Phase 1 drilling will be compiled and modelled with the historical (1957-1989) and more recent drilling by SOQUEM (2008-2013) to prepare a current mineral resource estimate on the Mop-II gold-copper deposit. We’re keen to see how the Mop-II will pan out as a high-tonnage, lower-grade opportunity under much higher gold prices than prevailed when previously evaluated for its higher-grade, vein-type potential.”
Historical Resource Estimate
A 2006 NI 43-101 compliant mineral resource estimate on the deposit by Scott Wilson Roscoe Postle Associates Inc. for SOQUEM totalled 167,200 ounces of gold in the Inferred Resource category as follows:
Historical Inferred Resource Estimate – January 2006
Zone | Tonnes | Au g/t | Au oz | Cu % |
Main | 3,216,000 | 1.61 | 166,200 | 0.04 |
North | 24,000 | 1.32 | 1,000 | 0.12 |
Total | 3,240,000 | 1.61 | 167,200 | 0.04 |
Notes: | |
1. | The resource estimate was prepared by qualified person, Bernard Salmon, Eng., of Scott Wilson Roscoe Postle Associates Inc. |
2. | Mineral Resources were estimated according to CIM definition standards (2005). |
3. | Mineral Resources were estimated at cut-off grades of 1.0 g/t Au |
4. | Mineral Resources were estimated using an average long-term gold price of US$500 per ounce, and a US$/C$ exchange rate of 1:1.20. |
5. | Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. |
N.B.: Enforcer considers the 2006 estimate as a historical resource estimate that has relevance to the project; however, a qualified person for the Company has not done sufficient work to classify the historical estimate as a current mineral resource and as such it should not be relied on.
In the 2010 technical report supporting the 2006 resource estimate, the Mop-II deposit is described as having two distinct zones: Main and North. The Main zone is interpreted over a 330 m vertical depth and is open along strike and at depth. Drilling at depth indicated higher gold grades and an east-west trend that appeared to be better developed below the -200 m level. Mineralization in the North zone was not yet well defined by diamond drilling, but appeared to differ from the Main zone in that gold was less abundant and copper grades were significant, at least three times higher than in the Main zone.
Subsequent to completion of the 2006 estimate, SOQUEM completed an additional 60 drill holes on the property totalling 15,456 m, of which 54 holes totalling 13,755 m further tested the Mop-II deposit.
The Opportunity
Although historically explored as a higher-grade, vein type deposit, the Mop-II is now being evaluated for its for its high-tonnage, low-grade gold-copper potential. Exploration up until SOQUEM obtained the property in 1997 focused on narrow, higher-grade shear zones within quartz-feldspar porphyry. Sampling of the historical drill holes was based on sulphide occurrences, and in the case of surface holes, only 48% of drilled meters were sampled for gold. Assaying for copper was based on the presence of chalcopyrite and was only carried out on 5% of the samples that were analysed for gold. This sampling bias is at odds with results of surface drilling by SOQUEM that report wider zones of lower-grade mineralization.
Of the 136 holes drilled prior to SOQUEM, only 9 holes from the 1988-89 program were recovered and provide the opportunity for re-assaying. To verify the results of some other historical holes, several have been selected for twinning during the 2018 Phase 1 drilling program. This will also provide the opportunity for sampling along the entire length of the holes to determine what lower grade mineralization may have been missed in the historic sampling.
In addition to gold-copper porphyry mineralization, the Roger project also offers the potential for epithermal gold-silver-copper-lead-zinc mineralization as observed south of the property on the Berrigan deposit.
Location, Infrastructure & Exploration History
The 987-hectare Roger property is located in the Chibougamau mining district, 5 km from the town of Chibougamau with all-weather access via gravel roads. A power line that serviced the past-producing Troilus mine crosses the property at 1.3 kilometers east of Mop-II deposit and connects the Obalski electoral distribution station located 4 km south of Chibougamau.
