Option on Gold Project, Canada
05 5월 2010 - 3:00PM
UK Regulatory
TIDMSDS
RNS Number : 3203L
Sunrise Diamonds PLC
05 May 2010
www.sunrisediamonds.com
5 May 2010
NEW GOLD (& Ni-Cu-PGM) PROJECT IN CANADA
- Option Agreement On Long Lake Gold Mine Near Sudbury -
· Historic production of 57,000 ounces gold from 200,000 tonnes ore at a
recovered grade of 9 g/t gold.
· Unexploited potential below and adjacent to shallow gold mine workings and
in outlying prospects - e.g. 6m @ 13.8g/tgold and 5.7m @ 30g/t gold in past
drilling.
· Claims also include potential 10km extension to producing Copper Cliff
offset dyke system prospective for nickel-copper-platinum group metals.
· Exploration to start immediately with drilling planned for summer.
___________________________________________________________________________
Sunrise Diamonds plc ("Sunrise" or "the Company") is pleased to announce that it
has secured a three year option agreement to acquire a 100% interest in the
previously producing Long Lake Gold Mine located 20km south-west of the City of
Sudbury, Ontario (Canada). The claims also cover potential extensions to the
currently producing Copper Cliff dyke system at the heart of the World's most
productive nickel-copper mining complex.
The claim block, held under option from well-respected local prospector Gordon
Salo, comprises 23 contiguous claims covering 40.3 square km ("the Property").
It has been assembled over a number of years and was recently expanded to
include the Long Lake Gold Mine which was previously not open to staking.
Commenting today, the Chairman of Sunrise, Patrick Cheetham said "We are very
excited to have been granted an option over the Long Lake Gold Mine. This
agreement secures a key objective after a long and intensive search for a new
gold project for the Company."
LONG LAKE GOLD MINE
The Long Lake Gold Mine produced 57,000 ounces of gold from over 200,000 tonnes
of ore mined in the periods 1910-1916 and 1932-1939.
The average recovered mill grade was 9 grammes per tonne (g/t) gold and the mine
tailings dumps (200,000 tonnes) which remain on site have a reported grade of
2-3 g/t gold indicating an average mine head grade of over 11g/t gold.
Most of the ore mined was extracted from a 50m diameter open glory-hole
developed on a plunging pipe-like zone of disseminated gold and strongly
sulphide mineralised sedimentary rock down to a depth of just 55m from surface.
Unexploited Potential
Old mine reports highlight that gold ore and waste rock were often visually
difficult to distinguish and, today, native gold can be found in material on the
mine waste dumps (see photos at
http://www.sunrisediamonds.com/longlake_project.html. A mineralised grab sample
collected by the Company from the waste pile assayed 8.8g/t gold.
Furthermore, the horizontal limits of mining were reportedly defined by the
economic cut-off grades of the day rather than any identifiable geological
boundaries. Consequently the Company believes it likely that further gold
mineralisation can be defined outside of the existing pit.
For example - a 1937 angled drill hole located just east of the pit returned
15.7m at 3.4g/t gold from surface. In addition a recent helicopter geophysical
programme, which covered the mine and surrounding area, has identified a string
of electrical conductors, possibly indicative of gold-bearing metal sulphides,
extending from the mine in a north-easterly direction.
During the two periods of historic gold production exploratory mine development
extended beneath the glory-hole down to the fourth mine level at 105m vertical
depth where, at that time, it was thought the ore-body was displaced by
faulting. However, drilling in 1936 encountered high grade ore in several holes
in unexploited areas beneath the fault and approximately 25m below the deepest
mine workings. The results, which included intersections of 6m @ 13.8g/t gold
and 1.5m @ 30.2g/t gold, indicate considerable potential to define further
high-grade gold mineralisation below the existing shallow workings, as well as
beyond the current pit limits.
Since closure in 1939 the mine has been held privately and the past owners have
been under no obligation to file details of past exploration work. However field
reconnaissance by the Company and an extensive record search has shown that some
exploration has taken place in an area 350m south of the mine where old
newspaper reports highlight drilling results of 5.7m grading 30g/t gold in 1973
with follow up results of 4.1m grading 12g/t gold in 1987. Reporting of work in
this outlying area on the Property is incomplete and the significance of these
high grade drill intersections remains to be evaluated.
