Sona Intersects 13.6g Au/t Over 1.5 Metres at Its Blackdome Gold Mine Property Drill intercept opens up new area of potential high-grade mineralization
VANCOUVER, 11/22/11 - Sona Resources Corp. (the 'Company' or 'Sona') (TSX VENTURE: SYS) (FRANKFURT: QS7) is pleased to report that it has concluded the latest surface diamond drill program at its 100 percent owned, formerly producing Blackdome Gold Mine property ('Blackdome'), located in the Clinton Mining District of southern British Columbia.
The exploration program was designed to drill for new gold-bearing structures or extensions of known areas of mineralization, and to outline potential areas for economic development of gold-bearing ore. It succeeded in drilling 16 holes totalling 3,176 metres.
'We intersected a promising new mineralized zone, and we feel optimistic about the assay results,' says John P. Thompson, Sona's President and CEO. 'We have undertaken an aggressive exploration program that has tested a number of target zones. Our discovery of this new gold-bearing structure is significant, and it represents a positive development for the Company.'
Southern Zone
Holes BD11-04 to BD11-13 were drilled as an east-west-trending fence to test for a southern extension of the historically mined No. 1 and No. 2 Veins. They covered a distance of approximately 1,000 metres, to a maximum depth of around 200 metres below surface. The fence of drill holes was located about 300 metres south of any previous drilling on these zones, and about 650 metres south of the southernmost underground workings on the No. 1 and No. 2 Vein systems. Hole BD11-08 returned an assay of 13.6g Au/t over 1.50 metres core length, and it has opened up a whole new area of potential high-grade gold mineralization for future drill testing.
An adjacent hole (BD11-05) assayed 3.3g Au/t over 1.50 metres core length, at an intersection down dip from the intersection in Hole BD11-08. Another adjacent hole (BD11-06) intersected 0.7g Au/t over 1.50 metres core length, up dip from Hole BD11-08. Hole BD11-04 intersected a separate zone, assaying 0.6g Au/t over 1.50 metres core length. The other fence holes returned values no greater than 0.5g Au/t, and one hole (BD11-07) was lost.
Southwest Vein extension
Holes BD11-01, BD11-02 and BD11-03 tested the northern extension of the Southwest Vein and the immediate area, approximately 400 metres south of the property's tailings pond, but they only intersected low values. While testing the northern extension of the Giant Vein, Holes BD11-14 to BD11-16 also intersected low values.
Ten distinct auriferous structures have been modelled on the Blackdome Gold Mine property, with the bulk of gold production coming from the No. 1 and No. 2 Veins. During the late 1980s, this mine averaged over 20g Au/t delivered to the mill, with a cut-off grade of 10g Au/t. Given current gold prices, the cut-off grade for resource estimation could be significantly lower, and the mineralized areas not drill tested in the 1980s remain as targets to be evaluated.
Current NI 43-101-compliant indicated resources have principally been estimated on the No. 1 and No. 2 Veins, with lesser tonnages on the Watson Vein, Vein 11, Vein 18, the Redbird Vein and the Giant Vein, using a cut-off grade of 5g Au/t.
Material samples for analysis and assay were cut in half using a diamond saw. Half of the core was sent to the lab for analysis, and the remaining half preserved for future reference. The samples were analyzed for gold by standard fire assay atomic absorption finish techniques, as well as multi-element ICP on most samples. A strict QA/QC program was followed, including the use of certified pulp standards and blanks at Acme Labs in Vancouver, and verification analyses at a second laboratory.
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.
Since its inception in 1990, Sona has engaged in exploration activities at its mineral properties in Canada and the United States, as well as small-scale gold production at its flagship property, the 100 percent owned Blackdome Gold Mine, in south-central British Columbia, 250 kilometres north of Vancouver. At Blackdome, the indicated mineral resources are estimated at 144,500 tonnes, grading 11.3g Au/t and containing 52,600 ounces of gold; and the inferred resource is estimated at 90,600 tonnes, grading 8.8g Au/t (news release dated May 4, 2010). At its 100 percent owned Elizabeth Gold Deposit Property, 30 kilometres south of the Blackdome Gold Mine, Sona has outlined an inferred gold resource of 522,900 tonnes, grading 12.3g Au/t and containing 206,100 ounces of gold (news release dated June 8, 2009).
Sona aims to bring its permitted Blackdome mill back into production over the next year and a half, at a rate of 200 tonnes per day, with feed from the formerly producing Blackdome Gold Mine and the Elizabeth Gold Deposit Property. A positive Preliminary Economic Assessment by Micon International Ltd. (news release dated May 28, 2010), based on a gold price of $950 per ounce over eight years, has estimated a cash cost of $208 per tonne milled, or $686 per gold ounce recovered.
Sona also holds a 100 percent interest in the Montgolfier Project, located in Quebec, 40 kilometres east of the multimillion-ounce Casa Berardi Mine gold deposit.
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.
For more information, visit www.sonaresources.com.
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http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/sys22_Maps.pdf.
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Contacts:
Sona Resources Corp.
1 (888) 236-5200
1 (604) 684-6678 (FAX)
info@sonaresources.com
www.sonaresources.com
Marston Webb International
Victor Webb/Madlene Olson
Media Inquiries
1 (212) 684-6601
1 (212) 725-4709 (FAX)
marwebint@cs.com