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ECU Silver announces drilling results at San Mateo Mine
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Highlights:
-Discovery of new mineralized veins including intercepts grading 270
g/t, 91 g/t, 62 g/t and 52 g/t Gold and 2,704 g/t, 1,483 g/t, 921 g/t
and 223 g/t Silver;
-Additional vertical continuity of 537 meters (1,761 feet) of the San
Mateo vein and length of over 900 meters (2,952 feet) confirmed while
still remaining open at depth;
-Discovery of a 7.9 meter wide (25.9 feet) "Chimney" grading 3.43 g/t
Gold, 286 g/t Silver, 4.40% Lead and 0.95% Zinc on the San Mateo vein;
-Discovery of 3 additional Chimney type zones in a new area not linked
to the San Mateo vein. Intercepts include 1.6 g/t gold, 452 g/t silver,
0.67% lead, 0.68% zinc over a width of 4.24 meters (13.90 feet);
-Discovery of an unexpected mineralized green bearing skarn at the San
Mateo mine.
TORONTO ONTARIO, February 26, 2007 -- Mr. Michel Roy, Chairman and CEO
of ECU Silver Mining Inc. (TSX-V: ECU) is pleased to announce the
Company has received assays from the exploration drilling program
currently being undertaken in the San Mateo mine area. To date five
drill holes have been completed for a total drill length of 1,694
meters with a sixth drill hole well underway. Assays have been received
for most of the samples and are presented in the tables below.
To date, the Company has been focused on its large discovery at the
Santa Juana mine which is comprised primarily of further defining the
Mineralized Corridor (the "MC").
However, the very continuous east-west veins corresponding to the
Terneras, San Juanes and San Mateo mines remain exploration regions of
high priority. With the addition of the Company's second underground
diamond drill, exploration in these particular areas has been
accelerated.
For point of reference to the reader, the San Mateo mine is
approximately 1 km south of the Santa Juana mine.
The Terneras, San Juanes and San Mateo veins are very continuous. In
general, they are more than one kilometer in length and have vertical
extent of more than 500 meters. Exploration drilling continues as the
bottom of these veins has yet to be reached.
These veins are typically thin high grade sulfide veins where the host
rocks are hard; such as the intrusive (diorite) and the skarn. The
Terneras and San Mateo veins are silver/lead rich while San Juanes is
more gold/copper rich. However, such veins can form thicker lenses
called "chimneys" where the host rock consists of softer limestones.
These "chimneys' have been the main target of the near surface
historical production.
First Target of San Mateo Program
The first specific target of the current drilling program was to
confirm the continuation of the San Mateo vein at depth, below current
workings on level 6. These targets are within the diorite and as
expected, consisted of thin very high grade silver intercepts and can
be seen in Table 1 below.
Furthermore, holes were drilled to test the San Mateo vein within the
limestone below current workings and to the east. Results are also
presented in Table 1 and specifically refer to hole T-06-16.
TABLE 1
SAN MATEO VEIN
Hole # Sample # From To Core Au Ag Pb Zn Cu Comment
(m) (m) Length g/t g/t % % %
T-06-14 39591 147.1 147.8 0.70 0.70 223 1.66 0.06 0.93
T-06-15 40231 539.05 539.93 0.88 0.10 106 0.01 0.02 0.02
T-06-16 41643-45 180.18 188.08 7.90 3.43 286 4.40 0.95 0.13 60%
missing
T-06-18 41434 185.08 185.9 0.82 0.20 110 1.44 0.05 0.07
T-06-19 41822 133.95 134.15 0.20 3.20 2,704 4.69 3.96 0.56
Two significant points concerning these results:
1) The discovery of a 7.9 meter wide (25.9 feet) intercept in the
limestones in hole T-06-16 is typical of the "chimneys" model;
2) The continuous depth extension of the San Mateo vein which has been
cut 537 meters (1,761 feet) below level 6, dramatically increasing the
vertical extent of the system and yet still remains open at depth.
The five intercepts were similar to other intercepts cut previously on
the San Mateo vein with grades and thicknesses varying as a function of
alteration and host rock.
