Desert Sun Mining Corp.: Major New Open Pit Target Identified; More Drilling Results.Business Editors TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 10, 2003 DESERT SUN MINING CORP. (TSXV:DSM 1. DSM - Data Structure Manager. An object-oriented language by J.E. Rumbaugh and M.E. Loomis of GE, similar to C++. It is used in implementation of CAD/CAE software. DSM is written in DSM and C and produces C as output. ) is delineating a major gold district at Jacobina, State of Bahia, Brazil, along what has long been recognized as an extensive geological belt. Phase I of the program comprised twelve NQ diamond drill holes, totaling 2,250 metres, in six initial target areas on DSM's large property position. A major compilation and interpretation of all historical data is also in progress. This press release reports on a major new open pit target identified at Morro do Vento and the results of the last six holes of the Phase I program in three of the targets, namely Canavieiras, Maneira and Rio Coxo. Encouraging results from the first hole in the Phase II program at Serra do Corrego are also reported. DSM recently announced completion of a $4.7 million private placement, proceeds of which will be used to fund a major Phase II exploration program to follow-up on encouraging results of the Phase I program and to test additional targets recently identified. SNC-Lavalin and Dynatec have been retained to complete a pre-feasibility study on the Jacobina mine and this study is expected to be completed in June 2003. Exploration work is also continuing on evaluating the extensive Bahia gold belt, which extends over 100km along strike. Major Open Pit Target Identified at Morro do Vento DSM has identified a potentially large open pittable target zone in the Intermediate reefs at Morro do Vento. This area is located 1.5 kilometres south of the processing plant and is the southward south·ward adv. & adj. Toward, to, or in the south. n. A southward direction, point, or region. south continuation of the same reefs as at the Serra do Corrego and Morro do Cuscuz areas from which significant drilling results were previously reported (see press release of January 20, 2003 and attached map below). At Morro do Vento, the Intermediate reef package consists of quartz pebble conglomerate conglomerate, in business conglomerate, corporation whose asset growth, often very rapid, comes largely through the acquisition of, or merger with, other firms whose products are largely unrelated to each other or to that of the parent company. layers interbedded with quartzite quartzite, usually metamorphic rock composed of firmly cemented quartz grains. Most often it is white, light gray, yellowish, or light brown, but is sometimes colored blue, green, purple, or black by included minerals. that averages about 70 metres wide and extends along strike for 2 kilometres. This package has been previously explored by 20 wide spaced diamond drill holes over the 2 kilometre strike length as well as in limited underground workings. Conglomerates A Conglomerate is the term used to describe a large corporation that consists of diverse divisions. Conglomerate companies tend to be large multinational corporations with operations in multiple regions of the world. comprise approximately 25% to 40% of the package and have an overall average grade ranging from 1.5 to 1.7 grams per tonne tonne measure of weight or mass; 1 tonne=1000 kg. See also ton. gold (g Au/t) in these drill holes. DSM considers, based on this information, that Morro do Vento has the potential to host an open pittable deposit in the range of 10 to 20 million tonnes at a grade of 1.5 to 1.7 g Au/t. This estimate is conceptual and further investigation is required to confirm a mineral resource. The former Itapicuru mine had workings in the Morro do Vento and Morro do Cuscuz areas with most of the previous production coming from the Basal basal /ba·sal/ (ba´s'l) pertaining to or situated near a base; in physiology, pertaining to the lowest possible level. ba·sal adj. 1. and Main Reefs which are stratigraphically 350 metres and 300 metres, respectively, below the Intermediate Reefs. Previous mining and exploration focused on the high grade zones in these reefs which were mined in stopes Stopes , Marie Carmichael 1880-1958. British social reformer who opened England's first birth control clinic (1924) in London and later promoted family planning in east Asia. that were typically 2 to 2.5 metres wide. Past production from the Intermediate Reefs was 413,974 tonnes grading 3.87 (g Au/t) from one conglomerate layer 1.9 metres thick at the north