Northern Empire and Sonoro Announce Results From Hilltop Phase 2 Exploration
Soil sampling expands known gold footprint and trench resampling highlights include 11.7 g/t Au and 26.5 g/t Au
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Oct 22, 2015) - Northern Empire Resources Corp. (TSX VENTURE:NM) ("Northern Empire"), and Sonoro Metals Corp. ("Sonoro"), today announced results from the Phase 2 exploration program at the Hilltop Gold Project ("Hilltop") located 70 km SE of Fairbanks, Alaska, USA. Phase 2, conducted in August and September, includes the collection of 355 soil samples, 42 rock samples, and the resampling of a specific section of trench 5 from Phase 1.
"The Phase 2 exploration program has expanded the known gold footprint at the Hilltop South and Hilltop North areas, highlighted new prospective target areas, demonstrated a clear association between gold values and Intrusive Related Gold pathfinder elements in both rock/trench samples and soils, and returned higher gold values than this spring's trenching program," stated Northern Empire's Chairman, John Robins.
Kenneth MacLeod, President and CEO of Sonoro added: "The exploration results from both Phase 1 and 2 at Hilltop have exceeded our expectations and support our belief that the Richardson Gold District will emerge as one of the most exciting areas for gold exploration in Alaska as we advance this project. We look forward to building on our exploration successes in 2015 in the near future."
Highlights from Phase 2 include:
- During the period between the Phase 1 and Phase 2 exploration programs, erosion at trench 5 exposed a larger portion of an Arsenopyrite-bearing quartz vein sampled in Phase 1. Resampling of trench 5 during Phase 2 returned high grade gold values averaging 9.71 g/t Au over 4 m. Phase 1 results (see news release of August 10, 2015) for this same interval were 2.337 g/t Au. The resampling highlighted gold in rock samples of 11.7 g/t Au from 0-1 m and 26.5 g/t Au from 1.0 to 2.0 m in trench 5;
- Gold values in the Phase 2 soils range from 2.5 to 60 ppb and exhibit a positive correlation with Intrusive Related Gold ("IRG") pathfinder elements, including As, Bi, Sb, Te, W, and Pb;
- Infill soil samples were collected in the area of the due diligence sampling in Phase 1 (Hilltop South). Assay results have expanded and substantiate a strong east to west trending gold in soils anomaly measuring 1.8 km long by 500 m wide;
- Infill soils were collected at Hilltop North in the area of anomalous top of bedrock soils which were collected during the 2011 season by a previous exploration group. Infill lines along previously sampled anomalous soils further confirmed the anomalous nature of the gold in soils values and also better defined the anomalous area to 100 m spaced lines (previously 200 m spaced lines);
- Anomalous reconnaissance soil samples and rock float samples collected in the Mosquito Creek drainage area (6 km SW of Hilltop) highlight this area for potential follow-up work in 2016;
- Infill soil samples collected between sections of anomalous sample lines (500 m line spacing) collected in Phase 1 at the Birch Hill Conductor (3 km SW of Hilltop) further highlight the anomalous nature of this zone.
To view a map of the Hilltop Gold Project, please visit Northern Empire's website at http://www.northernemp.com/projects/hilltop/.
Geologic Description
The Hilltop Gold Project is located 70 km ESE of Fairbanks, Alaska and sits within the boundaries of the Yukon Tanana Terrain (YTT) which extends from West-central Alaska well into the Yukon. The YTT consists of deformed and variably metamorphosed mid Paleozoic and older sedimentary, volcanic and plutonic rocks intruded by Mid-Cretaceous and early Tertiary plutonic and minor volcanic rocks. Locally, Hilltop sits within the 40-km long, northwest trending Richardson Gneiss Dome which is cored by a central migmatite, mantled by gneiss and surrounded by lithologically equivalent schist (Noyes el al., 2006).
Bedrock at Hilltop is dominated by a flat lying, broadly folded, quartz dominated muscovite-sericte-biotite schist. Within trenches, this schist varies from muscovite sericite to quartz-muscovite biotite to quartzite. Metamorphic grade is upper greenschist. Folding here is low amplitude with wavelengths from 0.5 m to 2 meters. Quartz veins are common, flat-lying and conformable to the schist foliation ranging in thickness from 2 cm to 0.4 m. Local steeply dipping and cross cutting quartz veins to 1 m in width have been mapped and sampled within trench boundaries.
