Strongbow Updates Carolina Exploration Projects
Strongbow Exploration Inc. (SBW: TSXV) is pleased to provide an
exploration update on its gold exploration properties in North and South
Carolina, USA, including the Midway, Ridgeway and Parker gold projects.
Midway project
An initial drilling program, consisting of ten holes (1,949 m), tested
five of fifteen target areas within the Midway project. At four of the
targets, drilling intersected variable widths (centimetre scale up to
32.4 metres) of hydrothermal, sericite-silica-pyrite alteration.
Molybdenite and chalcopyrite mineralization is variably associated with
these alteration zones and gold values are locally elevated (from
background up to 375 ppb). Drilling of the fifth target was terminated
early due to challenging drilling conditions.
Ken Armstrong, President and CEO of Strongbow stated: 'Initial
exploration work at Midway over the last eighteen months has advanced
the project from an area play concept through land acquisition,
geophysical and geochemical surveys and initial exploration drilling.
This work has outlined at least fifteen priority exploration targets
located within an 11,000 m strike length between the Haile and Brewer
gold mines. The zones of alteration and mineralization encountered in
this initial drilling program are encouraging and we believe that these
zones will help us vector into a larger mineralized system. Our original
thesis that the Midway project represents a compelling exploration
target in an area of proven gold endowment and excellent infrastructure
in a politically stable jurisdiction remains intact.?
Results have also been received for detailed follow up and infill
geochemical surveys over several of the highest priority targets at
Midway. David Gale, Vice-President of Exploration for Strongbow
commented: 'Our geochemical sampling program has defined a number of
excellent multi-element geochemical anomalies. These targets are very
robust, having been repeated with several passes of sampling and using
three different sampling techniques. The alteration, anomalous gold and
related pathfinder element mineralization, identified in the minimal
amount of drilling completed to date confirms the highly prospective
nature of these targets. It is clear that further drilling is required
to properly evaluate the Midway targets.?
Planning is currently underway for a two staged drilling program in the
first half of 2012. The initial campaign will involve an overburden
drill that will allow for a comprehensive evaluation of all of the
geochemical anomalies down to bedrock. This will help focus a follow up
diamond drilling program which will concentrate on the highest priority
targets along the Haile-Brewer gold trend.
Ridgeway project
The Ridgeway project consists of 18 properties covering over 1,300 acres
located between two and five kilometres along strike to the east of Rio
Tinto′s past producing Ridgeway gold mine in South Carolina. The
Ridgeway mine produced approximately 1.5 million ounces of gold between
1988 and 1998. Strongbow has completed detailed geochemical surveys of
four of the properties, including two properties where previous drilling
defined a zone of gold mineralization (the Lloyd zone) over a 250 m
strike length. Gold assays from this drilling ranged from background
values up to 2.4 g/t over 25.9 m. Strongbow′s geochemical surveys have
outlined a prominent 300 m by 350 m multi-element geochemical anomaly
that is coincident with the Lloyd zone, as well as a new 200 m by 300 m
anomaly located 600 m to the southwest.
Importantly, the Lloyd zone lies beneath unconsolidated sands of the
Coastal Plain cover sequence. These sands are also present in the Midway
project area 45 km to the northeast. The delineation of such a
well-defined anomaly over known gold mineralization further confirms
that the geochemical techniques being used by Strongbow are an effective
exploration tool in this area and provides increased confidence in the
Midway area targets.
Parker gold mine
Strongbow has also received results for an eight hole, 1,400 m drilling
program at the company′s Parker gold mine property in North Carolina.
The purpose of the program was to test if a larger mineralized system is
present beneath historic gold workings on this never before drilled
property. All eight drill holes encountered narrow zones of weak to
moderate silicification and quartz veining. Gold mineralization (ranging
from 100 ppb to 9,643 ppb gold) was generally restricted to narrow
intervals of less than 2.5 m. The general lack of a broad alteration
system accompanying gold bearing quartz veins within the project area is
disappointing, and no further work is planned for the property.
Regional exploration work
Strongbow, as part of its regional exploration efforts in the
southeastern United States, has to date collected over 6,300 geochemical
samples, approximately 4,000 of which have been collected outside of the
Midway project. A number of target areas have been defined by this
regional work and follow up surveys are planned and property acquisition
efforts are underway.
About the Midway gold project
The Midway project consists of over 3,500 acres within the prospective,
16 kilometre (10 mile) Haile-Brewer gold trend in South Carolina. All of
the Midway properties are located adjacent to either the past producing
Brewer gold mine or properties owned by Romarco Minerals Inc. (R-TSX)
including the Haile gold mine and Buzzard properties. Current measured
and indicated resources reported by Romarco for the Haile gold mine
consist of 3.1 million ounces gold with additional inferred resources of
1.1 million ounces gold. Gold mineralization at the Haile and Brewer
mines, as well as at the nearby Buzzard prospect, is hosted within
volcanic and sedimentary rocks of the Carolina slate belt (CSB). In
addition to the Midway project, Strongbow is also evaluating properties
in the Ridgeway project area and is working to identify and acquire
additional gold targets within the CSB.
Drill core samples were submitted to Acme Analytical Laboratories in
Vancouver, British Columbia. They were analyzed with a 36 element ICP
mass spectrometer package, using a 15 gram sample split and a modified
aqua regia digestion. Rocks returning >100 ppb gold are re-evaluated
using a 30 gram fire assay analysis. These samples are custom-blended
with fire-assay fluxes and heated to 1050oC. This process
produces a dore bead and the gold is measured from the bead using a
gravimetric determination. The regional geochemical samples use either
the ICP method described above, or an ultratrace digestion that is first
cold leached with nitric acid then fully leached with a modified aqua
regia solution. A 1 gram sample split is used for this analysis. A
quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) program is in place that
includes the insertion of certified gold standards, blanks and field
duplicate samples into the sample stream to confirm the accuracy and
precision of the reported results. Strongbow′s exploration programs are
conducted under the supervision of David Gale, P.Geo.(BC),
Vice-President of Exploration for Strongbow and a qualified person under
NI 43-101.
STRONGBOW EXPLORATION INC.
/s/'Kenneth A. Armstrong?
Kenneth A. Armstrong
President
and CEO
Neither 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.
Strongbow Exploration Inc.
David Gale, 604-668-8355
Vice-President
of Exploration
info@strongbowexploration.com
www.strongbowexploration.com