end of the area. The package is exposed on the east flank flank (flank) the side of the body between ribs and ilium. flank n. 1. The side of the body between the pelvis or hip and the last rib; the side. 2. of the Morro do Vento hill and the slope of the hill is a dip slope A dip slope is a geological formation often created by erosion of tilted strata. It is seen in large ridges that have one side that is steep and irregular (an escarpment) and the other side, the dip slope, that is generally planar and tilting at a continuous angle. averaging about 55 degrees dip to the east. The reefs extend from the top of the hill at elevation 1000 metres to the valley at elevation 630 metres where they are truncated truncated adjective Shortened by a steeply dipping mafic maf·ic adj. Containing or relating to a group of dark-colored minerals, composed chiefly of magnesium and iron, that occur in igneous rocks. intrusive in·tru·sive adj. 1. Intruding or tending to intrude. 2. Geology Of or relating to igneous rock that is forced while molten into cracks or between other layers of rock. 3. Linguistics Epenthetic. . There are numerous garimpos (free miner workings) along the entire strike. The largest garimpo on the north end extends for 230 metres along strike and is 10 to 20 metres wide. DSM plans to carry out 4,000 metres of diamond drilling Diamond Drilling is a highly specialized industry used for mineral exploration around the world. Most commonly using wireline and core bits with diamond encrusted matrix. To drill holes to max depths of twelve thousand feet, for the recovery of core used in verifying mineral in 29 holes to test this area to outline a mineral resource. Most of the holes will be concentrated in the top 100m with several wide spaced holes planned at a deeper level to confirm downdip continuity. Because of the geometry of the zone, and its location on the flank of a hill (see attached schematic A graphical representation of a system. It often refers to electronic circuits on a printed circuit board or in an integrated circuit (chip). See logic gate and HDL. cross section below), the zone could be open pit mined with a waste rock stripping ratio that likely would be minimal. Drill Results at Canavieiras and Maneira The former Canavieiras mine is located 3 kilometres north of the processing plant and is located in a block bounded by faults that is approximately 1.2 kilometres long and 400 metres wide. In contrast to the main conglomerate trend, Canavieiras is characterized by moderate folding resulting in structural upgrading of gold mineralization Mineralization The process by which the body uses minerals to build bone structure. Mentioned in: Rickets mineralization, n the bioprecipitation of an inorganic substance. in the reefs. Past production, primarily from the Piritoso and Liberino reefs, in the Canavieiras Mine totaled 458,247 tonnes at a grade of 8.65 g Au/t. DSM work has focused on evaluating the full stratigraphic stra·tig·ra·phy n. The study of rock strata, especially the distribution, deposition, and age of sedimentary rocks. strat package hosting the favourable conglomerate beds which is estimated to be over 300m thick. Major targets include the MU and LU reefs below the Canavieiras mine workings and the Holandes-Maneira reefs above. The first hole, CAN-14 was collared 50 metres south of previous hole CAN-13 drilled in 1997 which intersected 7.07 g Au/t over 24.0 metres (true width) in the MU reef about 50m below the old mine workings. As previously reported, CAN-14 intersected a 176m long section (true width of approximately 100m) of favourable conglomerate stratigraphy stratigraphy, branch of geology specifically concerned with the arrangement of layered rocks (see stratification). Stratigraphy is based on the law of superposition, which states that in a normal sequence of rock layers the youngest is on top and the oldest on the from 183m to 359m. However, only short intervals with significant gold values were returned as listed in the attached table. Hole CAN-15 on the same section but drilled at a steeper angle intersected a dyke at 165 metres and was stopped at 282 metres still in the dyke. CAN-16, drilled 50m north of CAN-13, intersected a high grade zone in a breccia breccia: see conglomerate. breccia Coarse sedimentary rock consisting of angular or nearly angular fragments larger than 0.08 in. (2 mm). Breccia commonly results from processes such as landslides or geologic faulting, in which rocks are fractured. grading 32.70 g Au/t over 0.7 metres true width at a depth of 28 metres below surface. A wide zone of mineralization