Second Target of San Mateo program
The second specific target of the drilling program was to identify the
locations of possible chimney type zones in the prolongation of the
known veins within the limestone.
The reader should be aware that there is certain difficulty with
drilling these chimney type structures due to lixiviation. Drilling
often recovers 50% or less of the material due to severe oxidation. The
oxidation process turns pure sulfide sections (normally the highest
grades) into a reddish mud. As a result, portions of the oxidized
material are washed away by the drilling process due to the requirement
for a large quantity of water.
Results are presented in Table 2 below.
TABLE 2
CHIMNEYS
Hole # Sample From To Core Au Ag Pb Zn Cu Comment
# (m) (m) Length g/t g/t % % %
T-06-16 41643-45 180.18 188.08 7.90 3.43 286 4.40 0.95 0.13 4.9m
missing
T-06-18 41466-71 237.74 242.42 4.68 1.15 17 0.01 0.38 0.22 1.6m
missing
T-06-18 41474 253.88 254.84 0.96 0.20 104 1.44 0.04 0.08 0.6m
missing
T-06-18 41480-82 266.30 270.54 4.24 1.60 452 0.67 0.68 0.30 1.9m
missing
Comments on results of Table 2
The intercept in hole T-06-16, which registered a core length of 7.9
meters (25.9 feet), was directly part of the San Mateo vein and even
though much of the rich sulfides were washed away, the average grades
are material.
The other three chimney type structures encountered in hole T-06-18
were not linked to the San Mateo vein and were part of an entirely new
and previously unknown veins system south of the San Mateo vein.
As a result, all four of these chimney type zones are now prime targets
for underground development at the San Mateo mine as they clearly show
significant grades in spite of very strong alteration and lixiviation.
Of particular interest is the San Mateo vein cut in hole T-06-16 and
the 4.24 meters cut in hole T-06-18 as they both carry high silver
contents over wide intercepts even though both had a large zone of
missing core (washed out section) which would have caused most of the
silver to be leached out.
Third Target of San Mateo program
The third objective was an attempt to find more veins that have
currently not yet been already identified. These veins were expected to
be encountered south of the San Mateo mine, as a few unidentified
surface workings suggested their existence but no previous exploration
had been undertaken to define and locate them.
Results are presented in Table 3 below.
TABLE 3
MOST SIGNIFICANT NEW INTERCEPTS
Hole # Sample From To Core Au Ag Pb Zn Cu Comment
# (m) (m) Length g/t g/t % % %
T-06-14 39558 26.9 27.1 0.20 8.75 921 0.24 0.49 2.17 High
copper
T-06-14 39596 163.3 163.5 0.20 62.50 28 0.01 0.01 0.01
T-06-15 40025 10.2 10.4 0.20 24.35 9 0.00 0.02 0.12
T-06-15 40026 21.9 22.2 0.35 8.70 7 0.00 0.01 0.03
T-06-15 40029 44.0 44.3 0.37 91.05 32 0.07 0.02 0.07
T-06-15 40030 48.6 48.9 0.29 8.40 47 0.11 0.10 0.07
T-06-15 40037 142.2 142.7 0.47 11.30 5 0.00 0.00 0.02
T-06-16 41676 301.8 302.2 0.37 52.10 0 0.05 0.08 0.02
T-06-18 41422 152.35 152.6 0.25 1.90 1,483 0.11 0.14 0.41
T-06-19 41692 24.8 25.1 0.22 5.50 155 0.05 0.25 1.91 High
copper
T-06-19 41814 93.4 93.6 0.20 270.25 33 0.03 0.03 0.04 Near 2
veins
T-06-19 41822 134.0 134.2 0.20 3.20 2,704 4.69 3.96 0.56
These results demonstrate the strong potential of the area as over 10
new veins with interesting grades have been intersected. Detailed
interpretation is pending.
San Mateo Skarn Discovered
The discovery of the data illustrated in Table 1, 2 and 3 above is
considered by the Company to be very significant. However, the Company
was surprised by the results of assays found in a skarn and marble
associated with sulfide disseminations and veinlets. The Company was
not expecting a skarn type zone at the San Mateo mine. Please see Table
4 below.
