Arctic Star Exploration Samples up to 0.96% Nb2O5 from Carbonatite Discovery at the CAP Property
Vancouver, September 25, 2017 - Arctic Star Exploration Corp. (TSXV: ADD) (the "Company") is pleased to report that it is in receipt of analytical results from its summer 2017 exploration program at it's wholly owned CAP Property, located approximately 80 km northwest of Prince George, B.C. The summer exploration program at CAP focused within an area measuring approximately 3 kilometres by 1 kilometres, and included four drill holes, geologic mapping and sampling, and prospecting. The program was highly successful, resulting in the discovery of an exposure of carbonatite and related rocks with greater than 90-m strike-length and an estimated thickness exceeding 50 m. To date, the discovery has been tested by only a single drill hole (see news release dated August 8, 2017).
Prospecting highlights are summarized as follows:
- The strike-length of carbonatite and related rock types encountered in outcrop and drilling totals approximately 3 kilometres;
- Five samples contained0.20% Nb2O3 with a peak value of 0.96% Nb2O3; and
- Three samples contained >0.20% TREO (Total Rare Earth Element Oxides) with a peak value of 0.39% TREO; and
- Three samples contained >5.00% P2O5 with a peak value of 12.62% P2O5.
The samples referred to above are all selected grab samples, and they are not necessarily representative of the mineralization hosted on the property.
Highlights from Drill Hole CAP17-004 are summarized as follows:
- 85.24 to 95.66 metres: 0.35% Nb2O5 across 10.42 metres, and including 2.26 metres of 0.63% Nb2O5;
- 98.87 to 118.50 metres: 19.63 metres of 9.94% P2O5, including 2.55 metres of 20.97% P2O5; and
- 136.1 to 138.5 metres: 2.4 metres of 0.81% TREO.
The CAP Carbonatite Complex remains an early staged discovery with potential for a wide variety of commodities. Initial surface and drill hole samples demonstrate a strong potential for niobium, rare earth element, and phosphate. Moreover, as this new carbonatite has only been tested by a single drill hole, there exists a significant potential for further discovery.
Of additional interest are some anomalous concentrations of gold encountered within carbonatite and alkaline rocks during the 2017 exploration. A peak value of 69 ppb Au was noted from a pyrrhotite-bearing, calcio-carbonatite sample at 136.1 metres depth; this interval also contained in excess of 1% TREO's.
According to Jody Dahrouge, P.Geo. and President of Dahrouge Geological (consultant to Arctic Star):
"The discovery of highly anomalous concentrations of Niobium, Phosphate and REO's at such an early stage in the exploration of the CAP project should be considered highly encouraging. Future exploration at CAP will follow up on surface samples that contained highly anomalous concentrations of Niobium and which may be related to drill hole CAP17-004."
Mineralized carbonatite systems have been mined for and/or are potential sources for commodities such as REE's, niobium, tantalum, copper, nickel, iron, titanium, zirconium, platinum group elements (PGEs), gold, fluorspar, lime, sodalite, and vermiculite. Strong demand growth, stemming in part from a number of green energy solutions, has placed upward price pressure on a number of those commodities associated with carbonatites.
Some of the more notable active and past producing carbonatite deposits known worldwide include Palabora (Cu, Ni, Au, PGE's, other), South Africa; Bayon Obo (REE's, Fe, Nb, fluorspar), China; Araxa (Nb), Brazil; Cargill (Phosphate), Canada; Niobec (Nb), Canada; Mountain Pass (REE's), United States; and Mount Weld (REE's), Australia.
Further details will be released as they come available.
Jody Dahrouge, B.Sc, P.Geo., Dahrouge Geological Consulting Ltd., a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, supervised the preparation of the technical information in this news release.
Quality Assurance/Quality Control
Drill holes reported in this press release were drilled using NQ-sized core. Samples were then cut into equal halves using a diamond core-saw. One half is being stored near the project, and the other half sent for analysis at Actlabs of Kamloops, BC. A systematic quality control procedure was implemented for the drill-core, where quarter core duplicates and blanks were inserted at a rate of one every twenty samples. Laboratory standards and standard laboratory quality-control procedures were relied upon for the drill-core and prospecting rock samples. Samples received at Actlabs are first crushed up to 90%, passing 2 mm. Further, samples were analyzed with analytical codes 8-REE, 8-XRF (Ta, Nb) and FA-AA. The 8-REE method requires the sample to be ground to 95% passing -200 mesh and then treated with lithium metaborate/tetraborate fusion with subsequent analysis by ICP and ICP/MS. The 8-XRF method fuses the pulverized split sample with a lithium metaborate/tetraborate flux in platinum crucibles with the molten glass cast into a glass disc in platinum crucibles. These glass discs are analyzed by XRF. A 30 g sub-sample of the pulverized sample was subjected to Actlabs' 1A2 analysis (Fire Assay with AA finish).
© 2017 Canjex Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF
ARCTIC STAR EXPLORATION CORP.
"Patrick Power"
Patrick Power, President
(604) 689-1799
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 release.
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