in the MU and LU reefs was intersected from 110.15 to 207.46 metres which averaged 0.78 g Au/t over 48.7 metre true width. Higher grade portions included 2.44 g Au/t over 11.6 metres true width and 4.63 g Au/t over 2.7 metres in the MU reef. A detailed compilation and 3-D modeling of all surface and underground data combined with this recent drilling indicates that there is a previously unrecognized southerly plunge to the fold structure hosting gold mineralization at Canavieiras. As a result hole CAN-14 overshot overshot protruding. overshot fetlock see knuckling over. overshot jaw See brachygnathia. Called also parrot mouth. the target fold hinge hinge n. A jointed or flexible device that allows the turning or pivoting of a part, such as a door or lid, on a stationary frame. hinge see hinge joint. area and intersected the fold limb where gold values tend to be more erratic er·rat·ic adj. 1. Having no fixed or regular course; wandering. 2. Lacking consistency, regularity, or uniformity: an erratic heartbeat. 3. and discontinuous discontinuous /dis·con·tin·u·ous/ (dis?kon-tin´u-us) 1. interrupted; intermittent; marked by breaks. 2. discrete; separate. 3. lacking logical order or coherence. . The southern extension of the high grade intersection in CAN-13 remains to be tested and this target zone extends for at least 600 metres along strike. CAN-17 tested two major reefs in the Maneira target above the mine workings in which underground drilling by the previous operator returned 6.75 g Au/t over 11.2 metres true width and 4.31 g Au/t over 7.2 metres true width, respectively. This hole was collared approximately 100 metres north of these intersections. A narrow higher grade intersection of 5.51 g Au/t over 1.1 metres was intersected from 23.20 to 24.61 metres. A wider zone of lower grade mineralization of 1.87 g Au/t over 7.4 metres true width including 3.92 g Au/t over 2.4 metres was intersected from 94.22 to 103.68 metres. DSM plans to carry out induced polarization Induced polarization (IP) is a geophysical imaging technique used to identify subsurface materials, such as ore. The method is similar to electrical resistivity tomography, in that an electric current is induced into the subsurface through two electrodes, and voltage is geophysical surveys Geophysical survey refers to the systematic collection of geophysical data for spatial studies. Geophysical surveys may use a great variety of sensing instruments, and data may be collected from above or below the Earth's surface or from aerial or marine platforms. to better define the overall distribution of mineralization in the Canavieiras targets prior to further drilling. Surface setup locations are limited so further drilling will likely have to be from underground. Significant Zone of Gold Mineralization Outlined at Rio Coxo Rio Coxo is located 12 km north-northeast of the processing plant. Garimpeiros (free miners) are currently working at Rio Coxo in an area about 300m long using short adits and a decline. Two drill holes were completed and a garimpo channel sampling program. Gold mineralization occurs in a shallowly dipping (25 to 40 degrees west dipping), north striking shear shear: see strength of materials. Shear A straining action wherein applied forces produce a sliding or skewing type of deformation. zone with highly altered ultramafics and quartz veins. Gold is hosted primarily within the quartz veins associated with pyrite pyrite (pī`rīt) or iron pyrites (pīrī`tēz, pə–, pī`rīts), pale brass-yellow mineral, the bisulfide of iron, FeS2. . Hole COXO-1 was collared on the north end of the garimpo but no core was recovered in the target zone so the hole was re-drilled as COXO-2. The target shear zone was intersected in this hole confirming that the structure continued downdip but returned a low grade value due to the absence of quartz. A prospecting program was conducted in the garimpo workings in the area and this identified a significant zone of gold mineralization on the same structure approximately 300 metres south of hole COXO-1. Two garimpo workings (Galleria 1 and Galleria 2) approximately 30 metres apart were channel sampled. Sampling was done on both walls at approximately 2 metre intervals with the sample line perpendicular to the dip of the structure. Sampling at Galleria 1 returned 4.23 g Au/t (4.11 g Au/t with highs cut to 60 g Au/t) over an average true thickness of 1.65 metres and a 15 metre horizontal width. Galleria 2 returned 7.23 g Au/t (4.66 g Au/t with highs cut to 60 g Au/t) over an average true thickness of 1.69 metres and a 17 metre horizontal width. Further