Press Release Source: Northwestern Mineral Ventures Inc.
Northwestern expands high-grade silver-gold anomaly to over 4.5 square kilometers at El Toro, Picachos
Wednesday October 5, 9:00 am ET
TORONTO, Oct. 5 /CNW/ - Northwestern Mineral Ventures Inc. (TSX-V: NWT - News; OTCBB: NWTMF - News) is pleased to announce that silver, gold and base metal values from a recently completed soil geochemical survey over the El Toro epithermal precious metal district at its high-grade Picachos Project in Mexico define a large polymetallic anomaly covering an area larger than 4.5 square kilometers. The discovery at El Toro is in addition to significant anomalies at the adjacent Los Cochis and Guadalupe zones, as well as El Pino where final results from surface soil sampling are pending.
Within the anomaly, the highest precious metal values in soil are 2,424 ppb gold, and more than 100 ppm silver. The highest base metal values in soil are 74.6 ppm molybdenum, 191 ppm copper, 8,305 ppm lead and 4,163 ppm zinc. Some of the highest values in rock from veins underlying the soil anomaly are 1,080 grams per tonne (g/t) silver across 1.3 meters and 17 g/t gold across 1.4 meters.
According to Michelle Robinson, the qualified geologist responsible for the Picachos Project, the large size of the anomaly at El Toro is noteworthy and the area's geological environment has similarities to Bolivian-style silver-lead-zinc deposits.
"Results from our Picachos Project continue to demonstrate strong evidence of a substantially continuous area of mineralization over Northwestern's group of neighboring districts," said Kabir Ahmed, President and CEO of Northwestern. "We look forward to receiving the remaining results from our summer exploration program in order to finalize our drill plan. I am confident that drill results will justify underground development of one or several of the four target areas on the Picachos property."
A total of 4,240 soil samples taken on lines 100 to 200 meters apart at 25-meter spacing define a geochemical anomaly 3,000 meters long and 1,500 to 2,000 meters wide. The anomaly overlaps a sheeted vein complex consisting of several northeast-trending, northwest-dipping quartz veins with silver, gold and base metal mineralization, including Los Angeles, Magistral, and El Toro. The veins are not well exposed on surface (mainly due to intense weathering of sulfide), but are best exposed in several old stopes and workings. Within the zone, the core of the anomaly has been defined by 468 soil samples over an area of about 2.5 square kilometers centered on the Magistral vein. Average metal values in soil samples from the core area are 5.1 ppm molybdenum, 23.4 ppm copper, 414.2 ppm lead, 366.3 ppm zinc, 7.7 ppm silver, 38.4 ppm arsenic and 53.3 ppb gold.
Ten trenches totaling 1,365 linear meters were cut across parts of the El Toro soil geochemical anomaly, and a total of 730 chip-channel rock samples from both the trenches and underground workings were collected for the El Toro segment of Northwestern's exploration program in Picachos. The work better defined the surface trace of several parallel sheeted veins within the 1,000 meter-long Macedonio II trend, including the Barreno, Las Guacas, Macedonio II and Cuatro Huevos veins.
Table 1: Significant chip-channel survey results for the El Toro sheeted
vein complex.
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NUMBER
VEIN RESULT FROM CHIP-CHANNEL SAMPLES OF SAMPLES
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Los Angeles AVERAGE 90 g/t Ag, 3.1 g/t Au, 0.3% Pb and 6
0.3% Zn across 10 m (La Chinakatera adit)
including
262 g/t Ag, 17.5 g/t Au, 0.4% Pb and 0.4% Zn
across 1.4m
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El Toro AVERAGE 501 g/t Ag, 1.2 g/t Au, 0.08% Pb, 7
0.1% Zn across 4 m
including
1234 g/t Ag, 1.9 g/t Au, 0.09% Pb, 0.05% Zn
across 0.6 m
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La Nina 471 g/t Ag, 6.8 g/t Au, 1.58% Pb, 0.02% Zn 1
across 1.4 m.
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Murcielagos 173 g/t Ag, 0.3g/t Au, 1.3% Pb, 1.2% Zn 1
across 2.9 m
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Magistral 1034 g/t Ag, 1.1 g/t Au, 1.9% Cu, 0.4% Pb, 1
1% Zn across 0.5 m
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Macedonio I 560 g/t Ag, 5.2 g/t Au across 0.6 m 1
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Barreno 552 g/t Ag, 0.8 g/t Au, 0.1% Pb, 0.1% Zn/0.4 m 1
(occurs in argillic altered rhyolite
with average values of
49 g/t Ag, 37 ppb Au, 0.13% Pb, 0.03% Zn
across 3 to 5 m on SURFACE, 5 samples)
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Cuatro Huevos 1080 g/t Ag, 0.3 g/t Au, 0.1% Pb, 0.07% Zn/1.3m 1
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Macedonio II 233 g/t Ag, 0.08% Pb, 0.02% Zn 1
across 3 m (SURFACE)
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Las Guacas AVERAGE 57 g/t Ag, 60 ppb Au, 1.2% Pb, 0.03% Zn 11
across 5 m (SURFACE)
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The above results are part of the ongoing 2005 exploration program at
Picachos which further define the four epithermal precious metal targets
including El Toro. Results for the Los Cochis and Guadalupe districts were
released previously, on August 29 and September 13 respectively. Pending
results from the remaining zone - El Pino - are expected to further expand the
property's potential.
Northwestern has the right to acquire a 100% interest in the Picachos
property portfolio under an agreement with RNC Gold Inc (TSX: RNC). The
Picachos property portfolio includes the 7,700-hectare (19,000-acre)
silver-gold Picachos property area in Durango State and the 17,800-hectare
(43,900-acre) Tango gold claims in Sinaloa State.
Michelle Robinson (MASc., P.Eng.) is the geologist overseeing the program
in Mexico on behalf of Northwestern and RNC Gold.
ABOUT NORTHWESTERN:
Northwestern Mineral Ventures (
www.northwestmineral.com) is an emerging
international exploration company with an experienced management team. The
company is focused on properties with potential uranium and silver-gold
targets and currently has interests in the United States and Mexico.
Northwestern is listed on the NASD Bulletin Board under the symbol "NWTMF" and
the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "NWT."
The TSX Venture Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept
responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.
This news release includes certain "forward looking statements" within
the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995. Without limitation, statements regarding potential mineralization and
resources, exploration results, and future plans and objectives of the Company
are forward looking statements that involve various degrees of risk. The
following are important factors that could cause the Company's actual results
to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward looking
statements: changes in the worldwide price of mineral commodities, general
market conditions, risks inherent in mineral exploration, risks associated
with development, construction and mining operations, the uncertainty of
future profitability and the uncertainty of access to additional capital.
For further information
Kabir Ahmed, President and CEO, (866) 437-9551,
info@northwestmineral.com