MacDonald Mines | Spring Exploration Updates... 2011

MacDonald Mines Provides Exploration Update on Semple-Hulbert and Butler Project in Ring of Fire; Prepares for Winter Drill Program

November 14, 2011

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MacDonald Mines Exploration Ltd. (TSX.V: BMK) (“MacDonald” or the "Company”) provides an exploration update following the 2011 drill program in the Ring of Fire region of the James Bay Lowlands. The first ever exploration drill program on the Semple-Hulbert property near Kasabonika,Ontario consisted of nine diamond drill holes, totaling 2,553.9 metres. All holes drilled during the program targeted either massive sulfide or nickel-copper-platinum group elements (Ni-Cu-PGE) mineralization in, or on the periphery of, a large mafic intrusive. Disseminated pentlandite, an iron nickel sulphide, with elevated Ni, Cu and PGE mineralization was observed in areas where there was sulphide enrichment in the core.

Upon receiving final assays, the Company completed a lengthy and detailed geochemical analysis of research-quality whole rock and trace element data, and total digestion assay data. MacDonald’s technical advisor and geologist, Larry Hulbert, Ph.D, D.Sc., P. Geo. stated, “These results reveal lithological similarities to that of the structural analogue found at Voisey’s Bay”.


Chemical classification of the rocks has determined that most of the mafic rocks encountered are of a troctolitic, anorthositic troctolite and olivine gabbro lithological character – reinforcing the Voisey’s Bay analogy. Some of the analyzed samples have favorable geochemical signatures suggesting magmatic processes conducive to Ni-Cu-PGE generation were operative in the magma that gave rise to these rocks.


This was the first drill program of a near totally unexposed intrusion. Dr. Larry Hulbert further commented, “If the corresponding shape and disclosed lithological character from this first drill program are any indication, then subsequent drill programs in other areas of the intrusion will probably disclose other Voisey’s Bay rocks types not encountered in this program and potentially corresponding Ni-Cu-sulphide mineralization”.

 

Highlights

  • Zones of platinum, palladium and gold (Pt, Pd and Au) enrichment were identified within the mafic intrusive body.


  • Diamond drill hole SH11-04 assayed 0.607g/T Pd and 0.325g/T Pt, from 212-215m depth;
  1. 0.153g/T Pd and 0.041g/T Pt, from 230-233m depth;
  2. 0.272g/T Pd and 0.142g/T Pt, from 254-257m depth;
  3. 0.817g/T Pd, 0.231g/T Pt and 0.33 g/T Au, from 262-263m.


  • Diamond drill hole SH11-08 assayed 0.703 g/T Pd, 0.276 g/T Pt and 0.344 g/T Au from 215.65-216m


  • Elevated nickel and cobalt (most notably SH11-04 which assayed up to 1610 parts per million (ppm) Ni and 1040ppm Co, and SH11-05 which assayed up to 1160ppm Ni) was found associated with disseminations of pyrrhotite and inter-grown pentlandite


  • An off-hole conductor beneath SH11-04 and SH11-05 has been interpreted.  The assay results warrant another hole deeper and to the west to intercept the interpreted conductor


  • Elevated copper assays (most notably SH11-02 and SH11-06 which assayed up to 1.04% Cu and 0.88% Cu respectively)


A table showing full assay results are available on the MacDonald Mines website at www.macdonaldmines.com

 

PGE Mineralization

Company geologists are encouraged by the assay results from diamond drill holes SH11-04 and SH11-08, as they returned assay results with highly anomalous platinum and palladium.


Specifically, SH11-04 assayed 0.607g/T Pd and 0.325g/T Pt, from 212-215m depth; 0.153g/T Pd and 0.041g/T Pt, from 230-233m depth; 0.272g/T Pd and 0.142g/T Pt, from 254-257m depth; 0.817g/T Pd, 0.231g/T Pt and 0.33 g/T Au, from 262-263m, while diamond drill hole SH11-08 assayed 0.703 g/T Pd, 0.276 g/T Pt and 0.344 g/T Au from 215.65-216m. Drill holes SH11-04 and SH11-08 were drilled roughly 700 metres apart, on what is interpreted to be the same geologic unit. As such, these drill holes are interpreted to have intersected a PGE mineralized horizon of at least 700 metres in strike length.