The Company intends to start exploration in and around the Long Lake Gold Mine
immediately and expects to carry out diamond drilling this summer season. Work
will also be carried out to evaluate the 200,000 tonne gold-tailings resource
which remains on site.
COPPER CLIFFS OFFSET - NICKEL-COPPER-PGM POTENTIAL
Since 1883 the Sudbury mining field has accounted for over 25% of the world's
total nickel production and new discoveries continue to be made. It is the most
productive nickel-mining field in the world with over 1.7 billion tonnes of past
production, reserves and resources.
Nickel-copper-and platinum group metals ("PGM") bearing sulphide minerals occur
in a 60 km by 27 km elliptical igneous body called the Sudbury Igneous Complex
("SIC"). Mineralisation occurs within the SIC as well as in the neighbouring
country rocks in close association with breccias and so-called 'Offset Dykes'.
These are typically quartz-diorite in composition and extend both radially away
from and concentric to the SIC . Nearly half of the nickel ore at Sudbury occurs
in breccias and Offset Dykes in the footwall rocks of the SIC.
On the south trending Copper Cliff Offset Dyke, north of the Company's Property,
the producing Copper Cliffs South mine and the Copper Cliff North mine have
yielded over 200 million tonnes of ore and Vale Inco Limited's Clarabelle Mill,
Copper Cliff Smelter and Copper Cliff Nickel Refinery are located in close
proximity.
Offset Dykes have become the target of progressively more intense exploration
interest in recent years following a number of new discoveries. The latest such
discovery on the Copper Cliff Offset dyke was made in 2004 at Kelly Lake, to
the south of the existing mines (in the direction of the Company's Long Lake
property), where a resource of over 20 Mt at a grade of 3.5% combined nickel and
copper and 5 g/t PGM has been reported.
Prospecting operations by the claim holder within the Property have included
sampling, petrological studies and limited mapping. This has identified numerous
areas with outcropping offset-type dykes. The Property was optioned during 2008
to Australian company Pegasus Metals Limited. At that time the Long Lake mine
was privately held and excluded from the Pegasus option.
In 2008 Pegasus Metals carried out a helicopter-borne airborne electromagnetic
survey which, identified potential gold targets near to the Long Lake mine as
well as a number of conductive targets for nickel-copper-PGM. Ground examination
confirmed that at least one such anomaly is associated with an outcrop of an
Offset-type dyke. Whilst some follow up ground geophysics was carried out,
Pegasus Metals dropped the option during the recent global financial crisis
before drill testing any of the anomalies.
"Whilst drilling for gold is our priority at Long Lake, Sudbury is 'elephant
country' for nickel-copper-PGM deposits and the nickel targets on the claim
block are a real bonus. It's rare to find two such prospective but geologically
distinct projects in the one claim block." said Mr. Cheetham.
OPTION AGREEMENT
The Company may acquire a 100% interest in the Property by making staged
payments totalling Can$575,000 over a three year period, by meeting exploration
expenditures of Can$500,000 in that period and by issuing up to 5,000,000 five
year share warrants exercisable at 0.675p per share. The vendor retains a 3% NSR
on the property of which 2% may be purchased by the Company at any time for the
sum of Can$3 million. Further details are given below.
COMPANY NAME CHANGE
At a meeting of the Board held last Friday it was proposed that the Company
should change its name to reflect the Company's broader commodity base. Further
information will be given when a name change becomes effective.
Maps showing the location of the project and various illustrations and
photographs for the Long Lake project will be available on the Company's website
at:
http://www.sunrisediamonds.com/longlake_project.html
For further information see below, or contact:
Patrick Cheetham, Sunrise Diamonds plc. Tel: +44 (0)1625-505947. Mobile:
+44(0)7767 458751
Gavin Burnell or Antony Legge, Astaire Securities plc. Tel: +44(0)20 7448 4400
The information in this release has been compiled and reviewed by Mr. Patrick
Cheetham (MIMMM, MAusIMM) who is a qualified person for the purposes of the AIM
Note for Mining and Oil & Gas Companies dated June 2009. Mr Cheetham is a
Member of the Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining and also a member of the
Australasian Institute of Mining & Metallurgy.
