Additional Gold Discoveries for Harfang on its Serpent Property (James Bay, Québec)
MONTREAL, Dec. 10, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Harfang Exploration Inc. (“Harfang”) (HAR.V) is pleased to report additional high-grade gold discoveries (up to 117 g/t Au in grab samples) on the Serpent Property (the “Property”) located in James Bay (Québec) (Figure 1). Gold was found in 6 new locations adding to previous discoveries for a total of 15 gold showings. These new results steming from the fall 2019 program are spatially associated to pluri-kilometric deformation corridors suggesting a strong structural control of the mineralization. The Corporation is actually elaborating its 2020 exploration program on the Property which is expected to begin by an induced polarization survey during winter in the surroundings of the Mista prospect.
Highlights:
- Discovery of new gold occurrences aligned into major structural corridors:
Anaconda West: Up to 117.00 g/t Au, 6.6 g/t Ag and 0.10% Pb
Anaconda East: 38 g/t Au
Couleuvre: 38.40 g/t Au
Reptile: 13.65 g/t Au
SER-19-RO-060: 1.25 g/t Au
SER-19-FH-159: 1.43 g/t Au.
New Gold Discoveries
Harfang completed another prospecting and geological mapping program in September 2019 on the Property once more confirming the occurrence of high-grade gold quartz veins in the surroundings of the Mista (Cu-Au-Ag) and Lawr (Au-Ag) prospects. Figure 2 shows a few examples of these gold-rich veins. Table 1 lists all grab samples with >1 g/t Au collected on outcrops during the fall program. Grab samples are selective by nature and are not necessarily representative of the mineralized zones. A total of 170 rock samples were collected from outcrops (grabs and channels) and glacial floats. Simultaneously, 125 till samples were collected in the southwestern quadrant of the Property in the vicinity of magnetic discontinuities possibly representing the extension of structural breaks containing gold-rich quartz veins. Results for these till samples are pending.
Table 1. Gold-bearing grab samples (≥1 g/t Au) collected during fall 2019.
| Showing | Sample | Au (g/t) | Ag (g/t) |
| Boa | A0120561 | 1.99 | BDL |
| A0120559 | 17.20 | 1.3 | |
| A0120558 | 2.25 | 0.5 | |
| Anaconda West | A0120569 | 117.00 | 6.6 |
| A0120570 | 43.40 | 5.8 | |
| Anaconda East | A0120572 | 3.38 | BDL |
| Couleuvre | A0120614 | 38.40 | 0.8 |
| Reptile | A0120566 | 13.65 | 0.6 |
| SER-19-FH-159 | A0120628 | 1.43 | BDL |
| SER-19-RO-060 | A0120534 | 1.25 | BDL |
| BDL: Below Detection Limit |
That field intervention clearly revealed, for the first time, a spatial link between gold-bearing quartz veins and extensive E-W to WNW-ESE structural breaks represented by magnetic discontinuities (Figures 1 and 3-5). These breaks are part a wide deformational corridor defined in the southern part of the Property (Figure 3). As an example, several gold occurrences were found along a strike length of 2 km on one of these breaks between Boa and Anaconda East (Boa-Anaconda Trend, Figure 5). As of now, all known high-grade gold occurrences are distributed in a 10 km2 area with each of them located on specific E-W to WNW-ESE magnetic discontinuities. Actual mapping suggests that this sector contains abundant gabbroic dykes and irregular bodies and late granitoids (locally K-feldspar porphyritic) intruded into the highly metamorphosed and deformed tonalitic gneiss.
These new gold discoveries are all associated with decimetric (10-30 cm wide) quartz veins hosted in foliated/gneissic tonalite, gabbroic dykes or at the contact between both lithologies. The veins, sometimes extending for severals tens of meters, are interpreted as shear zone veins. Gold-bearing veins commonly contain disseminated sulfides (<1%) such as pyrite and galena. Alteration minerals associated with quartz veins include common biotite and amphibole, minor chlorite and rare calcite. As mentioned in the press release published on October 17, 2019, this mineralization style appears to be related to an orogenic gold system developed in an east-west deformation zone several kilometers wide. Eleven claims covering the eastern part of structural breaks were recently added to the Property (Figure 1).
Before the first field investigation by Harfang in 2017, no gold showing was reported inside the limits of the actual Property. Figure 5 shows the distribution of outcrops with anomalous contents in gold (>0.1 g/t Au) in the central part of the Property which includes most of the gold showings (>1 g/t Au). Anomalies in gold (>0.1 g/t Au) are almost exclusively associated with quartz veins. Our work also demonstrates that the Property hosts copper, silver, lead, zinc, molybdenum and tungsten showings together with significant bismuth anomalies. This polymetallic signature and the presence of the Mista prospect (Cu-Au-Ag) could suggest an intrusion-related mineralization style coupled with orogenic gold.
2020 Exploration Program
Harfang is planning its 2020 exploration program motivated by these discoveries and the remaining mineral potential of the Serpent Property particularly along the pluri-kilometric structural breaks. The abundant gold occurrences on the Property and the adjacent Quebec Precious Metals Corporation’s La Pointe (Sakami) gold deposit represent an emerging yet relatively unexplored gold play in James Bay. The next exploration phase, to be conducted during winter, will consist in an induced polarization survey on the Mista prospect and along its mineralized trend which is covered by Quaternary deposits and vegetation. The geophysical survey will also cover selected major structural trends between Mista and Lawr. Till survey results are expected early in 2020. These results coupled with those of the induced polarization survey will help designing the summer program which is expected to include mechanical trenching and additional prospecting and till sampling.
To view FIGURES 1 to 5, please click here.
The technical and scientific information in this press release has been prepared and approved by François Huot, P.Geo, Chief geologist at Harfang, a « qualified person » as defined by NI 43-101.
Quality control
Rock samples discussed in this press release were sent to ALS Minerals (Val-d’Or, Québec) to be analyzed for gold and 33 other chemical elements. Gold was analyzed by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) following fire assaying on a 30-g sample fraction (ICP-21). Other elements were analyzed using the four-acid ICP–AES method (ME-ICP61). Samples with >10 g/t Au were reanalyzed with a gravimetric finish (Au-GRA21) and those with >100 g/t Ag or >1% Cu, Zn, Pb, Mo or Ni were reanalyzed with the four-acid ICP-AES method optimized for high grades (OG62). Selected mafic and ultramafic rocks were analyzed for Pt, Pd and Au using ICP-AES following fire assaying on a 30-g sample fraction (PGM-ICP23). Preparation of all submitted samples (logging, weighting, crushing, splitting, pulverizing) was done in ALS Minerals laboratories in Val-d’Or while all analytical packages mentioned above were processed in ALS Minerals laboratories in Vancouver (British Columbia).
The sampling procedure and interpretation of the results were done by qualified employees using a QAQC program conformed to the best practices in the industry including the use of standards and blanks.
About Harfang
Harfang is a mining exploration company whose primary mission is to discover new gold districts in the province of Québec. Harfang’s development model is based on the generation of new mining projects and on the establishment of partnerships with major exploration and mining companies to advance its exploration projects.
For further information:
François Goulet, President and Chief Executive Officer
Tel: 514 940-0670 #339
Email: fgoulet@harfangexploration.com
Web: www.harfangexploration.com
Neither 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.
This press release may contain forward-looking statements that are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to vary materially from targeted results. Such risks and uncertainties include those described in Harfang’s periodic reports including the filings made by Harfang from time to time with securities regulatory authorities.