Extorre Gold Mines Limited: High Gold-Silver Grades Continue for Zoe Discovery at Cerro Moro
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- Extorre Gold Mines Limited (TSX:XG)(NYSE Amex:XG)(FRANKFURT:E1R) ("Extorre" or the "Company") is pleased to announce additional high grade to bonanza grade gold-silver results from the next 10 of 27 diamond drill holes completed to date on the new Zoe discovery at Cerro Moro, Santa Cruz Province, Argentina.
intersected 8.60 metres ("m") (28.2 feet ("ft")) at 39.9 grams per tonne ("g/t") gold + 4,056 g/t silver (107.5 g/t gold equivalent*), including1.30 m (4.3 ft) at 171.7 g/t gold + 14,321 g/t silver (410.4 g/t gold equivalent*).
intersected 3.48 m (11.4 ft)at 60.7 g/t gold + 1,875 g/t silver (91.9 g/t gold equivalent*), including0.60 m (2 ft) at 254.2 g/t gold + 5,170 g/t silver (340.4 g/t gold equivalent*).
intersected 1.81 m (5.9 ft)at 162.0 g/t gold + 2,316 g/t silver (200.6 g/t gold equivalent*), including0.71 m (2.3 ft) at 374.0 g/t gold + 3,869 g/t silver (438.5 g/t gold equivalent*).
The new drilling results define high grade to bonanza gold-silver grades over a 350 m (1,148 ft) strike length and a vertical depth up to 240 m (787 ft). Two drill rigs are continuing to step out along the 2 kilometre ("km") (1.2 mile) long target zone.
Bryce Roxburgh, Extorre's co-chairman stated "The new results are clearly outstanding, and confirm the continuity of mineralization at the Zoe discovery. Our view is that Zoe has the potential to both significantly expand the scope of the mine development and extend the life of the project. Additional drilling is required, but Zoe is indeed a "game changer" for the project and we are encouraged that our geologist's advice is that the geological structure is strong and persistent along trend.
"Significantly, drilling indicates the Zoe vein system is fully preserved and represents another "blind from surface" discovery for Cerro Moro. The very subtle surface expression of the discovery highlights the potential for similar discoveries elsewhere within the 200 square km Cerro Moro vein field.
"We also compliment our skilled exploration team, many of whom have been with us for many years and know the project and these high grade vein systems well, on their highly successful exploration efforts."
The Zoe drill hole pattern has been broadened from 40 m (131 ft) step outs to 80 m (262 ft) and 160 m (525 ft) step outs. At this point the potentially mineralized structure has been confirmed by drilling to extend over a 1,400 m (4,593 ft) strike length.
Near surface the Zoe vein appears to be somewhat narrower with little visual evidence of mineralization. However the grades in drill holes
MD1229,
MD1216,
MD1207,
MD1200 and
MD1231 are significantly higher than anticipated. Should this pattern continue, the Company will evaluate the possibility of open pit mining at Zoe similar to what is planned for the Escondida, Gabriela and Esperanza veins.
