Starfield expands mineralization

Vancouver — Starfield Resources (SRU-V) has expanded the West zone of mineralization on the Ferguson Lake polymetallic property in Nunavut.

Results from the last 10 holes of the current drilling campaign confirm that grades and widths of massive sulphides increase with depth. All holes intersected massive sulphide mineralization.

Hole 82 was drilled at a dip of minus 73 and intersected three intervals of mineralization, starting at a down-hole depth of 588.05 metres. The first interval cut 4.73 metres averaging 1.58% nickel, 0.4% copper and 0.042% cobalt, plus 0.8 gram palladium and 0.16% platinum per tonne. This was followed by a 4.54-metre section that assayed 1.33% copper, 0.77% nickel, 0.087% cobalt, 2.08 grams palladium and 0.34 gram platinum. The last section cut 5 metres of 0.97% copper, 0.91% nickel, 0.099% cobalt, 2.11 grams palladium and 0.27 gram platinum.

Hole 84 was drilled at an angle of minus 80 and undercut hole 82. It intersected 49.95 metres of 1.34% copper, 0.46% nickel, 0.089% cobalt, 1.99 grams palladium and 0.32 gram platinum, starting at a down-hole depth of 671.23 metres. This interval included a 13.06-metre section that averaged 1.36% copper, 0.86% nickel, 0.093% cobalt, 2.06 grams palladium and 0.43 gram platinum. Farther down-hole, a 3.88-metre section assayed 0.98% copper, 0.7% nickel, 0.066% cobalt, 1.72 grams palladium and 0.43 gram platinum.

Moving 300 metres to the east, holes 75, 77 and 80 were drilled to test the mineralization just west of previously reported intersections 72, 73 and 74.

Hole 75 cut two zones of mineralization, starting at 594.83 metres down-hole. The first intersection cut 2.02 metres of 1.41% copper, 0.72% nickel, 0.089% cobalt, 1.87 grams palladium and 0.05 gram platinum. This was followed by a 16.9-metre section that assayed 0.75% copper, 0.3% nickel, 0.034% cobalt, 0.68 gram palladium and 0.14 gram platinum from 608.39 metres down-hole.

Hole 77 hit 6.87 metres grading 0.96% copper, 0.8% nickel, 0.102% cobalt, 1.78 grams palladium and 0.19 gram platinum from 562.73 metres down-hole.

Hole 80 returned 7.11 metres averaging 1.14% copper, 0.76% nickel, 0.082% cobalt, 2.12 grams palladium and 0.21 gram platinum from 499.14 metres down-hole.

Five holes targeted the eastern portion of the West zone. Results are as follows:

– Hole 76 cut three zones. The first lens cut 25 metres grading 1.04% copper, 0.44% nickel, 0.053% cobalt, 0.81 gram palladium and 0.17 gram platinum from 378 metres down-hole. This was followed by a 12.03-metre section averaging 1.77% copper, 0.48% nickel, 0.054% cobalt, 1.05 grams palladium and 0.26 gram platinum. The last lens cut 7.93 metres grading 1.18% copper, 0.48% nickel, 0.069% cobalt, 1.32 grams palladium and 0.33 gram platinum.

– Hole 78 cut 11.7 metres grading 0.52% copper, 0.21% nickel, 0.03% cobalt, 0.61 gram palladium and 0.13 gram platinum from 459 metres down-hole.

– Hole 79 cut three zones starting at 459.45 metres down-hole. The highest-grade intersection returned 0.47% copper, 0.29% nickel, 0.041% cobalt, 0.78 gram palladium and 0.07 gram platinum over 4.19 metres.

– Hole 83 hit 10.1 metres grading 1.21% copper, 0.47% nickel, 0.052% cobalt, 1.47 grams palladium and 0.19 gram platinum from 352.9 metres down-hole.

– Hole 81 cut 9.55 metres grading 1.39% copper, 0.5% nickel, 1.34 grams palladium and 0.25 gram platinum, starting at 381.5 metres down-hole.

Based on a 1% combined nickel-copper cutoff grade, the latest resource for the West, East 1 and East 2 zones stands at 46.1 million tonnes grading 0.88% copper, 0.58% nickel and 1.41 grams combined platinum-palladium.

With a cutoff grade of 2% combined nickel-copper, the resource shrinks to 6.1 million tonnes averaging 1.31% copper, 0.95% nickel and 2.02 grams combined platinum-palladium.

The project is 160 km south of Baker Lake in Nunavut. The copper mineralization at the West zone was initially discovered in the 1950s by Inco (n-t). This find was followed up three decades later by a unit of Homestake Mining.

Inco pegged the West zone with a resource of 6.4 million tonnes grading 0.87% copper and 0.75% nickel. Homestake discovered showings of platinum, palladium and cobalt mineralization in sulphide-bearing outcrops.

Starfield has two rigs turning on the West zone. A third is testing the M zone.