MONTREAL, Oct. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Harfang Exploration Inc. (“Harfang”) (TSX-V: HAR) reports the discovery of 5 new occurrences of high-grade gold (up to 186 g/t Au in grab samples) on the Serpent Property (the “Property”) located in James Bay (Québec) following its summer program (Figure 1). Motivated by these positive results, the Corporation immediately followed up with additional work on the Property during fall to rake the immediate sector and track down these excellent results.
Highlights:
- Discovery of 5 high-grade gold showings (Table 1):
Lawr: Up to 186 g/t Au and 200 g/t Ag (grab); 9.79 g/t Au over 1.25 m (channel)
Python: 20.5 g/t Au (grab)
Cobra: 18.45 g/t Au (grab)
Camp: Up to 11.5 g/t Au (grab)
Boa: 3.02 g/t Au (grab);
- Mineralization in these showings occurs in quartz veins hosted in foliated tonalite and gabbro inside a newly identified structural domain [orogenic gold system];
- Extension of the Mista prospect (Cu-Au-Ag) for an additional 100 m towards northwest with 0.59% Cu, 0.25 g/t Au and 6.42 g/t Ag over 5.6 m and 0.59% Cu, 0.21 g/t Au and 7.66 g/t Ag over 2.05 m [intrusion-related system].
Five new gold showings
Harfang’s team, composed of 7 geologists, geology students and technicians, carried out prospecting and geological mapping on the Property during the first half of summer 2019. All operations were conducted from a temporary camp established in the Mista area. A total of 328 grab and channel samples were collected from outcrops, trenches and glacial floats in the southern part of the Property.
Exploration work in the area of the Mista prospect (Cu-Au-Ag) revealed the existence of several decimetric gold-bearing quartz veins hosted in foliated tonalites and gabbros. The most significant discovery refers to the Lawr zone, a gold-bearing structure extending laterally for at least 100 m in an east-west direction. Gold values in grab samples collected in the 20-30 cm thick quartz vein are commonly above 10 g/t Au (Table 1 and Figure 2). Grab samples are selective by nature and are not necessarily representative of the mineralized zones. Three channels with significant grades were completed returning 9.79 g/t Au over 1.25 m, 8.1 g/t Au over 0.50 m and 4.32 g/t Au over 0.5 m (channels opened at both extremities). The latest channel is located along a sheared corridor parallel to Lawr, some 25 m north of the main quartz vein. Visible gold was observed in a few samples and disseminations and clusters of pyrite, galena and arsenopyrite are common. At Lawr, gold is associated to a high silver content (up to 200 g/t Ag) and anomalous concentrations in Pb, Zn and As (Table 1).
Other new gold showings share similarities with the geological setting of the Lawr zone. All of them correspond to quartz veins hosted in tonalite and gabbro (Figure 3). These gold-bearing veins tend to be laminated shear veins subparallel to the sheared host rock and are preferentially emplaced at the contact between tonalite and gabbro. Extensional NNW-SSE and pegmatite-related quartz veins are also common on the Property. The mineralization style appears to be related to an orogenic gold system developed in an east-west deformation zone several kilometers wide (Figure 4).
Table 1. Grab samples (≥1 g/t Au) collected on the 5 gold showings discovered in 2019.
| Showing | Sample | Au (g/t) | Ag (g/t) | Other associated metals |
| Lawr | Y721530 | 136 | 7.5 | 0.46% As |
| Y721655 | 186 | 32.6 | 0.21% As, 0.22% Pb | |
| Y721656 | 44.3 | 51.1 | >1% As, 1.7% Pb, 0.11% Zn | |
| Y721727 | 6.45 | 0.7 | 0.11% As | |
| Y721728 | 41.9 | 4.9 | 0.29% As | |
| Y721729 | 36.7 | 4.6 | >1% As | |
| Y721730 | 27.9 | 200 | >1% As, 6.89% Pb, 0.23% Zn | |
| Y721731 | 7.34 | 4.4 | >1% As, 0.15% Pb | |
| Boa | Y721664 | 3.02 | 1.4 | |
| Camp | Y721823 | 11.5 | 0.7 | |
| Y721839 | 1.31 | 0.6 | ||
| Y721506 | 0.96 | 75.2 | 0.14% Bi, 0.2% Pb | |
| Cobra | Y721791 | 18.45 | 4.1 | 0.24% Pb |
| Python | Y721967 | 20.5 | 0.5 |
Mista Prospect Update
Additional work along the Mista prospect horizon confirmed the extension towards northwest of the mineralized quartz-rich metasediments found at the original discovery site (Main Trench). The new mineralized occurrence located 100 m northwest of the main trench was manually trenched and returned 0.59% Cu, 0.25 g/t Au and 6.42 g/t Ag over 5.60 m and 0.59% Cu, 0.21 g/t Au and 6.42 g/t Ag over 7.66 m (Figure 5).
Harfang also proceeded to additional channel sampling at Mista (Figures 5 and 6). We note the following updates among the new analytical results:
- The longest channel on the main trench (TR-SER-18-001) now grades 0.99% Cu, 0.20 g/t Au and 7.7 g/t Ag over 11.7 m, including 2.09% Cu, 0.45 g/t Au and 16.4 g/t Ag over 4.0 m;
- Other channels on the same trench include 0.83% Cu, 0.16 g/t Au and 6.65 g/t Ag over 2.0 m, 1.42% Cu, 0.30 g/t Au and 11.4 g/t Ag over 1.0 m, and 0.89% Cu, 0.23 g/t Au and 7.3 g/t Ag over 1.0 m;
- A channel located 25 m east of TR-SER-18-001 returned 0.88% Cu, 0.12 g/t Au and 6.3 g/t Ag over 2.35 m;
- Many other grab samples with anomalous values in Cu (up to 0.57%) and Au (up to 0.23 g/t) in intrusive rocks some 50 m north of the Mista horizon.
Summer work has enlarged the prospective area, increased the density of showings and confirmed the high-grade nature of the gold mineralization in what appears to be a wide east-west deformation zone in the southern part of the Property. Based on these facts, Harfang decided to follow-up with a fall exploration program which was recently completed. This latest program included 1) a follow-up on the summer 2019 gold showings, 2) systematic prospecting at the Property scale, and 3) a major till survey in the southwestern part of the Property.
Harfang is pleased with these high-grade gold discoveries that could lead to finding a more sustained orogenic gold system along regional structures. Our scientific-based and efficient strategy turned out to be successful with the discovery of the Lawr zone as this area was pinpointed as a possible source for gold grains in till samples from the 2018 survey (see press release published on December 10, 2018). Harfang looks forward to the upcoming fall results which will guide us towards designing the next exploration program.
To view FIGURES 1 to 6, 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 >1% Ag, Cu, Zn, Pb, Mo or Ni were reanalyzed with the four-acid ICP-AES method optimized for high grades (OG62). Gold determination in the ICP-21 package was done in ALS Minerals laboratories in Val-d’Or while all other analytical packages were done in ALS Minerals laboratories in Vancouver (British Columbia).
For channel samples, the results obtained following these methods were used for the calculation of mineralized intervals. 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.