Argent Minerals Limited Geophysics Breakthrough in Kempfield Lead/Zinc Detection

Sydney, Australia (ABN Newswire) - Argent Minerals Ltd. (ASX:ARD) (Argent, Argent Minerals or the Company) is delighted to report a significant breakthrough in the trialling of Downhole MagnetoMetric Resistivity (DHMMR) as a potential geophysical survey tool at the Kempfield Polymetallic Project.

Argent Minerals Managing Director David Busch said, "We are extremely pleased with the DHMMR result, which is a significant breakthrough for exploration at Kempfield. We now have a geophysical tool which responds very specifically to the target lead/zinc mineralisation - predominantly sphalerite-rich mineralisation with galena. Being a relatively poor conductor renders this material a challenge to find with traditional geophysics techniques, but DHMMR has responded very clearly and convincingly. We look forward to now broadening the use of MMR at Kempfield as we seek to delineate targets for the upcoming drill program".

The application of the DHMMR technique is expected to accelerate Argent's exploration efforts at Kempfield, as the Company targets the significant upside potential that it has identified at the project.

This breakthrough coincides with commodities markets continuing to price in anticipated supply shortages in zinc due to scheduled mine closures1. Aggressive exploration for lead and zinc, especially zinc, forms a key tenet to the Company's strategy to take the Kempfield Polymetallic Project into production.

The Company's initial goal or aspiration is to locate an additional 5 million tonnes of lead/zinc/silver mineralisation at the higher base metal grades intercepted on the western edge of the known Kempfield deposit. Argent minerals has identified a trend of increasing grades from east to west in the deposit, pointing to the area immediately to the west where little or no drilling has been conducted. The Company believes this area to be highly prospective for lucrative mineralisation.

DHMMR is a geophysics technique which has been used successfully to delineate rich lead/zinc targets that have not responded to conventional electromagnetic (EM) survey techniques. Examples include Perilya's North Mine lead/zinc deposit at Broken Hill, NSW, where DHMMR was employed successfully to delineate the Zinc Lodes - rich mineralisation that had not been detected by previous Downhole EM (DHEM) surveys2. DHMMR is also considered to have made a significant contribution to the delineation of Perilya's Potosi deposit at Broken Hill.

DHMMR provides advantages over conventional DHEM in that it needs lower absolute conductivity, works well for elongated structures, has a greater area of investigation around the drill hole, gives absolute direction to conductors, and is less susceptible to shielding2.

DHMMR surveys have been completed for the full length of West McCarron diamond hole AKDD159 (171.3 metres) and for the first 145 metres of Causeway diamond hole AKDD177.

Preliminary analysis has been conducted by geophysicist Kate Hine of Mitre Geophysics Pty Ltd under the supervision of Dr. Vladimir David, Argent's resident expert in Volcanogenic Massive Sulphide systems. A clear, strong response has been observed in West McCarron diamond hole AKDD159, coinciding with the rich mineralisation intercepted by the hole - 18 m @ 9.8% Pb/Zn, 113 g/t Ag & 0.26 g/t Au from 85 m (including 5 m @ 17.9% Pb/Zn, 259 g/t Ag & 0.34 g/t Au from 88 m).

This breakthrough in geophysics follows Argent's recent breakthrough at West Wyalong, where it has identified a large porphyry copper-gold target. The Company is planning to drill the Kempfield and West Wyalong targets.


About the DHMMR survey technique

DHMMR surveys require only a conductivity contrast between the host rock and the target, whether or not the target itself is a good conductor. Previous research suggests that low conductivity mineralisation such as that at the Kempfield West McCarron Zone, could produce a sufficient DHMMR signal if the conductivity contrast between the target area and the surrounding material is greater than 3:1.

According to Gap Geophysics the HPTX-70 DHMMR transmitter is the most powerful of its type in Australia, delivering a maximum of 70 kW. The higher the injected current, the stronger will be the magnetic field produced by any current channelling, and the greater the ability to distinguish received signals from background noise.


Next steps

Further infill readings were conducted in the area of mineralisation response in AKDD159 in order to provide higher resolution in preparation for more detailed analysis and calibration.

Following the clear success of the DHMMR technique, a key outcome is that Argent will now proceed with surveying the area of interest with a variant of this technique - Surface MagnetoMetric Resistivity, also referred to as Sub-Audio Magnetics (SAM).

Further details of the SAM technique will be provided in a follow up announcement to the ASX, as the survey planning details come to hand.

Further news flow is expected and will be announced to the ASX as the surveys progress.

To view diagrams and pictures, please visit:
http://media.abnnewswire.net/media/en/docs/ASX-ARD-686003.pdf


About Argent Minerals Limited:

Argent Minerals Ltd. (ASX:ARD) is an Australian publicly listed company with a 100% interest in a silver/gold project at Kempfield NSW. Work is underway on the preparation of an EIS and a feasibility study for the first stage of the project which will involve heap leaching some 8.8 million tonnes of mainly oxide and transitional material to produce over 9.5 million ounces of silver and 15,000 ounces of gold over a 5 year mine life. Argent is also earning up to a 70% interest in two other NSW projects - gold at West Wyalong and base metals at Sunny Corner.



Contact:

David Busch, Managing Director
Argent Minerals Ltd.
M: +61-415-613-800
E: david.busch@argentminerals.com.au