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Fri, December 16, 2011 Messina Commences Drilling at Brook Zone, Victoria Property
December 16, 2011 12:31 ET
Messina Commences Drilling at Brook Zone, Victoria Property
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - Dec. 16, 2011) - Messina Minerals Inc. (TSX VENTURE:MMI) has discovered outcropping copper-enriched massive sulphide mineralization at the Brook prospect within the Victoria Property, central Newfoundland. A drill program to test this mineralization has begun. The Victoria Property is located approximately 20 kilometers from the Duck Pond zinc-copper mine owned by Teck Corporation. The Victoria properties were acquired earlier this year (see News Release April 14, 2011) and the assay results reported represent the first by Messina on this prospective land package.
An outcrop of copper-enriched massive sulphide was known at the Brook prospect circa 1900. In 1910, a small 15 meter deep shaft was sunk on the occurrence. Two small dump rock piles of copper sulphide mineralization remain at surface adjacent to a water-filled timber shaft. From 1910 to 1944 a total of six shallow drill holes tested the vicinity; surviving records indicate the work intersected copper mineralization. No further drilling or exploration has tested this zone and the prospect has largely been forgotten until now.
Messina staff collected a total of ten rock grab samples of massive sulphide mineralization from the Brook prospect dump piles which assay between 3.3% and 12.4% copper, 5 g/t to 33 g/t silver, and 0.1 to 0.3 g/t gold. Further examination located outcropping massive sulphides to the east and west of the Brook shaft over a total strike length of 120 meters. Three representative rock grab samples from the eastern outcrop assay 1.7% to 5.4% copper, 5 g/t to 13 g/t silver, and 0.1 g/t to 0.2 g/t gold. The sulphide has a minimum thickness of one meter in this outcrop over a length of 10 meters uncovered by hand-dug trenching. Assays from outcrops to the west of the shaft of the shaft are pending. There is an abundance of "chaotic carbonate" alteration noted in footwall outcrops adjacent to the sulphides.
A program of diamond drilling has been permitted and is now underway. New Valley Drilling of Springdale, Newfoundland has been contracted to drill approximately 500 meters in nine short holes. The objective is to test the near-surface continuity of the copper mineralization in the time left before the Christmas holiday. Results of this drill program will be reported in 2012 when drill core assay results are received.
Peter Tallman, President and CEO, states, "The copper grade and apparent continuity of mineralization at the Brook prospect is impressive. So is the 'chaotic carbonate', a significant rock unit that occurs in close proximity to Messina's Boomerang and Teck's Duck Pond massive sulphide deposits. We want to evaluate the potential and significance of this discovery as quickly as possible."
Geotechnical Information
Rock Samples
Rock samples in this news release were submitted to Eastern Analytical of Springdale, Newfoundland for analysis. Eastern analyzed for copper, zinc, lead, and silver using a 50 gram sub-sample by aqua regia digestion, while gold was analyzed by fire assay with an atomic absorption finish using a 30 gram sub-sample.
Messina uses sampling and QA/QC procedures standard to the industry including maintenance of chain of custody, the retention of pulps and coarse rejects, and laboratories using standards, blanks, and duplicates. As part of the QA/QC program pulps from samples assaying greater than 5% copper from Eastern were submitted to ALS Chemex of North Vancouver, British Columbia for check assaying. Check assays from these samples have a correlation coefficient of 99% for copper.
About Messina
Messina Minerals Inc. is a leading explorer for zinc-lead-copper-silver-gold massive sulphide deposits in Newfoundland, Canada on our extensive 450 square kilometer mineral lands, in a region known historically for its copper and zinc resources and where the Company has made massive sulphide discoveries including "Boomerang" and "Domino". See our website for more information.
Peter Tallman, P.Geo., CEO of Messina Minerals Inc. is the Qualified Person who has reviewed and is responsible for the technical data contained in this news release.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF MESSINA MINERALS INC.
Peter Tallman, President
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.
