Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 2, 2024) - Sun Summit Minerals Corp. (TSXV: SMN) (OTCQB: SMREF) announces drill results from its fourth hole drilled during its inaugural exploration program at the JD Project in the Toodoggone District, north-central B.C.
Hole CZ-24-004 returned one of highest-grade intervals drilled to date at the Creek Zone, 121.0 g/t gold over 1.52 metres, as well as intersected consistent gold mineralization over 122.53 metres from surface. These results continue to demonstrate the presence of both high-grade and bulk-tonnage gold mineralization in this under-explored target area.
Highlights:
Hole CZ-24-004 intersected a broad zone of near-surface, continuous gold mineralization punctuated with high-grade veins:
122.53 metres of 2.11 g/t gold
including 20.0 metres of 10.01 g/t gold
and including 4.04 meters of 46.78 g/t gold
and including 1.52 metres over 121.0 g/t gold
Assay results build on previously announced drill resultsfrom the Creek Zone: These results further demonstrate the presence of significant high-grade gold mineralization as well as near-surface disseminated mineralization previously unrecognized due to selective sampling in historical drill programs.
Additional assay results pending: Assays from the remaining eight drill holes (1,674 metres) are pending.
Final results pending from numerous project-wide surveys: Results from soil and rock geochemical surveys together with final data products from an Induced Polarization (IP) geophysical survey and reprocessing of historic geophysical data are pending.
Sharyn Alexander, President of Sun Summit Minerals, stated: "The 2024 drill program continues to deliver significant results at the Creek Zone. Hole CZ-24-004, our fourth hole of this year's program, further confirms the potential for both high-grade and bulk-tonnage style gold mineralization and supports our initial thesis that selective sampling by previous operators missed the bulk-tonnage gold potential. The high-grade vein-hosted interval of 4.0 metres of 46.8 g/t gold, including 1.52 metres of 121.0 g/t gold, is significant and deserves further drill testing to better understand trends and structural controls. We look forward to sharing additional results from our summer program as they become available."
Table 1. Assay Results 1,2
Hole ID
From (m)
To (m)
Interval (m)
Au (g/t)
Ag (g/t)
CZ-24-004
3.00
125.53
122.53
2.11
0.3
including
53.00
111.00
58.00
4.00
0.5
including
66.00
66.70
0.73
16.70
1.1
including
91.00
111.00
20.00
10.01
0.9
including
106.96
111.00
4.04
46.78
3.1
including
108.00
109.53
1.53
121.00
7.3
and
146.46
159.00
12.54
0.32
0.1
1.Intervals are downhole core lengths. True widths are unknown. 2. Calculations are uncut and length-weighted using a 0.10 g/t gold cut-off.
Hole CZ-24-004 was collared from the same pad as CZ-24-003 (95.50 metres of 0.70 g/t gold including 34.0 metres of 1.32 g/t gold and including 18.0 g/t gold over 0.50 metres, see September 19th, 2024 news release) but drilled towards the southwest. The high-grade interval of 4.04 metres of 46.78 g/t gold in CZ-24-004 extends the important zone of high-grade gold mineralization, central to the Creek Zone, approximately 40 meters along strike to the north. Results from this hole, highlighted by 122.53 metres of 2.11 g/t gold, also further demonstrates the presence of previously unrecognised, near-surface bulk-tonnage style disseminated gold as most historical holes drilled at the Creek Zone were not continuously sampled. The lack of systematic sampling in the late-1990s resulted in a failure to recognise the bulk-tonnage potential of the target area (Figure 2).
Similar to the first three reported drill holes (see September 19th, 2024 news release), CZ-24-004 intersected a bedded sequence of volcaniclastic and intermediate volcanic rocks interpreted to be a sequence within the McClair Member of the Early Jurassic Toodoggone formation. Higher-grade gold mineralization is hosted in epithermal-related and locally banded quartz-carbonate veins, veinlets and breccias with strong potassium feldspar alteration halos. Vein-hosted sulfides include pyrite, sphalerite, ± chalcopyrite and galena. Bulk-tonnage mineralization is associated with selectively pervasive epidote-chlorite-pyrite alteration, proximal to vein-associated potassic alteration.
Drill Program
The first five holes of the 2024 exploration program were drilled on the western extent of the 4.5 kilometre-long, target-rich Finn to Creek Corridor. Results from holes CZ-24-001, 002, and 003 were released on September 19th, 2024, results from hole CZ-24-004 are released here, and results from hole CZ-24-005 are pending. Overall, the drill program consisted of 2,537 metres of diamond drilling across 12 holes (see September 5th, 2024 news release).
At the Creek Zone, drilling was primarily designed to build on results from past programs where previous drill holes were selectively sampled, vein orientation data was lacking, and disseminated mineralization was not considered. The primary objective of the drilling at the Creek Zone was to; 1) confirm the presence of high-grade gold mineralization, 2) collect systematic downhole data to define a structural model to inform future drill programs and, 3) investigate the presence of disseminated mineralization by continuously sampling from collar to bottom of hole.
Assays from the remaining drill holes, as well as surface sampling results, are pending and expected to be released as they are received and reviewed.
