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Island Arc Updates Nassile Gold Project in
Niger
Island Arc Exploration Corp. ("Island
Arc") is pleased to announce that it has successfully completed the
current phase of auger drilling, geological mapping, and outcrop grab
sampling at its 100% owned Nassile Gold Project located in the Republic of
Niger, West Africa. Based on fieldwork completed in 2008 and 2009, Island Arc
geologists have identified at least 5 prospects hosting significant gold
mineralization along 20 kilometres of a large regional structure. At Bamperi
South, grab samples returned grades from <0.01 g/t Au to 132 g/t Au. Two
samples from Bamperi North returned assays of 109 g/t Au and 105 g/t Au. In
total, 66 of 313 grab samples collected from all 5 prospect areas returned
assay values >1.0 g/t Au.
These 5 prospect areas extend over 20 kilometres of the broad
northeast-trending Tampena shear zone. Auger drilling, comprising 4,117
metres in 391 holes, focused on 4 prospect areas in the southwest portion of
the trend. In addition, detailed geological mapping and sampling of available
outcrops were completed over each of the prospect areas. All 5 areas exhibit
significant multi-phase quartz veining hosted in several different variably
deformed rock types. Each prospect warrants further exploration, including
drilling. Maps of the prospects will be posted at
www.islandarcexploration.com shortly.
Table 1 Auger Drilling and Grab Sampling Program
Prospect
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Auger
Drilling Drilling No. of Holes
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Auger
Drilling Metres
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No
of Grab Samples
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|
|
|
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Songonduari
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112
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1267
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60
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Forbemi
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104
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1112.5
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33
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Bamperi South
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62
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405
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59
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Bamperi North
|
113
|
1332.5
|
120
|
Koutougou / Tirboye
|
0
|
0
|
41
|
The Nassile permit covers 1148.9 square kilometres of the Sirba greenstone
belt in the lower Proterozoic Birimian volcano-sedimentary series adjacent to
the Burkina Faso border 100 kilometres southwest of Niamey, the capital of
Niger. The Nassile permit lies 35 kilometres south of the Samira Hill gold
mine and 200 kilometres southeast of IAMGold's Essakane Project, currently
under construction. From 1996 to 1998, the Nassile property was actively
explored by Ashanti Goldfields (now AngloGold Ashanti), who conducted
programs of soil and termite mound geochemistry, geological mapping, ground
magnetic surveys, trenching and RAB drilling. However, no drilling was ever
completed on any of the 5 prospect areas described herein.
Songonduari Prospect
Initial auger drilling focused on the Songonduari Prospect, the site of a
recent gold rush of local artisanal miners. Up to 10,000 people covered much
of Songonduari; coarse gold was recovered from hard lateritic cover at
surface, and from smoky-grey, quartz veining at depths of up to 15 metres.
Songonduari hosts a series of narrow mineralized quartz veins within a
strongly deformed sequence of meta-sedimentary rocks, locally graphitic,
which are both folded and well foliated. Quartz veins are reported to have
multiple orientations, which vary from stacked sets of flat-lying veins to
sub-vertical sheeted veins, with the overall orientation of workings
suggesting a dominant north-south trend for mineralization.
Auger sampling returned assays from <0.01 g/t Au to 0.96 g/t Au. In
general, results match and complement existing termite mound geochemistry.
Eleven of 60 grab samples returned assays >1.0 g/t Au, including 13.1 g/t
and 15.5 g/t Au from quartz veins in graphitic sedimentary rocks near the
southern limit of the trend. A sample from a sulphide-rich quartz vein,
approximately 750 metres to the east, assayed 8.28 g/t Au. A sample from
another northeast-trending vein near an old artisanal working 500 metres
north of the new artisanal mine site assayed 2.57 g/t Au.