 

Nickel and Cobalt

Elevated nickel and cobalt (most notably SH11-04 which assayed up to 1610ppm Ni and 1040ppm Co, and SH11-05 which assayed up to 1160ppm Ni) was found associated with disseminations of pyrrhotite and inter-grown pentlandite. The presence of the sulphide mineral pentlandite confirms that conditions present during the emplacement of the intrusion were suitable for formation of immiscible sulphides from a silicate melt. The relatively high cobalt values in the pentlandite are interpreted by Company geologists to indicate that the mineralization intersected was more ‘evolved’, and that more ‘primitive’, nickel-rich material, should be found stratigraphically deeper in the intrusive.

 

Copper

Elevated copper assays (most notably SH11-02 and SH11-06 which assayed up to 1.04% Cu and 0.88% Cu respectively), were found in diamond drill holes emplaced outside of the main intrusion in rocks of dioritic to granodioritic composition.

 

Hole ID

From

To

Cu ppm

SH11-02

167.00

167.50

5790

SH11-02

167.50

168.00

220

SH11-02

168.00

169.50

151

SH11-02

169.50

170.00

680

SH11-02

170.00

170.50

10400

SH11-02

170.50

171.00

3200

SH11-02

171.00

174.00

294

SH11-02

174.00

174.50

559

SH11-02

174.50

175.00

2030

SH11-02

175.00

175.50

390

SH11-02

175.50

176.00

2400

SH11-06

253.7

254.81

3200

SH11-06

254.81

255.12

8780

SH11-06

255.12

256.2

366

SH11-06

256.2

257.5

6970

SH11-06

257.5

258.3

1280

 

 

Butler Exploration Update

 

As with the Semple-Hulbert data, a similar detailed analysis of the geochemical signature of the Butler property has been completed by the Company’s VMS technical advisor and geologist, Dr. James M. Franklin, PhD, FRSC, P.Geo.  Additionally, an inversion of the magnetic data (surface, airborne and borehole) was competed on the Butler 3 area.  This, combined with the Crone Pulse EM data, has resulted in a large geophysical target that is below the current drill holes.  It is geophysically connected with the stringer mineralization intersected to date. Dr. James Franklin states, “the Butler volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) system is comprised of at least four centers of mineralization, each with the overall characteristics of a copper-zinc-type deposit. Zone 3, which has had the most intensive exploration, is a classically zoned Noranda-type system that has increasing metal contents to depth, possibly indicating that the main part of this occurrence is below the current drill intersections. In addition, the metal contents and alteration characteristics of Butler 4, located about 6 km to the south of Butler 3, are indicative of this being another major centre of VMS potential.  Combined, the four occurrences in the camp are situated at a single stratigraphic horizon, are relatively evenly spaced; the area has the potential to be a new VMS camp, similar to that at Matagami lake, for example.”

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Winter Drill Program Planned for New Year


With the results from the detailed analyses of the assay data from the Semple-Hulbert property revealing considerable new insights into the evolution of the host intrusions and its potential for economic Ni-Cu-PGEs, a drill program is planned for both Semple-Hulbert and Butler after freeze-up.


The Company has already begun the process of relocating its exploration camp in order to be more proximal to the drill targets planned in the upcoming program. This will provide significant cost savings, as the Company will now be able to access the drill site by snow machines, greatly reducing helicopter time and increasing drill operation time, particularly at night.

 

Exploration Summary

 

Drill Hole #       UTM Easting    UTM Northing   Az        Dip       Length (m)

SH11-01            456208              5931639            150       -50        105.77

SH11-02            455953              5930636            40         -50        179.50

SH11-03            453263              5931766            0          -55        257.56

SH11-04            450949              5933041            170       -50        300.65

SH11-05            450949              5933041            163       -65        337.11

SH11-02EXT      455953              5930636            40         -50        48.80

SH11-06            455953              5930636            5          -67        307.70

SH11-07            450356              5933689            163       -45        230.12

SH11-08            450247              5933140            180       -45        409.96

SH11-09            451485              5932672            205       -60        376.73

TOTAL (m)                                                                               2553.90

 

 

 

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About MacDonald Mines Technical Advisors

 

Larry Hulbert, Ph.D, D.Sc., P. Geo. was retained by the Company in January 2011 to review the magmatic Ni-Cu-PGE potential of the Company’s properties and further the geologic understanding of the mafic and ultramafic geology, particularly regarding the potential of the properties to host Ni-Cu-PGE deposits.


Dr. Hulbert has over 38 years of extensive geological knowledge and expertise on Ni-Cu-PGE mineralization, with 23 years as Senior Research Scientist specializing in the Metallogeny of Mafic-Ultramafic Rocks and associated Ni-Cu-PGE mineralization with the Geological Survey of Canada (GSC).


