Strongbow Exploration Inc. (SBW: TSXV) is pleased to provide an update on exploration activities at its wholly owned Nickel King and Snowbird Nickel projects in southern Northwest Territories and northern Saskatchewan. Key points of this update include:
- Exploration drilling at Nickel King is complete. A total of 44 drill holes (9,200 m) have tested the Main Zone, the Koona and South Ring prospects, as well as seven additional target areas within the property;
- Drill hole NK08-35 has returned 51.58 m grading 0.67% Ni including 4.00 m grading 1.47% Ni, 0.30% Cu and 0.061% Co and including an additional 7.00 m grading 1.11% Ni, 0.23% Cu and 0.047% Co from the Lower Sill of the Main Zone;
- Drill hole NK08-36 has returned 33.50 m grading 0.68% Ni including 12.00 m grading 1.13% Ni, 0.23% Cu and 0.046% Co including 2.00 m grading 2.27% Ni, 0.43% Cu and 0.092% Co from the Lower Sill of the Main Zone;
- Exploration drilling is underway in the Dumas Lake area, Saskatchewan. Seven drill holes (approximately 900 m) are planned to test six targets along a sixteen kilometre trend of noritic intrusions located approximately 30 to 40 km north of Stony Rapids;
Nickel King project The current phase of exploration drilling at the Nickel King project has been completed. Forty four holes (9,200 m) were drilled during the program, including thirty one drill holes within the Main Zone. An additional five drill holes followed up on discoveries made in 2007 at the Koona (3 holes) and South Ring (2 holes) targets. The remaining eight drill holes have tested seven additional exploration targets within the property. Assay results have previously been reported for fifteen of the forty four drill holes (please see Strongbow news release #08-11 and #08-07 dated June 12, 2008 and April 30, 2008, respectively). Additional assays have been received for a fence of three drill holes that tested the Lower Sill of the Main Zone:
DDH |
Angle |
Az. |
From (m) |
To (m) |
Length (m) |
Ni (%) |
Cu (%) |
Co (%) |
Target |
NK08-35 |
-81 |
350 |
128.52 |
180.00 |
51.48 |
0.67 |
0.16 |
0.028 |
MZ Lower Sill |
|
Including |
139.00 |
143.00 |
4.00 |
1.47 |
0.30 |
0.061 |
MZ Lower Sill |
And Including |
156.00 |
163.00 |
7.00 |
1.11 |
0.23 |
0.047 |
MZ Lower Sill |
NK08-36 |
-65 |
350 |
130.50 |
164.00 |
33.50 |
0.68 |
0.15 |
0.028 |
MZ Lower Sill |
|
Including |
134.00 |
146.00 |
12.00 |
1.13 |
0.23 |
0.046 |
MZ Lower Sill |
|
Including |
135.50 |
137.50 |
2.00 |
2.27 |
0.43 |
0.092 |
MZ Lower Sill |
NK08-37 |
-83 |
170 |
150.00 |
156.00 |
6.00 |
0.25 |
0.05 |
0.013 |
MZ Lower Sill |
All three holes were drilled from the same set up location, with the intent of testing the up dip and down dip extent of Lower Sill mineralization approximately 31 m along strike to the west of drill hole NK07-12 (32.88 m grading 1.02% Ni) and 125 m along strike to the east of drill hole NK07-11 (14.85 m grading 0.85% Ni). Drill hole NK08-36 represents an approximate 37 m step out up dip to the north of NK08-35. Drill hole NK08-37 was drilled in the opposite direction and represents an approximate 40 m step out down dip to the south of NK08-35. The results of this fence of drill holes indicates that important nickel grades in this area of the Lower Sill can be traced over a minimum width of approximately 40 m and remain open up dip from NK08-36. The result from NK08-37 constrains the down dip extent of mineralization. All three drill holes also tested the Upper Sill of the Main Zone. Broad zones with low nickel grades were encountered in both NK08-35 and NK08-36 (14.00 m grading 0.24% Ni starting at 34.00 m and 21.00 m grading 0.21 starting at 24.50 m, respectively).
Assays are pending for the last twenty six drill holes of the program with logging and sampling of core from the final drill holes still underway. A surface exploration program comprised of bedrock mapping and geological surveys is scheduled to carry on through to the end of July.
Snowbird Nickel project The Diamond drill used at Nickel King has been moved south to the Dumas Lake area of the Snowbird Nickel project where seven drill holes are planned to test a series of six targets along a twelve kilometre strike length of noritic intrusions. The targets are located 30 to 40 km north of Stony Rapids, and have been defined by recent airborne geophysical surveys of the area. These surveys have outlined a number of coincident magnetic/electromagnetic anomalies associated with areas of mapped norite exposures. The purpose of the drilling is to determine if these geophysical responses reflect magmatic nickel-copper sulphide mineralization associated with the norite intrusions. Drilling is expected to continue to the middle of July.
Strongbow has also commenced follow up investigations of target areas located elsewhere within the Snowbird project properties in Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories. Fieldwork is focusing on ground truthing targets identified from detailed airborne geophysical (VTEM) surveys completed earlier this spring (please see Strongbow news release #08-06 dated April 9, 2008). The VTEM surveys were commissioned to better define targets identified in 2007 and located between Nickel King and Stony Rapids, approximately 145 km to the southwest. Initial results from this year already include the identification of new occurrences of mafic and ultramafic intrusions coincident with airborne geophysical and lake sediment geochemical anomalies in the Opescal Lake area straddling the Saskatchewan / Northwest Territories border approximately 30 km southwest of Nickel King. Mafic (norite) intrusions host mineralization at Nickel King and the presence of similar rocks at Opescal Lake is highly encouraging, particularly since the strongest lake sediment geochemical anomalies within the region are located in this area. Geophysical surveys at Opescal Lake have identified a five kilometre trend of linear, coincident magnetic/electromagnetic anomalies that have the potential to represent sulphide mineralization associated with these intrusions. The summer exploration program is expected to continue through to the end of July 2008.
Strongbow maintains a 100% interest in approximately 900,000 acres of mineral claims and permits along a 240 km strike length of the southern SBTZ. Current exploration of the Snowbird and Nickel King projects represents part of Strongbow's ongoing evaluation of the nickel-copper-PGE potential of the SBTZ. The SBTZ is a major crustal scale structure and represents an underexplored region of Canada that is prospective for magmatic sulphide nickel deposits. Strongbow's 2008 exploration programs are conducted under the supervision of David Gale, P.Geo. (BC), Vice-President of Exploration for Strongbow and a Qualified Person within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101.
All samples from the 2008 drilling programs are split with one half of the core submitted to Acme Analytical Laboratories of Vancouver, BC for analysis. Each sample is weighed, dried and crushed to better than 70% passing a 2 mm screen. A split of up to 250g is taken and pulverized to better than 95% passing a 100 micron (150 mesh) screen. The prepared sample is subjected to an aqua regia digestion and the resulting solution is analyzed by inductively coupled plasma - mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Samples that return nickel results greater than 5,000 ppm are automatically re-analyzed using a larger sample size and laboratory inserted ore grade standards to provide optimum precision and accuracy. Strongbow conducts an internal quality assurance/quality control program, with the regular insertion of standard, blank and field duplicate samples into the sample stream.
STRONGBOW EXPLORATION INC. Kenneth A. Armstrong President and CEO
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