Duluth hits big in stepout hole (March 21, 2007)

While infill holes confirm mineralization drilled by previous operators, Duluth Metals (DM-T) has cut a long interval of base metal and platinum-group-element mineralization in an exploration hole on its Maturi Extension project in northeastern Minnesota.

The new hole was collared 1.2 km northeast of previously tested areas, and intersected 133.5 metres of sulphides, including some massive material. The whole intersection averaged 0.5% copper, 0.17% nickel, 0.16 gram palladium, 0.07 gram platinum, 0.05 gram gold and 1.6 grams silver per tonne.

The true width of the intersection is thought to be about 90% of the drilled core length, or about 120 metres.

Within that, there were three zones of higher-grade material; the shallowest was a 15-metre zone of 0.55% copper, 0.2% nickel, 0.19 gram palladium, 0.1 gram platinum, 0.05 gram gold and 1.7 grams silver per tonne. A 24-metre interval ran 0.76% copper, 0.25% nickel, 0.21 gram palladium, 0.08 gram platinum, 0.06 gram gold and 2.5 grams silver, and an 18-metre interval ran 0.55% copper, 0.17% nickel, 0.19 gram palladium, 0.08 gram platinum, 0.07 gram gold and 1.8 grams silver per tonne.

Two more mineralized intervals, one of 1.5 metres and the other of 1 metre, were encountered deeper in the hole. The 1.5 metre interval averaged 1% copper and 0.25% nickel, with 0.28 gram palladium, 0.06 gram platinum, 0.08 gram gold and 3.4 grams silver per tonne. The shorter interval ran 9% copper and 0.21% nickel, with 2 grams palladium, 0.6 gram platinum, 0.4 gram gold and 78 grams silver per tonne.

In the western part of the property, Duluth is trying to put together a resource, and three infill holes confirmed the results of drilling by previous operators. One hole intersected 47.2 metres that averaged 0.83% copper, 0.24% nickel, 0.45 gram palladium, 0.22 gram platinum, 0.1 gram gold and 4.6 grams silver per tonne. That included a higher-grade zone running 4.94% copper, 0.64% nickel, 1.71 gram palladium, 1.18 gram platinum, 0.46 gram gold and 19.6 grams silver per tonne, over 3 metres.

The second hole averaged 0.45% copper, 0.13% nickel, 0.26 gram palladium, 0.12 gram platinum, 0.06 gram gold and 1.5 grams silver per tonne over 53.7 metres. The third cut 61 metres grading 0.58% copper, 0.15% nickel, 0.34 gram palladium, 0.15 gram platinum, 0.08 gram gold and 2 grams silver. Both holes intersected higher-grade intervals within those longer intersections, mainly near the footwall of the mineralization.