Sona Assays 397.0g Au/t from Grab Sample of the Linda Vein at Its Mineral Creek Gold Property
Program includes four surface and 14 drill core samplesVANCOUVER, Feb 19, 2014 - Sona Resources Corp. ("the Company" or "Sona") (TSX VENTURE:SYS) (FRANKFURT:QS7) is pleased to report results from its initial geological reconnaissance and sampling program at the Mineral Creek Gold Project, near Port Alberni, British Columbia. The program was conducted on October 7, 2013, as part of a data verification program in compliance with NI 43-101. It consisted of an independent data verification duplicate sampling of the historical gold and silver mineralization from previous project drilling on the Ember and Linda Veins, with ten samples from a wide range of gold and silver assay values. Four rock samples were taken directly off the Ember and Linda Vein outcrop, which is exposed along an access road.
"The initial results from Mineral Creek look promising," says John Thompson, Sona's President and CEO. "We can now confirm the presence of high-grade gold mineralization on this early-stage property. Now we need to further compile data and establish high-priority targets for a well-focused drilling campaign."
Historical and data verification results are shown in the tables below for both the outcrop grab and drill core re-sampling. (Note: all sample numbers begin with E5388.)
Surface Outcrop Grab Sampling
Four samples of outcropping altered vein were taken within a large historical soil anomaly encompassing the area of the Ember and Linda Veins. These were tested at depth by previous operators in both the 2006 and 2009 drill programs.
| Outcrop Grab Sampling Results - Ember and Linda Veins UTM 10U | |||||||
| Easting | Northing | Elevation | g Au/t | g Au/t | g Ag/t | ||
| Sample ID | Vein ID | (metres) | (metres) | (metres) | Gravimetric | Metallics | AAS |
| 5388979 | Ember | 379107 | 5448768 | 1011 | 195 | 299 | 54.6 |
| 5388980 | Linda | 379068 | 5448882 | 1020 | 49.5 | 40.8 | 8.97 |
| 5388981 | Linda | 379068 | 5448882 | 1018 | 397 | 372 | 58.3 |
| 5388982 | Linda | 379067 | 5448880 | 1018 | 0.103 | 0.36 | 0.56 |
Samples 980 to 982 tested the outcrop of the Linda Vein, which strikes approximately 037 degrees and dips northwest at 80 degrees. Sample 980 returned assay values of 49.5g Au/t with gravimetric finish ("GRAV") and 40.8g Au/t metallic assay ("MET"), indicating a high concentration of coarse gold. Silver assayed at 8.97g Ag/t, with a true width of 82 centimetres. Sample 981 tested the Linda Vein over a 72-centimetre true width some 1.5 metres stratigraphically lower than sample 980. It also returned the highest gold value in the sampling, 397.0g Au/t (GRAV) and 372.0g Au/t (MET), and silver values of 58.3g Ag/t. Sample 982 tested the footwall alteration zone against the previous sample, and returned values of 0.103g Au/t and 0.56g Ag/t (ICP-MS).
Sample 979 tested the Ember Vein and returned assay values of 195.0g Au/t (GRAV), and 299.0g Au/t (MET) by metallic screen, with a silver value of 54.6g Ag/t. No directional information was available for the Ember Vein at this site.
Drill Core Sampling
The wooden drill core boxes from the 2006 Linda and 2009 Ember drill programs were stacked and stored in the open on a third-party property. The Linda Vein core boxes were in an advanced state of decomposition, rendering sampling of specific intervals difficult. The Ember Vein core boxes, which contained high-grade assays, had been extracted from the pallets, were not replaced, and appear to have been exposed to the elements for some time. As a result, very little of the original high-grade Ember and Linda Vein core samples remained, and re-sampling of certain core intervals within the original sample boundaries proved impossible.