James Franklin, PhD, FRSC, P.Geo. was also retained by the Company in January 2011 to review the volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) potential of the Company’s properties.


Dr. Franklin has over 40 years of extensive geological knowledge and expertise of mineral deposits and regional metallogney. He serves as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, was past President of both the Geological Association of Canada and the Society of Economic Geologists, has served as Chief Geoscientist of Earth Sciences Sector for the GSC, and is an Adjunct Professor at Queen’s University.

 

 

About Volcangenic Massive Sulphides (VMS)

  


 

vms_1Volcanogenic Massive Sulphide (VMS) Ore Deposits are a type of metal sulfide ore deposit created by volcanic-associated hydrothermal events in submarine environments.  They are predominantly stratiform accumulations of sulphide minerals that precipitate from hydrothermal fluids on or below the seafloor in a wide range of ancient and modern geological settings. In modern oceans they are synonymous with sulfurous plumes called black smokers (shown on left).


Are VMS Deposits an Attractive Exploration Target?


The short answer is YES! This deposit type is well known and has an attractive economic profile. VMS deposits are major sources of Zinc (Zn), Copper (Cu) (shown on the right), Lead (Pb), Silver (Ag) and Gold (Au), and significant sources for Cobalt (Co), Tin (Sn), Selenium (Se), Manganese (Mn), Cadmium (Cd), Indium (In), Bismuth (Bi), Tellurium (Te), Gallium (Ga) and Germanium (Ge). copper1They are classified according to base metal content, gold content and host-rock lithology. The combination of base metals keeps these deposits in vogue through market swings that tend to knock the wind out of other deposits.

 

 

How and Where are They Found?

 

vms_3VMS deposits have distinctive alteration haloes around them that can be “fingerprinted” and used to spot certain stratigraphic horizons during exploration. The deposits generally have a very high electrical/magnetic conductivity which makes them amenable to discovery by traditional EM geophysical techniques.  They also have a very high density so that large deposits can also produce a marked gravity anomaly (An example of geophysics on MacDonald Mines Butler Property is shown on the right).

 

A typical VMS system consists of 2 main ore types; 1: Massive Sulphide and 2: Stringer or Stockwork Ore with its associated alteration system. The massive sulphide is a much smaller target than the alteration zone and tends to be aligned in conformity with the host volcanic strata.  The stringer/stockwork zone forms beneath the massive sulphide and consists of sulphide disseminations and veining in altered volcanic host rocks.  The alteration zone associated with most VMS deposits forms a much larger target than the massive sulphide and is therefore one of the most important features to identify when exploring for VMS deposits.  A massive sulphide district contains a cluster of VMS deposits associated with a single or multiple alteration system sometimes spanning tens of kilometres.  This makes known VMS districts good hunting grounds for new discoveries. Core from the Butler 3 Zone (BP11-CU05) showing sulphide mineralization (below).

vms4

 

There are close to 350 known VMS deposits in Canada and over 800 known worldwide in countries such as Japan, Australia, Scandinavia, Spain and Portugal. Historically, they account for 27% of Canada's Cu production, 49% of its Zn, 20% of its Pb, 40% of its Ag and 3% of its Au. The diagram below illustrates the mineral zonation commonly observed within VMS deposits as a result of hydrothermal fluid temperature and composition (Lydon (1984).

 

vms5

 

 

 

 

 

 


Qualified Person

 

Quentin Yarie, P.Geo., is the qualified person in regard to the technical data contained within this news release, and will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of the Company’s exploration programs.

 

The Company’s contact information is presented below. For more detailed information about the Company and its projects, please visit our website at www.macdonaldmines.com/

 

For more information, please contact:

MM_logo_For_Website_Press

Email:   This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Website: www.macdonaldmines.com

Toll Free: 1 - (800) 818-5442

Tel: (416) 364-4986

Fax: (416) 364-2753

Brent Nykoliation, Vice President, Business Development

or

Quentin Yarie, P.Geo, Senior Vice President, Exploration

Or

Kirk McKinnon, President & CEO

 

Cautionary Statement:

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. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein.

The foregoing information may contain forward-looking statements relating to the future performance of MacDonald Mines Exploration Inc. Forward-looking statements, specifically those concerning future performance, are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from MacDonald Mines plans and expectations. These plans, expectations, risks and uncertainties are detailed herein and from time to time in the filings made by MacDonald Mines with the TSX Venture Exchange and securities regulators. MacDonald Mines does not assume any obligation to update or revise its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.



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