Significant drilling results from the Zoe vein (at a 1.0 g/t gold equivalent* cut-off grade):
Drill Hole From
(m) To
(m) Width
(m) Gold
(g/t) Silver
(g/t) Gold
Equivalents
*
(g/t) Gold
Equivalents
*
(oz/ton)
MD1200 130.50 132.00 1.50 3.6 459 11.3 0.33
including 130.50 131.00 0.50 9.5 1,164 28.9 0.84
MD1207 34.00 37.45 3.45 1.9 242 6.0 0.17
including 35.86 36.26 0.40 4.1 638 14.7 0.43
and# 65.00 69.00 4.00 1.8 312 7.0 0.20
including # 67.00 68.00 1.00 4.7 819 18.3 0.53
MD1213 136.00 144.60 8.60 39.9 4,056 107.5 3.12
including 139.90 143.70 3.80 88.9 8,737 234.5 6.80
including 142.40 143.70 1.30 171.7 14,321 410.4 11.90
MD1216 72.00 74.60 2.60 11.2 1,777 40.8 1.18
including 72.60 73.30 0.70 30.5 4,404 103.9 3.01
MD1223 184.50 191.48 6.98 3.8 268 8.3 0.24
including 185.56 186.00 0.44 11.3 1,168 30.8 0.89
and 188.42 188.90 0.48 7.7 637 18.3 0.53
and 190.22 190.70 0.48 16.0 92 17.5 0.51
MD1224 235.62 239.10 3.48 60.7 1,875 91.9 2.67
including 236.10 237.90 1.80 113.0 3,270 167.5 4.86
including 237.30 237.90 0.60 254.2 5,170 340.4 9.87
MD1226 260.05 261.86 1.81 162.0 2,316 200.6 5.82
including 261.15 261.86 0.71 374.0 3,869 438.5 12.72
MD1229 101.94 103.66 1.72 0.9 131 3.0 0.09
MD1231 141.45 144.00 2.55 2.7 194 6.0 0.17
including 142.53 143.00 0.47 5.2 348 11.0 0.32
MD1236 234.69 238.95 4.26 1.3 196 4.6 0.13
including 237.45 238.45 1.00 2.1 202 5.5 0.16
* Gold equivalent grade is calculated by dividing the silver assay result by 60, adding it to the gold value and assuming 100% metallurgical recovery.
# The second deeper intersection in hole
MD1207 is a footwall vein below the main mineralized structure. It represents a splay from a "jog" in the main structure.
Four drill rigs are operating at Cerro Moro, two at the Zoe discovery and two on other new targets and/or potential extensions to known mineralization. Assays from the other drill sites will be released as available.
Two links are embedded in this news release – a location plan of the Zoe target (link 1 -
www.extorre.com/pdf/release/diagram_13.pdf) and a longitudinal section showing the drill hole array (link 2 -
www.extorre.com/pdf/release/diagram_14.pdf).Quality Control and Assurance
Drill widths presented in the table above are drill intersection widths and may not represent the true widths of mineralization.
Gold assay results presented above are preliminary with no cutting of high grades. All diamond drill core samples are split on regular metre intervals or on geological contacts and represent sawn half HQ-size core. Samples were prepared at the Acme Analytical Laboratories ("Acme Labs") preparation facility on-site at Cerro Moro (managed and staffed by Acme Labs), and assayed by fire assay (50 gram charge) at the Acme Labs laboratory in Chile, an ISO-9001:2000 certified laboratory.
Check assaying of all samples assaying greater than 1.0 g/t gold is completed by Acme Labs. Samples returning greater than 10 g/t gold and/or greater than 100 g/t silver are assayed using gravimetric analyses. Standard and blank samples are used throughout the sample sequence as checks for the diamond drilling reported in this release.
Assaying by the screen fire assay method has been implemented in conjunction with standard 50 gram fire assaying, for diamond drill cores that contain visible gold. The procedure for screen fire assaying involves crushing and sieving of a nominal 500 or 1,000 gram sample to a particle size of 100 microns. All material which does not pass through the 100 micron sieve is then assayed. Two fire assays are undertaken on the undersize material as a check on homogeneity. The total gold content is then calculated.
Matthew Williams, Extorre's Exploration Manager and a "qualified person" within the definition of that term in National Instrument ("NI") 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, has supervised the preparation of the technical information contained in this news release.
About Extorre
In addition to the four rigs at Cerro Moro, two rigs are operating at Extorre's 100% owned Cerro Puntudo project located 200 km (124 miles) west of Cerro Moro. Cerro Puntudo is immediately south of the Joaquin Silver Discovery owned by Coeur d'Alene Mines and Mirasol Resources.
Extorre is a Canadian public company listed on the Toronto Stock and NYSE Amex Exchanges (symbol XG). Extorre's assets comprise approximately $32 million in cash, the Cerro Morro and Don Sixto projects, and other mineral exploration properties in Argentina.
On April 19, 2010, Extorre announced a NI 43-101 compliant mineral resource estimate for Cerro Moro:
Indicated Category: 357,000 oz. gold + 15.3 million oz. silver (612,000 oz. gold equivalent*), plus
Inferred Category: 190,000 oz. gold + 12.0 million oz. silver (390,000 oz. gold equivalent*)