| Drill Core Assay Results | ||||||||||
| Hole | Sample | From | To | Interval | Historical Values | Sona | g Au/t | g Au/t | g Ag/t | |
| ID | ID | metres | metres | metres | g Au/t | g Ag/t | Sample ID | FA/AAS | Metallics | ICP/ICP-MS |
| BTT L-17 | 209473 | 38.9 | 39.1 | 0.2 | 229.7 | 50.4 | ||||
| 209483 | 39.1 | 39.7 | 0.6 | 4.6 | <0.4 | 5388965 | 27.8 | NSS | 3.5 | |
| BTT L-14 | 19669 | 21.3 | 21.8 | 0.5 | 212.0 | 0.6 | ||||
| 19670 | 21.8 | 22.1 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 5388966 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 1.1 | |
| 19671 | 22.1 | 22.4 | 0.3 | 25.0 | 40.0 | |||||
| BTT -L28 | 19686 | 43.3 | 43.5 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 0.5 | ||||
| 19687 | 43.5 | 44.0 | 0.5 | 32.9 | 6.6 | 5388967 | 78.7 | NSS | 14.3 | |
| 19688 | 44.0 | 44.8 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 0.7 | |||||
| BTT-L3 | 209038 | 13.5 | 13.9 | 0.4 | 292.0 | 78.4 | ||||
| 209039 | 13.9 | 14.8 | 0.9 | 0.1 | <0.2 | 5388968 | 0.03 | 0.04 | 0.3 | |
| 209040 | 14.8 | 15.7 | 0.9 | 1.5 | 0.6 | 5388969 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.4 | |
| 209041 | 15.7 | 16.2 | 0.5 | 9.2 | 1.2 | |||||
| BTT L-25 | 19642 | 38.4 | 38.7 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 5388970 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| 19643 | 38.7 | 39.7 | 1.0 | 8.5 | 3.5 | 5388971 | 2.4 | NSS | 2.4 | |
| BTT L-56 | 248406 | 31.8 | 32.8 | 1.0 | 9.9 | 3.9 | 5388972 | 7.9 | 6.7 | 2.5 |
| BTT L-58 | 248442 | 26.0 | 26.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 5388973 | 6.6 | 3.4 | 0.9 |
| 248443 | 26.4 | 26.8 | 0.4 | 998.0 | 261.0 | 5388974 | 9.0 | 10.7 | 2.4 | |
| MCC-E06 | 750119 | 98.8 | 99.1 | 0.3 | 23.8 | 4.0 | 5388975 | 8.1 | NSS | 3.8 |
| 750120 | 99.1 | 100.0 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 5388976 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.2 | |
| 750121 | 100.0 | 100.6 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 5388977 | 66.6 | 77.5 | 16.8 | |
| 750122 | 100.6 | 100.8 | 0.2 | 200.0 | 79.6 | |||||
| MCC-E60 | 5517 | 89.4 | 90.2 | 0.9 | 78.3 | 11.1 | 5388978 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 2.2 |
| *NSS = Not sufficient sample |
Linda Vein
Sample 965 tested two contiguous samples from Hole L-17. Sample 209473 returned assay values of 229.7g Au/t and 50.4g Ag/t over 0.2 metres, in a quartz-calcite vein with 57 grains of visible gold up to 2.0 millimetres across. Footwall sample 209483 returned values of 4.64g Au/t over 0.7 metres with silver values too small to detect.
Sample 966 tested three contiguous samples from Hole L-14 that defined a gold-bearing quartz vein and vein breccias in the original sample. Assaying returned values of 212.0g Au/t over 60 centimetres, with 44 grains of visible gold of up to 2.0 millimetres across noted in the logs. New sampling returned trace values of gold and silver, not surprising since the interval rubble left in the core box had been thoroughly picked through by previous workers.
Sample 967 tested three contiguous samples from Hole L-28 that defined a zone of quartz-carbonate veining with up to 5% fine-grained pyrite over 1.4 metres. Original weighted average values from the three samples returned 32.8g Au/t and 6.6g Ag/t from the central 0.5-metre sample, with slightly anomalous values in the hanging wall and footwall samples. Sona results returned 78.7g Au/t (GRAV) and 14.3g Ag/t over a comparable interval, but with insufficient sample for a metallics assay.
Sample 968 tested a quartz vein breccia with visible gold within a faulted interval in Hole L-3 that originally ran 292.0g Au/t and 78.4g Ag/t over 40 centimetres. Sona sampling returned no significant values in gold or silver. Sample 969 tested the two footwall samples, which ran to 9.2g Au/t and 1.2g Ag/t. Sona sampling did not return comparable values in gold or silver. The lack of comparable values in both of these assays is attributed to insufficient core remaining within the original box.
Samples 970 and 971 tested two intervals in a strong quartz-carbonate vein with visible gold in Hole L-25. As seen from the table above, Sona sampling of the first interval returned comparable results. The second interval was not confirmed numerically, but it confirmed the presence of gold above background values, with the original value of 8.49g Au/t duplicated with a value of 2.38g Au/t.
Sample 972 tested a 30-centimetre quartz vein and vein breccia interval in Hole L-56. Original values of 9.85g Au/t and 3.9g Ag/t were confirmed with values of 6.71g Au/t (MET), 7.92g Au/t (GRAV) and 2.48g Ag/t.
