03/01/2012 | 11:24am
Vena Resources Inc. : Vena Confirms High-Grade Polymetallic Structures at Azulcocha MineTORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - March 1, 2012) -
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Vena Resources Inc. ("Vena" or the "Company") (TSX:VEM)(LMA:VEM)(FRANKFURT:V1R)(OTCBB:VNARF)(XETRA:V1R.DE), a company with strong partnerships with some of the world's largest mining companies, is pleased to announce that Azulcochamining S.A., a company owned by Vena and Trafigura Beheer B.V. (70/30) has initiated the testing phase of the processing plant for the Azulcocha zinc mine. The testing of the mill's construction quality coincides with the completion of the initial phase of the tailings impoundment that has been designed to be expanded as required in a series of stages to a maximum capacity of about 8 million tonnes. Vena is awaiting final government construction inspection before commissioning mill and underground operation at full capacity.
Mr. Juan Vegarra, Chairman and CEO of Vena stated, "We are striving to double the mill capacity and to double the near-mine resources as soon as possible. Polymetallic systems like Fierromina and a series of newly discovered high-grade veins are welcome news as we can foresee significant credits from silver, gold, copper and lead mineralization improving the economics of the overall project."
As part of the exploration of the mine property, a 2 metre x 2 metre adit is being driven on the Fierromina structure that is host to surface showings of high grade zinc. The adit is presently at 29 metres following the N20ºE striking Fierromina transverse fault and is designed to explore beneath the main outcropping sulfide lens that assays up to 25% zinc at surface. The objective is to explore for near term additional resources both along the structure and within potential manto deposits that are oblique to the structure where sulfides have been deposited in favorable sedimentary beds in rocks that form the hanging wall of the Azulcocha mine as shown in the attached map.
Channel samples were cut in the walls and back (two samples across the back) of the adit at approximately 2 metre intervals measured from the portal except in cases where there was no visible mineralization. The mineralization is dominantly sphalerite/ galena in a quartz gangue and in contrast to the mine there are irregular high values in silver. The best zone to date has been in the interval from 7 metres to 22 metres measured from the portal that has values up to 17.5 % Zn, 4.8 % Pb and 62.8 g/t Ag. The true width of the zone will not be known until cross cuts have been driven into the NW and SE sides of the adit.
By continuing to drive the Fierromina adit an additional 135 metres to the north it will be possible to intersect another mineralized structure (Vein 02) that has been sampled in outcrop and shallow trenches over a horizontal distance of approximately 800 metres between the Fierromina and Laguna faults. This mineralized structure strikes at N65ºW and has an average dip of 72ºNE with widths varying from 0.30 to 4.0 metres and an average width of 1.45 metres. A total of 90 samples were taken from the trenches and outcrops with values ranging from geochemically anomalous to a peak values of 0.35 g/t Au, 72.3 g/t Ag, 309 ppm Cu, 8.35% Mn 1.02% Pb and 19.99 % Zn.
David Bent, Vena's Vice President of Exploration stated, "Now that we can literally see the end of the tunnel in bringing the Azulcocha mine into production and the rainy season is abating, the geology staff can accelerate this exciting task of identifying new resources to increase the mine life and mill capacity. The program will include targets within the mine and near the mine as well as an assessment of the 14,600 hectares of prospective land that we hold in the Azulcocha-Cercapuquio corridor. Targets will be prioritized in accordance with their potential to provide near term resources that can be fast tracked to production to provide feed for the scalable mill."
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