Within the Richardson/Hilltop Property boundaries, other lithologies present include Quartz-Feldspar Porphyry, Massive quartzite, graphite schist and quartz boulders.
Analytical Procedures
All soil samples were sent to Activation Labs in Ancaster Ontario, an ISO accredited Laboratory. Gold analysis was by FA-AA (Fire Assay - Atomic Absorption), details of the procedure can be found at:
http://www.actlabs.com/page.aspx?page=473&app=226&cat1=549&tp=12&lk=no&menu=64
Soil samples were also subjected to Enzyme Leach analysis. Details of the procedure can be found at: http://www.actlabs.com/page.aspx?page=746&app=226&cat1=549&tp=12&lk=no&menu=64
Rock samples from the trenches were assayed using ICP-MS (Inductively Coupled Plasma - Mass Spectrometry) and FA-AA and submitted to ALS Chemex in Fairbanks, Alaska.
On-site Quality Assurance/Quality Control ("QA/QC") Measures
Soil samples are collected in the field using wet strength Kraft bags. Samples returned to the field office are organized and dried before shipping, making sure that physical and hydromorphic contact between bags does not occur. Once dry, the sample bags are placed into labelled, secure rice sacks for shipment. Northern Empire has implemented a quality-control program to comply with best practices in the sampling and analysis of field collected samples. This program includes inserting field duplicates, standards and blanks, equivalent to 10% of the sample set, into the sample stream.
About the Hilltop Gold Project
Hilltop is an exploration-stage gold project located 70 km southeast of Fairbanks, Alaska, and 70 km northwest of Delta Junction in east-central interior Alaska. Gold producers in the region are Sumitomo's Pogo mine (4.973 million ounces at 12.5 g/t Au) located 75 km to the east and Kinross's Fort Knox mine (3.8 million ounces at 0.45 g/t Au) located 135 km to the north.
The 31,960-acre (12,836 hectares) Hilltop property is bordered on the south by the all-weather and paved Richardson highway. In addition, Hilltop is proximal to high-power electrical transmission lines and the Trans-Alaska pipeline. Access into the interior of the property from the Richardson highway is via a new system of logging roads and trails which makes most points within Hilltop accessible for exploration activities.
Northern Empire holds a 100-per-cent interest in the Hilltop property within the broader Richardson gold district (excluding placer gold). Northern Empire has granted Sonoro an option to earn a 60-per-cent interest in Hilltop through the expenditure of $3-million on exploration activities at Hilltop and the issuance of 1,000,000 Sonoro shares to Northern Empire prior to Dec. 31, 2019.
William J. (Bill) Cronk, P.Geo., Northern Empire's Qualified Person, reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this news release.
About Northern Empire
Northern Empire is a newly formed company which will follow the "Project Generator" business model to take advantage of the depressed market conditions in the resource sector to acquire low acquisition and low holding cost properties with significant exploration potential.
A Project Generator identifies, acquires, and performs early stage exploration on compelling exploration targets before finding project partners to bear the financial risk associated with advanced exploration.
Northern Empire's experienced board and management team feels that executing the Project Generator business model is the most practical way to provide investors the potential excitement and value creation of mineral discoveries, without the financial risks and equity dilution of standard exploration programs.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF Northern Empire Resources Corp.
James R. Paterson, Director, President and CEO
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 NEWS RELEASE.
This press release includes "forward-looking statements" including forecasts, estimates, expectations and objectives for future operations that are subject to a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of Northern Empire Resources Corp. The option to Sonoro described above is subject to a number of conditions precedent, and there is no assurance that (i) all conditions will be satisfied, (ii) the option will occur on the bases outlined above, or close at all; or (iii) if closed, that the option will be exercised. Statements regarding mineral exploration operations and objectives are subject to risk, including, but are not limited to, exploration and geologic risk, inflation and costs of goods and services, property title issues and regulatory approvals. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and that actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking information represents management's best judgment based on information currently available. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed and actual future results may vary materially. Northern Empire does not assume the obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required by applicable law.