The last two Linda Vein core samples, 973 and 974, tested a very well mineralized zone and hanging wall of Hole L-58. The first data verification sample returned assays of 6.55g Au/t (GRAV) and 3.43g Au/t (MET), versus a historical value of 0.37g Au/t. There was little difference in silver values, with 0.4g Ag/t historically versus 0.94g Ag/t in Sona sampling.
The second sample did not confirm the historical value of 989.0g Au/t, with new samples returning 9.0g Au/t in (FA/AAS) and 10.7g Au/t (MET). The drill log describes the interval as a 3.0-centimetre quartz vein breccia with visible gold to 1.2 millimetres, with a 20-centimetre interval of alteration but no quartz veins, followed by a 3.0-centimetre clayey gouge zone with 10% arsenopyrite and pyrite. There was no remaining quartz-carbonate to take for the Sona data verification, which predominantly contained the more massive internal section of 20 centimetres of weakly silificied basalt.
Ember Vein
Samples 975 to 977 tested four original samples from MCC-E06, which are described as quartz-arsenopyrite-pyrite veins containing up to 20% combined arsenopyrite and pyrite, with no visible gold described and values ranging up to 200.0g Au/t over 15 centimetres. Because of the lack of rock left in the box, only three data verification samples were obtained for the same interval. The weighted average of the four original samples is 19.3g Au/t and 6.3g Ag/t; the comparable Sona weighted average value of three samples covering the same interval was 6.41g Au/t and 1.95g Ag/t.
Sample 978 tested an eight-centimetre quartz vein and a 15-centimetre zone of quartz-sulphide micro-veinlets in Hole MCC-E60, carrying 78.3g Au/t and 11.1g Ag/t. Data verification sampling did not confirm these values.
Sample Preparation
After drying, crushing and homogenization, samples were split into three fractions. One fraction was fire assayed with atomic absorption spectroscopy finish ("FA/AAS"). Samples with values greater than 10.0g Au/t were re-assayed by gravimetric finish ("GRAV"). One fraction was screened for metallics ("MET") before being fire assayed in a separate split. One fraction was assayed for 50-element geochemical background by digestion in aqua regia and analysis with ICP/ICP-MS finish ("ICP-MS"). Samples were taken by an independent geoscientist, transported as checked baggage, and delivered by same to Agat Laboratories of Mississauga, Ontario.
Additional studies are ongoing to determine, based in part on these sample results, the best and most economic way to determine the true potential of the Mineral Creek Gold Property and to establish high-priority drill targets.
Mineral Creek is an early-stage exploration project, and the Company does not consider it to be material. The content of this news release has been reviewed by John P. Thompson, a Qualified Person for the purposes of NI 43-101, with the ability and authority to verify the authenticity and validity of the data herein.
About Sona Resources Corp.
Sona is a junior gold resource company based in Vancouver, with a focus on bringing its Blackdome-Elizabeth Gold Project into full commercial production. Since its inception in 1990, Sona has engaged in a wide range of mineral exploration activities in Canada, Mexico and the United States, as well as small-scale gold production.
Sona owns a 100 percent interest in the former Blackdome Gold Mine in south-central British Columbia, 250 kilometres north of Vancouver; and the Elizabeth Gold Deposit Property, 30 kilometres south of Blackdome. At Blackdome, the mineral resources are estimated to be 144,500 tonnes, grading 11.29g Au/t and containing 52,500 oz. gold, indicated; and 90,600 tonnes, grading 8.79g Au/t and containing 25,900 oz. gold, inferred (news release dated May 4, 2010). At Elizabeth, Sona has outlined an inferred gold resource of 523,000 tonnes, grading 12.26g Au/t and containing 206,100 oz. gold (news release dated June 8, 2009).
Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability.
Sona aims to bring the fully permitted Blackdome mill back into production at an initial rate of 200 tonnes per day, with feed from the formerly producing Blackdome Gold Mine.
On July 15, 2013, Sona announced the acquisition of the highly prospective Mineral Creek Gold-Silver Project near Port Alberni, British Columbia.
Sona also holds a 100 percent interest in the Montgolfier Project in Quebec, 40 kilometres east of the multimillion-ounce Casa Berardi Mine gold deposit.
On behalf of the Board,
Nick Ferris
Executive Chairman
This news release contains certain forward-looking statements, and such statements involve risks and uncertainties. The results or events predicted may differ materially from actual results or events. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this news release. Except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or results, or any other occurrence.
This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to sell any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.
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Contact
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