Rockcliff Acquires Former High Grade Laguna Gold Mine: Produced Over 60,000 Ounces of Gold Averaging 18.5 g/t
TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Sep 12, 2016) - Rockcliff Copper Corp. ("Rockcliff "or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE:RCU) today announced that the Company has acquired an option to earn a 100% interest in the Laguna Gold Property which hosts the high grade Laguna gold mine. The gold property is strategically located 20km southeast of Snow Lake, Manitoba and near Rockcliff's existing high grade copper-rich Volcanogenic Massive Sulphide (VMS) deposits.
The Laguna gold mine is the highest grade former gold mine in the Flin Flon-Snow Lake mining camp. Historical intermittent gold mining from the Laguna vein between 1916 and 1939 from approximately 101,012 tonnes averaged 18.5 g/t gold (0.54 opt) and produced over 60,000 ounces of gold. The vein remains open along strike and at depth and the property has additional surface high grade lode gold-rich quartz veins for exploration.
President & CEO of Rockcliff, Ken Lapierre commented, "The Laguna Gold property was the highest grade lode-gold producer in the Flin Flon-Snow Lake greenstone belt. Laguna is part of a unique list of gold deposits with grades above 10g/t that make up less than 5% of all deposits globally and is part of Snow Lake's rich history of gold and VMS mining. It complements our goal of acquiring the highest grade metal deposits in the Snow Lake camp. With multiple high grade gold-rich quartz veins throughout the property and no diamond drilling since the 1940s, our exploration program will begin immediately and include geology, geophysics and a planned first phase drill program during the first quarter of 2017 or earlier."
Preliminary due diligence grab sampling by Rockcliff at Laguna confirmed the presence of high grade lode-gold mineralization throughout the property from at least six gold-rich quartz veins. Grab samples ranged from trace to 264.65g/t gold. Visible gold was observed in outcrop.
Table 1: A total of 28 due diligence grab samples by Rockcliff are tabulated below.
Location | Gold g/t | Comment | Grab Sample # | |||
Bingo zone | 4.15 | quartz-muscovite schist | 465131 | |||
Bingo zone | 0.18 | quartz vein | 465132 | |||
Bingo zone | 7.85 | quartz muscovite schist | 465133 | |||
Bingo zone | 0.15 | muscovite schist | 465134 | |||
Bingo zone | 2.00 | quartz muscovite schist | 465135 | |||
Laguna zone | 30.13 | quartz vein | 465136 | |||
Laguna zone | 72.17 | quartz vein | 465137 | |||
Laguna zone | 264.65 | sediments | 465138 | |||
Laguna zone | 142.75 | quartz vein | 465139 | |||
Laguna south zone | 3.94 | sediments | 465147 | |||
Laguna south zone | 2.43 | quartz vein | 465148 | |||
Laguna south zone | 81.29 | quartz vein | 465149 | |||
Laguna south zone | 0.27 | quartz vein | 465151 | |||
Laguna south zone | 0.93 | quartz vein | 465152 | |||
Laguna south zone | 0.05 | quartz vein | 465153 | |||
Prospect zone | 14.33 | quartz vein | 465142 | |||
Prospect zone | 2.62 | quartz vein | 465143 | |||
Prospect zone | 3.46 | schist wall rock | 465144 | |||
Prospect zone | 4.66 | quartz vein | 465145 | |||
Prospect zone | 13.20 | quartz vein | 465146 | |||
Number 34 zone | 1.85 | quartz vein | 465154 | |||
Number 34 zone | 8.85 | quartz vein | 465155 | |||
Moosehorn zone | 51.54 | quartz vein | 465156 | |||
Kisk #1 zone | 12.07 | quartz vein | 465157 | |||
Kisk #1 zone | 0.07 | quartz vein | 465158 | |||
Kisk #1 zone | 0.03 | quartz vein | 465159 | |||
Kisk #1 zone | 0.16 | quartz vein | 465161 | |||
Kisk #1 zone | 0.03 | quartz vein | 465162 |
The Laguna Property includes 15 contiguous mining claims totalling 920 hectares and is located approximately 20 km southeast of the Town of Snow Lake. The Laguna gold mine infrastructure consists of a three compartment vertical shaft to 381 meters and 8 levels totalling over 3.0 km of underground drift and stope development. The property is strategically near Snow Lake, home to a former million ounce lode-gold producer and a fully functional non-operating 2,150 tonne per day gold mill facility.
