Joutel releases Cuban exploration results

Toronto-based Joutel Resources (TSE) has received encouraging results from its Cuban holdings. Since January, the company has been collecting data on its concessions in the Santa Clara, Camaguey and Sierra Maestra areas by means of airborne geophysics, drilling and prospecting.

In the municipality of Santa Clara in west-central Cuba, five holes totaling 3,752.9 ft. were drilled on the Antonio base metal prospect. Three of the holes were drilled to confirm the geological setting of the known mineralization, which has been calculated at 2.7 million tons grading 1.64% copper, 3.89% zinc, 0.01 oz. gold and 0.58 oz. silver per ton. Significant massive sulphide intersections in these holes include: 1.08% copper, 1.94% zinc, 0.011 oz. gold and 0.25 oz. silver over 47.2 ft. in Hole A94-1, and 3.36% copper, 1.09% zinc, 0.01 oz. gold and 0.64 oz. silver over 40 ft. in Hole A94-4. All three holes also cut stringer mineralization, with values up to 0.38% copper, 3.51% zinc, 0.017 oz. gold and 0.58 oz. silver over 54.5 ft. in Hole A94-3.

Two holes, drilled to test gravity anomalies adjacent to the Antonio deposit, encountered highly altered volcanic rocks but no significant mineralization. Down-the-hole electromagnetic surveys will be performed on these holes to test for adjacent lenses of massive sulphide mineralization. Ground geophysical surveys and additional drilling are recommended for Antonio.

At the Arimao project, a hole was drilled to test a copper-gold porphyry deposit that has an estimated resource of 80 million tons grading 0.3% copper with a potential gold credit.

The entire hole encountered mineralization averaging 0.29% copper over 829.39 ft. The gold assays were low, averaging only 0.0013 oz. and further drilling is being considered.

Two holes were also drilled to test a copper-zinc showing at Calizas-Guaos. One hole cut a narrow mineralized zone which assayed 0.2% copper, 5.82% zinc and 0.06 oz. silver over 2.9 ft.

In Camaguey province, ground geophysical surveys are being carried out on the Dumanuecos and Caisimu gold prospects and trenching is under way on the gold-zinc occurrence known as El Jaguey.

In the Sierra Maestra mountain range of southeastern Cuba, a significant gold zone has been identified about 1 mile west of the Cobre copper mine. This zone, referred to as Barite, is 2,625 ft. long and averages 656 ft. in width. Previous trenching over portions of this zone averaged 0.06-0.09 oz. gold across 263 ft. Samples collected from a 30-ft.-deep pit returned values of up to 0.43 oz. gold. Trenching and drilling are scheduled to begin immediately on this zone.

Sampling and ground surveys are also being completed on the Buey Cabon porphyry copper area and in the Vega Grande and Juanica sectors. In other news, airborne geophysical surveys have been completed on the Camaguey and Santa Clara concessions and a helicopter-borne geophysical survey will be completed on the Sierra Maestra concession later this fall. Data from the surveys are under evaluation.