Further information
Company Background & Recent Strategic Developments
Sunrise Diamonds plc was formed to acquire the diamond exploration interests of
Tertiary Minerals plc in 2005. Since then the Company has made a number of new
kimberlite discoveries in Finland and expanded its portfolio of diamond
exploration interests in Finland. Exploration is continuing and drilling of
certain targets is planned for 2010.
In 2009 the Company made a strategic decision to expand its geographical focus
as well as its commodity interests and in October 2009 the Company announced an
application for an exploration licence in Western Australia prospective for both
diamonds and Ni-Cu-PGM (the Cue Project). Exploration for this project is
scheduled to start after the grant of the licence which is expected mid-2010.
In September 2009 the Company was awarded an exploration licence in south-west
Ireland for the industrial mineral barite (the Derryginagh Project). Past mining
of high value filler grade barite and more recent drilling has indicated the
potential for a modest scale mining operating that could, in time, produce a
valuable cash flow for the Company. Most recently the Company announced
promising results from initial metallurgical testwork and product testing and
further work is planned.
The option agreement for the Long Lake project now brings a new key gold project
for the Company and completes this stage in the strategic development of the
Company's project portfolio.
The shares of Sunrise Diamonds plc are traded on AIM (trading symbol "SDS"). At
the last closing mid-price of the shares on 4 May, the Company had a market
capitalisation of GBP1.67 million.
Detailed Terms of Agreement - Long Lake Option
The Company has been granted as of 4 May 2010 ("the Effective Date") a three
year option to acquire 100% of the Project subject to the arms-length vendor
retaining a 3% Net Smelter Return (NSR) Royalty on future mine production.
1. Option:
In order to maintain the option over a period of three years :
(a) The following cash payments are to be made:
(i) Can$27,500 on the Effective Date
(ii) Can$50,000 within 12 months from the Effective Date
(iii) Can$117,500 within 24 months from the Effective Date
(b) Share Warrants are to be issued as follows:
(i) 2,500,000 Share Warrants on the Effective Date
(ii) 2,500,000 Share Warrants within 12 months from the Effective
Date
Each Share Warrant allows the vendor to buy one new ordinary share in the
Company at the mid-market price on the Effective Date on the terms set out
below. The issue of share warrants in 1(b)(ii) to be subject to the directors
of the Company having sufficient authority from shareholders given at the next
Annual AGM or EGM and in the event that the directors are not so authorised the
Company will pay the Vendor a cash amount equal to 2.5 million x the price
difference between the exercise price and the mid-market price of the shares
averaged over the 30 day period prior to the day shareholders withhold such
authority.
(c) The following exploration expenditures must be incurred on the Project:
(i) Can$100,000 within 12 months from the Effective Date
(ii) Can$150,000 within 24 months from the Effective Date
(iii) Can$300,000 within 36 months from the Effective Date
2. Exercise of the Option
The Company may exercise the Option within 36 months of the Effective Date and
after all of the above option payments have been made, the Share Warrants issued
and the above expenditures met, by making a further payment of Can$380,000.
The Company has made payment under 1(a)(i) above and the Board has authorised
the initial issue of warrants in 1(b)(i). It is now committed to the initial
exploration expenditure 1(c)(i), but may withdraw from the Option Agreement at
anytime thereafter.
3. Exercise of Share Warrants
All Share Warrants will lapse 5 years from the Effective Date and to the extent
that they are issued will become exercisable as follows:
(a) 1,000,000 Share Warrants will be exercisable from the Effective Date.
(b) a further 1,000,000 Share Warrants will be exercisable from a date 12
months from the Effective Date provided that the cash payment in paragraph
1(a)(ii) above has been made.
(c) a further 1,000,000 Share Warrants will be exercisable from a date 24 months
from the Effective Date provided that the cash payment in paragraph 1(a)(iii)
above has been made.
a further 2,000,000 Share Warrants will be exercisable from a date 36 months
from the Effective Date provided that the Option has been exercised.
4. NSR Royalty Interest
The Company may at any time after exercising the Option elect to purchase one
third of the Vendors retained 3%NSR royalty for Can$1 million and an additional
one-third of the 3%NSR Royalty for an additional Can$2 million and will retain a
right of first refusal to purchase the remaining one-third of the 3%NSR Royalty.
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
END
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