Table 2. Drill Collar Locations
Hole ID
Easting
Northing
Elevation (m)
Azimuth
Dip
Depth (m)
CZ-24-004
608256
6368318
1511
239.7
-55
193
Coordinates are in UTM NAD83 Zone 9N
Quality Assurance and Quality Control
All drill core sample assay and analytical results have been monitored through the Company's quality assurance and quality control program (QA/QC). Drill core was sawn in half at Sun Summit's dedicated and secure core logging and processing facility at the Lawyers exploration camp owned by Thesis Gold. Only Sun Summit and assigned APEX Geoscience field staff were allowed access to the core.
Half of the drill core was sampled and shipped by a bonded courier in sealed and secured woven polyester bags to the ALS Global preparation facilities in Langley, BC or Winnipeg, Manitoba. Core samples were prepared using ALS standard preparation procedure PREP-31A which involves crushing the sample to 70% less than 2mm, followed by a riffle split of 250g, and then a pulverised split to better than 85% passing 75 microns.
Following sample preparation, the pulps were sent to the ALS Global analytical laboratory in North Vancouver, B.C. for analysis. ALS Global is registered to ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accreditations for laboratory procedures.
Drill core samples were analyzed for 48 elements by ICP-MS on a 0.25-gram aliquot using a four-acid digestion (method ME-MS61). This method is considered a "ultra trace element" analytical method with low detection limits on key pathfinder elements such as Ag, As, Sb, Se and Tl.
Gold was analyzed by fire assay on a 30-gram aliquot with an AES finish (inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy - method Au-ICP21). Samples that returned >10 parts per million (ppm) gold were re-analyzed by fire assay using a gravimetric finish on a 30-gram aliquot.
Overlimit samples (e.g. Ag, Cu, Pb & Zn) were re-analyzed using an ore-grade, four-acid digestion and ICP-AES finish. Overlimits for key elements: samples with >100 ppm silver, >10,000 ppm Cu, >10,000 ppm Pb and >10,000 ppm Zn. In addition to ALS Global laboratory QA/QC protocols, Sun Summit implements a rigorous internal QA/QC program that includes the insertion of duplicates, certified reference materials (standards prepared by an independent lab) and blanks into the sample stream.
National Instrument 43-101 Disclosure
This news release has been reviewed and approved by Sun Summit's Vice President Exploration, Ken MacDonald, P. Geo., a "Qualified Person" as defined in National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects of the Canadian Securities Administrators. He has not been able to verify the historical exploration data disclosed, including sampling, analytical and test data, underlying the technical information in this news release since such data is historical and the original drill core is not readily available. Technical information contained in this release is historical in nature and has been compiled from public sources believed to be accurate. The technical information has not been verified by Sun Summit and may in some instances be unverifiable dependent on the existence of historical drill core and grab samples.
Community Engagement
Sun Summit is engaging with First Nations on whose territory our projects are located and is discussing their interests and identifying contract and work opportunities, as well as opportunities to support community initiatives. The Company looks forward to continuing to work with local and regional First Nations with ongoing exploration.
About the JD Project
The JD Project is located in the Toodoggone mining district in north-central British Columbia, a highly prospective deposit-rich mineral trend. The project covers an area of over 15,000 hectares and is in close proximity to active exploration and development projects, such as Thesis Gold's Lawyers and Ranch projects, TDG Gold's Baker-Shasta projects, Centerra's Gold's Kemess East and Underground projects, as well as the past-producing Kemess open pit copper-gold mine.
The project is 450 kilometres northwest of the city of Prince George, and 25 kilometres north of the Sturdee airstrip. It is proximal to existing infrastructure in place to support the past-producing Kemess mine, including roads and a hydroelectric power line.
The JD Project is in a favourable geological environment characterized by both high-grade epithermal gold and silver mineralization, as well as porphyry-related copper and gold mineralization. Some historical exploration, including drilling, geochemistry and geophysics, has been carried out on the property, however the project area is largely underexplored.
About Sun Summit
Sun Summit Minerals (TSXV: SMN) (OTCQB: SMREF) is a mineral exploration company focused on expansion and discovery of district scale gold and copper assets in British Columbia. The Company's diverse portfolio includes the JD Project in the Toodoggone region of north-central B.C., and the Buck Project in central B.C.
Statements contained in this news release that are not historical facts may be forward-looking statements, which involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In addition, the forward-looking statements require management to make assumptions and are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties. There is significant risk that the forward-looking statements will not prove to be accurate, that the management's assumptions may not be correct and that actual results may differ materially from such forward-looking statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. Generally forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of terminology such as "anticipate", "will", "expect", "may", "continue", "could", "estimate", "forecast", "plan", "potential" and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release may include, but are not limited to, potential mineralization, exploration plans, and engagement with First Nations communities. These forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions which may prove to be incorrect which, without limiting the generality of the following, include: risks inherent in exploration activities; the impact of exploration competition; unexpected geological or hydrological conditions; changes in government regulations and policies, including trade laws and policies; failure to obtain necessary permits and approvals from government authorities; volatility and sensitivity to market prices; volatility and sensitivity to capital market fluctuations; the ability to raise funds through private or public equity financings; environmental and safety risks including increased regulatory burdens; weather and other natural phenomena; and other exploration, development, operating, financial market and regulatory risks. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof or the dates specifically referenced in this press release, where applicable. Except as required by applicable securities laws and regulation, Sun Summit disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. All forward-looking statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