Forbemi
Located 2 kilometres north of Songonduari, Forbemi is marked by prominent
northeast-trending chargeability highs covered by hard laterite that may mask
potential mineralization at depth. Significantly, the Forbemi area hosts at
least 2 northwest to west-trending quartz-sulphide veins. The southern vein
is exposed in extensive artisanal workings over a distance of almost 200
metres. Two grab samples from the workings returned assays of 9.20 g/t Au and
6.77 g/t Au.
Lines of auger holes were oriented northwest southeast on either side of a
significant northeast-trending structure largely obscured by the flood plain
of the seasonal Forbemi River. A strong linear chargeability high maps out
the structure. One auger hole, the last in a line terminating at the river,
returned an assay of 5.63 g/t Au, encountering sulphides in saprolitized
bedrock at the bottom of the hole. Auger holes were not drilled across the
structure due to the depth of cover.
Bamperi South
The Bamperi Prospect covers an extensive chargeability high in the central
part of Tampena, 6 kilometres northeast of Songonduari. Much of the area is
covered by alluvial laterite but one trench (#17) excavated during the 2008
program intersected 7.55 g/t Au over 3.0 metres at the south end of the anomaly.
A number of north south, east west, and northeast-trending veins have been
mapped and sampled. Grab samples from one such vein over 1 kilometre
northeast of Trench 17, returned assays of 35.7 g/t Au, 25.1 g/t Au, and 21.8
g/t Au in an area previously trenched by Ashanti. Sulphides including galena,
pyrite, chalcopyrite, and bornite appear related to high gold values in
quartz veining. Another grab sample 500 metres further northeast assayed 132
g/t Au.
Bamperi North
Bamperi North, centred approximately 8 kilometres northeast of Songonduari,
is characterized by several large northeast trending quartz veins. The
largest mapped vein extends over a distance of 1.5 kilometres with high-grade
assays from grab samples reported over 600 metres of that distance. There are
significant artisanal diggings along sections of the vein. Grab sampling from
the central portion of the largest vein returned several very high grade
assays, including 109 g/t and 105 g/t Au, associated with galena. Grab
samples 400 metres to the northeast returned assays of 58.2 g/t and 30.0 g/t
Au, with 7 more grading >10 g/t Au. In all, 23 of 120 grab samples assayed
>1.0 g/t Au. Toward the northeast, the vein displays increasing structural
complexity due to localized faulting.
Koutougou and Tirboye
Veins mapped at Bamperi project onto the Koutougou area adjoining to the
northeast. Grab samples collected from quartz veins at Koutougou returned
assays from <0.01 g/t Au to 11.8 g/t Au, but to-date work in the Koutougou
area has been limited to prospecting. Regolith mapping at Tirboye, 8
kilometres northeast of Koutougou, has discovered several prospective quartz
structures in highly sheared metavolcanic and metasedimentary rocks. These
vein structures trend north-easterly and strongly resemble the veins mapped
at Bamperi North. Grades from 28 grab samples collected from these quartz
vein structures at Tirboye ranged from <0.01 g/t to 20.8 g/t Au with 12
samples returning values >1.0 g/t Au. No auger drilling was completed at
either Tirboye or Koutougou.
Future Program
Several strong gold targets identified at Nassile are now drill ready. To
that end, Island Arc is planning an aggressive program of reverse circulation
and/or diamond drilling aimed at priority targets in the Bamperi North, Bamperi
South, Forbemi, and Songonduari Prospects. Subject to adequate financing, the
program is expected to commence following the rainy season.
Christopher J. Wild, P.Eng, V.P. Exploration for Island Arc, is the Qualified
Person for this release.
On behalf of the Board of Directors
Island Arc Exploration Corp.
James T. Gillis
James T. Gillis, President & CEO
For further information, please contact:
James Gillis, President & CEO-- Phone: 250-828-8728 or Fax: 250-828-2269
This press release may be accessed at Island Arc Exploration Corp's website: www.islandarcexploration.com
and at SEDAR-IAX
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You can also view this News Release
on our website at:
http://www.islandarcexploration.com/s/NewsReleases.asp?ReportID=354363
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