AVPMF - Avrupa Intercepts 8 Lens Horizon at Sesmarias North and Reports on Early Positive Progress in Drilling Program
(TheNewswire)
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- 900 meters completed in 7- to8,000-meter drilling program;
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- SES20-031: 10.75 meters @ 0.19%Copper and 0.74% Lead in disseminated and banded, sulfide-bearingsilica, hosted in massive sulfide horizon black shales;
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- SES21-032: Targetselectromagnetic conductor and intercepts distal massive sulfidehorizon black shales;
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- SES21-033 underway: Targetingdowndip continuation of the SES008 massive sulfide lens
Vancouver, BC – TheNewswire - February 24, 2021 - Avrupa Minerals Ltd.(TSXV:AVU) (OTC: AVPMF)(FSE:8AM) is pleased to present the initialprogress report covering drilling at the Sesmarias Prospect in theAlvalade Project (Alentejo, Portugal). The program is a jointventure between Avrupa Minerals and Minas de Aguas Teñidas, S.A.(MATSA) and is operated by Avrupa through the JV entity PorMining Lda. To date, the Company has completed two diamond drill holes, totaling874 meters, and has started a third hole testing northern extensionsof the Sesmarias copper-zinc-iron sulfide mineralization.
Paul W. Kuhn, President and CEO of Avrupa Minerals,commented, “We are excited about the immediate possibilities in theSesmarias target area. Positive geochemical and geological resultsfrom SES20-031 indicate potential for a continuing strong VMS system. We are still in the early stages of work at the north end of thepresently-known Sesmarias system. Already, with the completion oftwo drill holes, and the start of a third hole, we have amuch-improved understanding of the structural controls to the massivesulfide mineralization. This allows us to better target the massivesulfide bodies, as we move north along strike, and at some depthtargeting downdip mineralization. The geological team has done agreat job in pushing the Project ahead.”
The Company completed two drill holes, to date, andstarted a third one in the SES008 area at the north end of the knownSesmarias massive sulfide mineralization zone. Avrupa discoveredmassive sulfide mineralization at Sesmarias in 2014, and intermittentdrilling since then increased the known strike length of the massivelenses to 1.6 kilometers. The present work is the initial attempt toexpand the mineralization to the north from SES008 to the Brejo area(in previous releases, designated as Sesmarias North or Northern Deeptarget). Wide-spaced, historic drilling suggests strong possibilityof massive sulfide mineralization in the Brejo target area.
Figures 1 and 2. Location of Northern Deep (Brejo area) and original targetingidea. Review and re-interpretation of historic work and new drillinghave demonstrated significant new potential in the area between SES008and the “Northern Deep” (Brejo) target shown above.
Figure 3. Plan view map of the present drilling area and targets,overlain on top of gravity geophysical information. Sesmariasmineralization is located on the southwest flank of a gravity anomalyonly recently explored by Avrupa Minerals and partners. The nextobvious target is the strong gravity anomaly in the upper half of thefigure. The Brejo (Northern Deep) anomaly is illustrated in Figure2. We plan to test this target in the near future.
Figure 4. Google Earth enlargement of the Sesmarias “8” Lens targetarea (outlined in red dashed lines, open to NW/SE and downdip atdepth).
SES20-031 targeted potential massive sulfide mineralization related to theSES008 intercept ( https://avrupaminerals.com/project/alvalade/ ). The hole continued to 536 meters depth, in severalplaces intersecting the specific black shale unit that hosts massivesulfide mineralization at Sesmarias and at the Lousal Mine, locatedsix kilometers to the north. Detailed review of the core showed thatfor its entire length, the drill hole passed through intensely foldedrock units of the Volcano-Sedimentary Formation, the general host ofmineralization throughout the Iberian Pyrite Belt. Overall, however,the drillhole roughly paralleled the major trend of bedding, allowingonly for narrow true widths of mineralized intercepts.
Figure 5. Geological section of SES20-031. Target rocks are noted inred (massive sulfide mineralization) and black (mineral host blackshale unit). Previous work by Avrupa suggested that individualmassive sulfide lenses were oriented ± vertically, but often dippingsteeply to the NE. However, detailed re-logging of Sesmarias areacore and subsequent first-logging of SES20-031 lead to the conclusionthat intense folding of the limb of a much larger, overall westerly-dipping fold system is a realistic reason as to why drilling has notyet cut significant thicknesses of massive sulfide – i.e., the drilling roughly parallels the targethost unit and never really crosses mineralization at a favorableangle.
Figure 6 is aphotograph of a piece of core from SES20-031 (about 20 cm in length). This shows, in miniature, how intensely folded the rocks are in theSesmarias District, as it directly mimics the larger-scale foldingseen in the Sesmarias drill holes. We now see this patternthroughout the entire length of the known mineralization. Design ofsubsequent follow-up drilling will attempt to take into account thebetter understanding of the structural complexity of the massivesulfide target.