Gold and copper was first discovered in the Chibougamau mining camp in the early 1900s. Active mining from 1953 to 2008 produced 3.2 million ounces of gold and 1.6 billion pounds of copper along with significant amounts of silver and zinc.
Exploration for gold on the Roger property began in the 1940s and the first drilling campaign was conducted in 1957. Drilling programs were limited in scope until the period 1985 to 1989, when Flanagan Inc. and Muscocho Exploration Ltd. carried out close to 24,700 m of surface drilling followed by an underground exploration program that included 832 m of ramp development, 82 m of cross-cuts, 124 m of drifting, 139 m in raises, over 1,000 m of chip sampling and 1,400 m of underground drilling in 23 holes. The 1988 underground program was planned to test 2 of 4 auriferous shear zones that had been interpreted from surface drilling to trend northwest; however, the underground program revealed that gold mineralization was actually controlled by east-west trending shear zones. Sixty-five surface holes drilled in 1988 were also oriented to test northwest-trending structures, and as such intersected the mineralization at 45° to its trend rather than perpendicular. This would have greatly hindered the geological understanding of the deposit at the time. Exploration work ceased in 1989 due to low gold prices and the property lay dormant until SOQUEM staked the area in 1997.
From 2000 to 2005, SOQUEM carried out an additional 7,500 m drilling and commissioned a mineral resource estimate on the Mop-II deposit that was completed in January 2006. SOQUEM completed 4 additional drilling campaigns between 2008 and 2013 totalling over 15,000 m.
In total, 17 separate drilling campaigns have been completed on the property totalling nearly 55,000 m of diamond drilling. The gold mineralization at the Mop-II deposit is associated with a large ENE-trending pyrite gold-bearing mineralized envelope that is ~200 m wide and at least 800 m long. The gold mineralization mainly occurs in the quartz-feldspar porphyry intrusion along 0.5 m to 20 m wide east-west trending shear zones, but is also present in the rocks immediately adjacent to the intrusion. Drilling to date has intersected mineralization from near surface to 380 m depth (open).
About SOQUEM
SOQUEM Inc., a subsidiary of Ressources Québec, is a leading player in mineral exploration with its mission to explore, discover and develop mining properties in Quebec. SOQUEM has participated in more than 350 exploration projects and contributed to major discoveries of gold, diamonds, lithium and other minerals in Quebec.
About Enforcer Gold Corp
Enforcer Gold Corp is a Canadian-based mineral exploration company and is earning a 100% interest in the Montalembert gold project from Globex Mining Enterprises Inc. (TSX: GMX) and a 50% interest in the advanced-stage Roger gold-copper porphyry property from SOQUEM. Both properties are located in Quebec’s prolific Abitibi greenstone belt. The Company completed its first exploration program on the Montalembert project in October 2017, including 5,784 m of diamond drilling. Enforcer has a strong cash position with $3.9 M is its treasury.
Enforcer’s President & CEO, Steve Roebuck, PGeo, is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the content of this news release.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.
This news release contains “forward-looking statements” that are based on expectations, estimates, projections and interpretations as at the date of this news release. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as “plan”, “expect”, “project”, “intend”, “believe”, “anticipate”, “estimate”, “suggest”, “indicate” and other similar words or statements that certain events or conditions “may” or “will” occur, and include, without limitation, statements regarding the Company’s plans with respect to the exploration of its Roger project, the exploration potential and analogous deposit potential of the Roger project and the timing of the Company’s exploration programs. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and other factors may include, but are not limited to, the results of exploration activities; the ability of the Company to complete further exploration activities; the ability of the Company to complete transactions on terms announced; timing and availability of external financing on acceptable terms and those risk factors outlined in the Company’s Management Discussion and Analysis as filed on SEDAR. Enforcer Gold does not undertake to update any forward-looking information except in accordance with applicable securities laws.
SOURCE Enforcer Gold
For further information: please visit www.enforcergold.com or contact: Steve Roebuck, President & CEO, T: (647) 496-7984, C: (905) 741-5458, E: contact@enforcergold.com