Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 15, 2022) - Tower Resources Ltd. (TSXV: TWR) ("Tower" or the "Company") is pleased to provide a progress report on the step-out diamond drilling program report that is underway on the new Lightning Zone gold discovery on the Company's Rabbit North property near Kamloops, British Columbia, between New Gold's New Afton underground Cu-Au mine and Teck's Highland Valley open pit Cu-Mo mine (see Fig. 1). Four of the planned six to eight drill holes have been completed and the core from the first three hole, Nos. RN22-034 to 036, has been cut and submitted for assay.
North-Northwest Strike Confirmed
A key objective of the present drilling program was to confirm indications from the previous March-April drilling program that the Lightning Zone strikes north-northwest (NNW) rather than northeast as originally anticipated. The new drilling has confirmed the predicted strike, with step-out holes both NNW and SSE of Discovery Hole RN21-026 (95 m of 1.40 g/t Au including 19.2 m of 4.21 g/t Au; see Tower's January 11, 2022 press release) hitting the zone precisely where expected (see Fig. 2).
Visual Characteristics of the Lightning Zone
As in discovery Hole 026, the Lightning Zone in Holes 034 to 037 is hosted mainly by andesitic crystal-ash tuff and is recognizable visually from intense shear-related fracturing/brecciation and pervasive bleaching and sericite-silica-pyrite alteration (see Figs. 3, 4) extending over core lengths ranging from tens of metres to more than 100 metres. The zone appears to be near vertical.
The core length of the zone-compatible alteration is dependent on both the dip of the drill hole and the proximity of the hole to a nearby diorite plug. This plug is centered on Hole 025 approximately 200 m southeast of discovery Hole 026 (see Fig. 2).
The longest intercept of the alteration zone is ~150 m in Hole 036, a 60 m step-out NNW of Discovery Hole 026. This hole was drilled ENE at a steep, -75° dip to replace Hole 035 which was drilled from the same pad at -60° and abandoned in the zone at 129 m due to difficult drilling conditions. Hole 037 is currently being drilled 20 m further NNW along strike but oriented WSW in scissors fashion relative to Hole 036.
The shortest intercept is ~10 m in Hole 034, a 50 m step-out SSE of Discovery Hole 026 on the west side of the diorite plug. The shortening of the zone here is due to most of the host tuff horizon being supplanted by the diorite. While the diorite appears to be less susceptible to shearing and alteration than the tuff, it does contain several strongly pyritic shears. Future step-outs further SSW along strike should encounter thicker tuff as the diorite contact swings back to the southeast.
Pyrite Content of the Alteration Zone
Due to the sympathetic relationship between the pyrite and Au contents of the Lightning Zone and the long wait for assays, we are now placing more emphasis on accurately determining the pyrite content of the core. In addition to estimating with a hand lens the average pyrite content over similarly altered core intervals, we are determining the percent pyrite systematically, and more precisely by binocular microscope, from short pieces of core at 2 m intervals to guide the drilling until the Au assays are received.
Interestingly, the average pyrite contents of the 150 m altered section in Hole 036 and the 95 m mineralized section of the Lightning Zone in Discovery Hole 026, excluding occasional spikes over 15% pyrite in both holes resulting from the chance presence of a pyrite vein at a 2 m mark, are very similar at 3.2 and 2.7%, respectively.
Large New Porphyry Cu-Au Zone
The diorite plug is completely covered by till and partly by thin Chilcotin basalt flows but appears to be an apophysis of the larger Durand Stock to the north (see Fig. 2). It is approximately 400 m in diameter. All of the diorite intersected in the plug to date contains porphyry-style Cu-Au mineralization, typically at grades of 0.1-0.2% Cu and 0.2-0.3 g/t Au. If the entire top of the plug is similarly mineralized, the indicated Cu-Au zone is much larger and potentially more prospective than any of the nine known Cu-Au zones associated with the Durand Stock.
Methods and Qualified Person
The drill core is being logged at Tower's leased, fully equipped core facility near Kamloops under the supervision of Matthew Husslage, BSc. Geology, and Dane Bridge, MSc., P.Geo., both of whom have extensive experience with shear-hosted gold deposits and have previously worked on the Rabbit North property.
Split samples of the core, generally 1-2 m in length, are delivered directly to Activation Laboratories (ActLabs) in Kamloops, BC, a laboratory certified as ISO/IEC 17025 Accredited (Lab 790) by the Standards Council of Canada. QA/QC samples including blanks and standards are inserted regularly into the sample sequence at a ratio of approximately 1:20.
The samples are being analyzed for Au by fire assay and ICP-OES and for Ag and 36 additional elements by ICP-OES using a four-acid, near-total digestion. Any over-limit (>5 g/t) Au analyses are repeated using the same fire assay procedure but with a gravimetric rather than ICP finish.
The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Stuart Averill, P.Geo., a Director of the Company, and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.
About Tower Resources
Tower is a Canadian based mineral exploration company focused on the discovery and advancement of economic mineral projects in the Americas. The Company's key exploration assets, both in B.C., are the Rabbit North copper-gold porphyry project located between the New Afton copper-gold and Highland Valley copper mines in the Kamloops mining district and the Nechako gold-silver project near Artemis' Blackwater project.
On behalf of the Board of Directors
Tower Resources Ltd.
Joe Dhami, President and CEO
(778) 996-4730
www.towerresources.ca
Reader Advisory
This news release may contain statements which constitute "forward-looking information", including statements regarding the plans, intentions, beliefs and current expectations of the Company, its directors, or its officers with respect to the future business activities of the Company. The words "may", "would", "could", "will", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect" and similar expressions, as they relate to the Company, or its management, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future business activities and involve risks and uncertainties, and that the Company's future business activities may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, fluctuations in market prices, successes of the operations of the Company, continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. There can be no assurances that such information will prove accurate and, therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such uncertainties. The Company does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking information except as required under the applicable securities laws.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Figure 1 - Location of Tower's Rabbit North property relative to the active mines of the Kamloops district.
To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/5023/137263_11760437b42538df_002full.jpg
Figure 2 - Plan view of the Lightning Zone with the main Au intercepts projected to surface. The first four holes from the current drilling program are also shown but the core has not been assayed.
To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/5023/137263_11760437b42538df_003full.jpg
Figure 3 - Panoramic view of the core shack showing core from Holes 34 to 37. Roughly half of the core exhibits Lightning Zone compatible shear deformation and hydrothermal alteration.
To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/5023/137263_11760437b42538df_004full.jpg
Figure 4 - Examples of andesitic ash tuff from Holes 34 to 37 showing the characteristic fracturing, bleaching and silicification, sericitization and pyritization of the Lighting Zone.
To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/5023/137263_11760437b42538df_005full.jpg
To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/137263