The gold mineralization on the Laguna property is metallogenically controlled by subsidiary thrust faults attributed to the major Crowduck Bay Fault which crosses the entire length of the property a distance of 3.5 km. The gold-rich quartz veining along the northwest limb of the Herb Lake Syncline typically occurs where the subsidiary faults intersect quartz-feldspar and biotite porphryry stocks that intrude Missi Group sedimentary and volcanic rocks. Quartz-iron carbonate-albite-sericite alteration commonly overprint peak regional metamorphic assemblages within auriferous vein margins. Mineralization in quartz and surrounding wall rock consists of pyrite, arsenopyrite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite, galena, pyrrhotite, native gold and telluride. Gangue mineralization is in the form of tourmaline and fuchsite.
Rockcliff can acquire a 100% interest in the Laguna Gold Property by paying an aggregate of $200,000 cash and issuing 750,000 shares over a four (4) year period. Expenditures over five (5) years total $1,000,000 with a minimum $100,000 in expenditures in any year. The vendor will retain a 2.5% NSR on the property of which one 1.5% NSR can be purchased at any time for $500,000 per 0.5% NSR. The vendor's remaining NSR will be subject to a first right of refusal in favour of Rockcliff from 0.5% NSR up to 1.0% NSR on certain claims of the property. An advance royalty payment of $35,000/year to the vendor begins after year five (5) of the option and is capped at $175,000. The advanced royalty payment will be repaid from production on the property.
Rock samples are taken in the field, packaged and shipped directly from Rockcliff's field office to TSL Laboratories (TSL), Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. TSL is a Canadian assay laboratory and is accredited under ISO/IEC 17025. Each bagged rock sample is dried, crushed to 70% passing 10 mesh and a 250g pulp is pulverized to 95% passing 150 mesh for assaying. A 0.5g cut is taken from each pulp for base metal analysis (if needed) and leached in a multi acid (total) digestion and then analyzed for copper, lead, zinc and silver by atomic absorption. Gold concentrations are determined by fire assay using a 30g charge followed by fire assay gravimetric an atomic absorption finish. Samples greater than an upper detection limit (3000 ppb) are reanalyzed using a 1 AT charge. Rockcliff inserted certified blanks and standards in the sample stream to ensure lab integrity.
Ken Lapierre P.Geo., President and CEO of Rockcliff., a Qualified Person in accordance with Canadian regulatory requirements as set out in NI 43-101, has read and approved the scientific and technical information that forms the basis for the disclosure contained in this press release.
The transaction is subject to TSX Venture Exchange approval.
Please visit our website at www.rockcliffcoppercorp.com for additional information.
About Rockcliff Copper Corporation
Rockcliff is a Canadian resource exploration company focused on the discovery, exploration and advancement of high grade VMS and gold-rich deposits near Snow Lake located in central Manitoba, Canada. The project totals in excess of 35,000 collective hectares and hosts high grade copper-rich deposits and a high grade former lode-gold producer. The VMS properties contain two high grade VMS NI 43-101 Resources (the Talbot Deposit and the Rail Deposit), a net smelter return royalty on the Tower Property, which hosts the T-1 Copper Deposit, and one historic high grade VMS deposit (the Lon Deposit). The VMS deposits represent the highest grade unmined copper-rich VMS deposits in the entire greenstone belt. The primary lode-gold property hosts the former highest grade gold producer (the Laguna Gold Mine) near Snow Lake. Rockcliff also owns a zinc-silver rich NI 43-101 Resource (the Shihan Deposit) in Ontario and a royalty on two gold properties in Colombia, South America.
Rockcliff is well funded with over $3.0M in its treasury and no debt.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: This news release includes forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause the actual results of the Company to be materially different from the historical results or from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.
All statements within, other than statements of historical fact, are to be considered forward looking. Although Rockcliff believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, continued availability of capital and financing, exploration results, and general economic, market or business conditions. There can be no assurances that such statements will prove accurate and, therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such uncertainties. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements except as required by law.
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.
Contact
Rockcliff Copper Corp.
Ken Lapierre, P.Geo
President & CEO
(647) 678-3879
klapierre@rockcliffcoppercorp.com
CHF Capital Markets
Cathy Hume
CEO
(416) 868-1079 ext.231
cathy@chfir.com