Figure 5 demonstrates the partial success of thedrilling, but also shows that the drillhole skirted or skimmed themain target zone, for the length of the hole. The thickest interceptoccurs at 277.70 to 288.45 meters, where drilling skimmed the top of apossible folded/faulted massive sulfide lens. Rocks in the interceptzone are dominantly silica, containing disseminated sulfides, zones ofbanded sulfide mineralization, sulfide breccias, and one interval ofapproximately 0.5 meters of massive sulfide material. The interceptincludes a 3.8-meter thick, weakly mineralized fault zone. Thefollowing table shows the metals’ values of the intercept.
| From |
| To |
| Total |
| Copper |
| Lead |
| 277.70 |
| 288.45 |
| 10.75 |
| 0.19% |
| 0.74% |
| including |
| 279.20 |
| 281.45 |
| 2.25 |
| 0.35% |
| 1.73% |
| 281.45 |
| 285.25 |
| 3.80 |
| Fault zone |
| 285.25 |
| 288.45 |
| 3.20 |
| 0.33% |
| 1.12% |
Following the completion of SES20-031, we performed adownhole electromagnetic (DEM) survey which produced a strongconductive response in the rocks located above the path of the drillhole. Using this information, we targeted the second hole in the“8” Lens zone directly at the conductor. SES21-032 continuedto a depth of 338 meters. At 201 to 211 meters, the drill holepassed through the Sesmarias mineral horizon, a zone of weaklypyritic, quartz vein-rich, broken, graphitic gray and black shaleswhich we interpret to be the DEM conductor, and likely to represent adistal zone of potential massive sulfide mineralization in the “8”Lens area. We are now detail-logging the drill hole and sampling theshale zone. The pattern of intense folding and faulting continues inthis hole, but it appears that we intersected shale units originallylocated further away from the main part of the target unit shown inFig. 5.
Figure 7. Schematic interpretation of geophysical information obtainedin SES20-031 DEM survey. Target, in green, tested by SES21-032,represents the Sesmarias mineral horizon in this sketch. Geologicalinformation suggests that mineralization may lie below the trace ofSES20-031. The current drill hole, SES21-033, is testing this targetbelow the previously reported massive sulfide mineralization inSES008.
SES21-033 isdesigned to target potential downdip massive sulfide mineralizationbeneath SES008 and SES20-031. Further information concerning thishole will be provided upon completion, presently planned for 500 to600 meters depth.
Following the completion of SES21-033, we intend tomove to the northwest of SES008 to potentially increase the strikelength of the 8 Lens. At the same time, the geological teamcontinues to assess the historical core in the Brejo area, and hasstarted to map geological structures visible in the old Lousal Mineworkings. Initial work there clearly shows similarity of ore controlcharacteristics to what we now know about the Sesmarias massivesulfide mineralization. Historical documents and academic studies(non- compliant to NI 43-101 standards) indicate a universal metalresource at the old mine of over 50 million tonnes of massive sulfidematerial. Review of original mine records by Avrupa demonstratesthat less than 20 million tonnes of ore were actually extracted fromLousal.
The continuing work program is fully funded by Minas deAguas Teñidas, S.A. (“MATSA”). MATSA can initially earn a 51%interest in the Alvalade Experimental Exploitation License property bycompleting funding requirements set out in the joint venture agreementbetween the companies. MATSA may then increase their interest in theProject to 85% by preparing a bankable feasibility study. Avrupapreviously described the details of the agreement in news releasesdated October 1, 2019 and November 20, 2019 .
Minas de Aguas Teñidas, S.A. (MATSA) is a private Spanish mining company, which ownsand operates three mines in the province of Huelva (Andalusia, Spain): Aguas Teñidas, Magdalena, and Sotiel. MATSA also holds 1,312km 2 of exploration permits in the south of Spain and 1,106 km 2 in Portugal.Focused on innovation and the most advanced technology to developmodern and sustainable mines, MATSA is a 50:50 joint venture companyof Mubadala Investment Company, a sovereign investor managing a globalportfolio aimed at generating sustainable returns for its shareholder,the Government of Abu Dhabi, and Trafigura, one of the world’sleading commodity trading houses.
Avrupa Minerals Ltd. is a growth-oriented junior exploration and developmentcompany directed to discovery of mineral deposits, using a hybridprospect generator business model. The Company holds one 100%-ownedlicense in Portugal, the Alvalade VMS Project, now optioned to MATSAin an earn-in joint venture agreement. Avrupa focuses its projectgeneration work in politically stable and prospective regions ofEurope, presently including Portugal and Kosovo. The Companycontinues to seek and develop other opportunities aroundEurope.
For additional information, contact Avrupa Minerals Ltd. at1-604-687-3520 or visit our website at www.avrupaminerals.com .
On behalf of the Board,
Paul W. Kuhn, President & Director
This news release was prepared byCompany management, who take full responsibility for its content. Paul W. Kuhn, President and CEO of Avrupa Minerals, a LicensedProfessional Geologist and a Registered Member of the Society ofMining Engineers, is a Qualified Person as defined by NationalInstrument 43-101 of the Canadian Securities Administrators. He hasreviewed the technical disclosure in this release. Mr. Kuhn, the QP,has not only reviewed, but prepared and supervised the preparation orapproval of the scientific and technical content in the newsrelease.
Information about the Lousal Minecomes directly from published academic documents prepared by thegeological survey of Portugal (LNEG), theses from the University ofLisbon, private company documents authored by mine geologists employedat one time by the Lousal Mine, and copies of original mine records. The information is considered accurate, but NOT compliant topresent-day NI 43-101 regulations and standards.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor itsRegulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policiesof the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacyor accuracy of this release.
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