evaluation of additional workings is planned to extend this zone and to better understand the controls on the location of high grade quartz veins. Serra do Corrego Results DSM has identified an additional potential open pittable zone in the Maneira and Holandes reefs at Serra do Corrego. These reefs are approximately 200 metres stratigraphically above the Intermediate reefs and are exposed continuously over a strike length of 1,800 metres on the east flank of the Serra do Corrego hill. There are numerous garimpos (free miner workings) along much of this exposure. Previous wide spaced drilling suggests that the mineralization at surface extends downdip but more drilling is required to confirm this. SCO-83, the first drill hole of the Phase II program, returned very encouraging results of 3.70g Au/t tonne over a true width of 9.9 metres in the Maneira reef and 0.86 g Au/t over 7.4 metres true width in the Holandes reef. This hole was extended to 370 metres to intersect In a relational database, to match two files and produce a third file with records that are common in both. For example, intersecting an American file and a programmer file would yield American programmers. the Intermediate reefs; assays on this section of the hole are pending. Further drilling of this target is planned. A program of 1,200 metres of drilling in 15 holes using two drill rigs has commenced to define a near surface indicated mineral resource in the Intermediate reefs at Serra do Corrego that will be incorporated, if successful, into the pre-feasibility study in progress. Assaying for the program was carried out by Lakefield Geosol, an ISO (1) See ISO speed. (2) (International Organization for Standardization, Geneva, Switzerland, www.iso.ch) An organization that sets international standards, founded in 1946. The U.S. member body is ANSI. 9002 laboratory based in Brazil, using fire assay on 50 gram pulps. Check assaying is routinely carried out, by ALS Als (äls), Ger. Alsen, island, 121 sq mi (313 sq km), Sønderjylland co., S Denmark, in the Lille Bælt, separated from the mainland by the narrow Alensund. Chemex in Vancouver, on 10% of sample pulps and 5% of sample rejects. Security is maintained at the core logging and sampling facility. Dr. Bill Pearson, P.Geo. is the Qualified Person as defined under National Instrument 43-101 responsible for the scientific and technical work on the program. Desert Sun Mining is a Canadian gold exploration and development company listed on the Toronto Venture Exchange. (www.desertsunmining.com).
TABLE OF SIGNIFICANT DRILLING AND SAMPLING RESULTS
Hole No.(a) From To Gold Interval True Depth Below
(m) (m) (g/t) (m) Width(m) Surface(b)(m)
SERRA DO CORREGO
SCO-83 62.66 74.12 3.70 11.46 9.9 68
Dip -53 deg. 118.71 127.34 0.86 8.63 7.4 123
Results pending for Intermediates reefs
CANAVIEIRAS
CAN-14
Dip -55 deg. 104.71 105.12 3.02 0.41 0.2 110
126.98 128.15 1.92 1.17 0.6 132
147.25 154.65 0.46 7.40 3.7 154
Incl. 154.25 154.65 2.83 0.40 0.2 154
202.23 202.73 1.94 0.50 0.3 204
230.94 234.61 0.94 3.67 1.8 232
CAN-15
Dip -75 deg. 146.79 148.55 1.38 1.76 1.4 155
Intersected dyke at 165.63
CAN-16
Dip -53 deg. 30.30 31.75 32.70 1.45 0.7 28
110.15 207.48 0.78 97.33 48.7 185
Incl. 110.15 133.27 2.44 23.12 11.6 150
Incl. 127.83 133.27 4.63 5.44 2.7 160
Incl. 202.91 207.48 1.50 4.57 2.3 250
MANEIRA (CANAVIEIRAS)
CAN-17
Dip -73 deg. 23.20 24.61 5.51 1.41 1.1 15
94.22 103.68 1.87 9.46 7.4 78
Incl. 94.22 97.29 3.92 3.07 2.4 80
119.19 121.05 3.01 1.86 1.5 100
209.57 211.69 2.57 2.12 1.7 165
RIO COXO - DIAMOND DRILLING
COXO-1
Dip -80 deg. No core recovered in target zone; re-drilled as Coxo-2
COXO-2 63.52 65.04 0.69 1.52 0.5 54
Dip -50 deg.
RIO COXO - CHANNEL SAMPLING OF GARIMPOS (FREE MINER WORKINGS)
GALLERIA 1 (300m south of COXO-1)
4.23g/t 1.65m true thickness 15m horizontal width
4.11g/t (cut to 60 g/t)
GALLERIA 2 (270m south of COXO-1 and 30m north of Galleria 1)
Incl. 7.23g/t 1.69m true thickness 17m horizontal width
4.66g/t (cut to 60 g/t)
(a) all holes are NQ diamond drill core size
(b) depth calculated based on midpoint of intersection
NOTE: A map is available on CCNMatthews' website at: http://www2.cdn-news.com/database/fax/2000/dsm10310.doc The TSX Venture Exchange TSX Venture Exchange Originally called the Canadian Venture Exchange (CDNX), this was a result of the merger of the Vancouver and Alberta stock exchanges. The goal of TSX Venture Exchange is to provide venture companies with effective access to capital while protecting investors. has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. |
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