TABLE 4
SKARN
Hole # Sample From To Core Au Ag Pb Zn Cu Comment
# (m) (m) Length g/t g/t % % %
T-06-16 41674 294.2 294.4 0.20 0.10 0 0.49 1.55 0.03 Marble
T-06-16 41646-49 191.93 3.85 0.05 22 0.55 0.62 0.04 Green
skarn and
breccia
T-06-14 40006 194.9 195.21 0.31 0.10 14 0.02 0.47 0.54 Green
skarn
T-06-15 40047 309.3 310.8 1.50 7.35 14 0.01 0.04 0.07 Skarn
T-06-18 41375-81 33.5 42.7 9.20 0.28 6 0.01 0.88 0.05 Skarn
T-06-18 41383-84 48.85 55.21 6.36 0.00 2 0.04 0.61 0.00 Green
skarn
These intercepts are positive indicators as they are often found
surrounding massive sulfide lenses. The high zinc content is standard
as can be observed in 5 of the 6 samples in table 4. However the high
gold and copper could be associated with a different type of
mineralization, namely gold/copper instead of zinc rich lenses found in
other near-by deposits.
The Company views this type of skarn discovery to be positive and will
be explored further.
Summary and Significance of Data from San Mateo Program to date
1) The results in table 3 above demonstrate the potential of the area
and represent only some of best assays from more than 50 significant
intercepts of new veins. These new veins have not yet been interpreted
from section to section but could be given more detailed work and
in-filling drilling that will better define their full extent;
2) The discovery of a "chimney" type zone in the San Mateo vein of over
7.9 meters (25.9 feet) wide with the grades already recovered may have
material implications once further work is done to better define the
full extension and grades of this Chimney;
3) San Mateo vein has a confirmed vertical continuity of 537 meters
(1,761 feet), below level 6 which is 140 meters (459 feet) below
surface, and length of over 900 meters (2,952 feet) and still remains
open at depth;
4) Chimney type zones are not typically an isolated event and this has
been confirmed with the discovery of 3 additional chimney type zones
outside of the main San Mateo vein;
5) The new zone of mineralized skarn provides a higher degree of
confidence in the potential to identify additional massive sulfide
lenses.
Although the Company deems these findings to be material, the reader is
cautioned that there are no assurances that other chimney zones will be
discovered at the San Mateo mine and that until a pre-feasibility study
is completed, there are no assurances that these mineralized zones will
be economically viable.
All the samples represent the core length and may not be representative
of the true width. Samples were assayed at the ERSA laboratory in
Torre�n, Coahuila, Mexico which is currently in the process of being
certified. Property specific quality control samples were inserted at
regular intervals in the sample sequence and the Company routinely does
check assays at other certified laboratories.
The evaluation program was supervised by M. Pierre Gagnon, P.Geol. a
Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101 guidelines.
Mr. Michel Roy, P. Geo., a "qualified person" within the meaning of NI
43-101, prepared the technical information disclosed in this news
release.
About ECU
ECU Silver Mining Inc. is a Canadian silver and gold mining and
exploration company with executive offices in Toronto, Ontario, that is
involved in the evaluation, development and mining of precious metal
deposits in Mexico. The Company owns the historically prolific
Velarde�a Property which holds five historical mines and a milling
operation in the state of Durango, Mexico. ECU's goal is to become one
of Mexico's largest producing silver mines. ECU's common shares are
listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the trading symbol ECU.
Statements in the release that are "forward-looking statements" are
based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks
and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially. We undertake
no duty to update any forward-looking statement to conform the
statements to actual results or changes in our expectations.
The TSX Venture Exchange does not accept responsibility for the
adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Contact:
Stephen Altmann,
President
416-644-8640
Richard Buzbuzian,
Vice President
416-644-8640
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Copyright (c) 2007 ECU SILVER MINING INC. (ECU) All rights reserved.
For more information visit our website at http://www.ecu.ca/ or send
mailto:ecu@ecu.ca
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