Toronto, Ontario, May 21, 2021 – Aurania Resources Ltd. (TSXV: ARU) (OTCQB: AUIAF) (Frankfurt: 20Q) (“Aurania” or the “Company”) reports that follow-up of a high-grade boulder found in a stream has led to the discovery of silver-zinc mineralization in outcrop over 2.7 kilometres (“km”) in the Tiria-Shimpia target area in the Company’s Lost Cities – Cutucu Project (“Project”) in southeastern Ecuador.
Follow-up exploration, together with the on-going channel sampling of the mineralized layers where they are exposed at surface, is providing key information on the distribution of grade on surface within the 15km trend along which silver-zinc is located at Tiria-Shimpia. This trend was recently extended to a total of 22km after the discovery of a 7km long mineralized zone at Shimpia North (see press release dated April 30, 2021). Within the 2.7km mineralized zone, there is a 500 metre (“m”) segment of high-grade material with silver up to 73 grams per tonne (“g/t”) and zinc up to 49% (Figure 1). The high-grade mineralization is open to the north where there is a gap in outcrop of about 1km.
The mineralized sedimentary layer corresponds closely with silver enrichment in soil (Figure 1) and remains open to the south. In fact, there is a second band of elevated silver in soil that suggests that there is a second mineralized layer in the sedimentary strata, but no outcrop has yet been found of the suspected second layer. A third level of mineralization has been found to the west with the discovery of low-grade outcrop that returned up to 2% zinc. Zinc and silver enrichment continues to the southern limit of ridge and spur soil sampling, and there is therefore potential for the silver-zinc zone to extend further south.
Figure 1. Plan view of the distribution of elevated silver in soil (orange shapes) and geological faults (black ticked lines) in the Tiria-Shimpia area showing the location of rock samples from outcrop over a 2.7km trend within the 15km-long Tiria-Shimpia target.
Geological Details of the Area Sampled
Silver-zinc mineralization is concentrated in the sedimentary layering in crackle-brecciated dolomitic limestone. Sphalerite and barite occur in veinlets and as fill between rock fragments in the breccia. The mineralization occurs in sedimentary layering that is folded across north-northwest – trending hinge lines.
Sample Analysis & Quality Assurance / Quality Control (“QAQC”)
Laboratories: The soil samples were prepared for analysis at MS Analytical (“MSA”) in Cuenca, Ecuador, and the analyses were done in Vancouver, Canada.
Sample preparation: The rock samples were jaw-crushed to 10 mesh (crushed material passes through a mesh with apertures of 2 millimetres (“mm”)), from which a one-kilogram sub-sample was taken. The sub-sample was crushed to a grain size of 0.075mm and a 200 gram (“g”) split was set aside for analysis.
Analytical procedure: Approximately 0.25g of rock pulp underwent four-acid digestion and analysis for 48 elements by ICP-MS. For the over-limit samples, those that had a grade of greater than 1% zinc and lead, and 100g/t silver, 0.4g of pulp underwent digestion in four acids and the resulting liquid was diluted and analyzed by ICP-MS.
QAQC: Aurania personnel inserted a certified standard pulp sample, alternating with a field blank, at approximate 20 sample intervals in all sample batches. Aurania’s analysis of results from its independent QAQC samples showed the batches reported on above, lie within acceptable limits. In addition, the labs reported that the analyses had passed their internal QAQC tests.
Qualified Person
The geological information contained in this news release has been verified and approved by Jean-Paul Pallier, MSc. Mr. Pallier is a designated EurGeol by the European Federation of Geologists and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects of the Canadian Securities Administrators.
About Aurania
Aurania is a mineral exploration company engaged in the identification, evaluation, acquisition and exploration of mineral property interests, with a focus on precious metals and copper in South America. Its flagship asset, The Lost Cities – Cutucu Project, is located in the Jurassic Metallogenic Belt in the eastern foothills of the Andes mountain range of southeastern Ecuador.
Information on Aurania and technical reports are available at www.aurania.com and www.sedar.com, as well as on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/auranialtd/, Twitter at https://twitter.com/auranialtd, and LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/aurania-resources-ltd-.
For further information, please contact:
Carolyn Muir
VP Investor Relations Aurania Resources Ltd. (416) 367-3200 |
Dr. Richard Spencer
President Aurania Resources Ltd. (416) 367-3200 |
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Forward-Looking Statements
This news release may contain forward-looking information that involves substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties, most of which are beyond the control of Aurania. Forward-looking statements include estimates and statements that describe Aurania’s future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that Aurania or its management expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as “believes”, “anticipates”, “expects”, “estimates”, “may”, “could”, “would”, “will”, or “plan”. Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Although these statements are based on information currently available to Aurania, Aurania provides no assurance that actual results will meet management’s expectations. Risks, uncertainties and other factors involved with forward-looking information could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to Aurania’s objectives, goals or future plans, statements, exploration results, potential mineralization, the corporation’s portfolio, treasury, management team and enhanced capital markets profile, the estimation of mineral resources, exploration, timing of the commencement of operations and estimates of market conditions. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, failure to identify mineral resources, failure to convert estimated mineral resources to reserves, the inability to complete a feasibility study which recommends a production decision, the preliminary nature of metallurgical test results, delays in obtaining or failures to obtain required governmental, regulatory, environmental or other project approvals, political risks, inability to fulfill the duty to accommodate indigenous peoples, uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future, changes in equity markets, inflation, changes in exchange rates, fluctuations in commodity prices, delays in the development of projects, capital and operating costs varying significantly from estimates and the other risks involved in the mineral exploration and development industry, the effects of COVID-19 on the business of the Company including but not limited to the effects of COVID-19 on the price of commodities, capital market conditions, restrictions on labour and international travel and supply chains, and those risks set out in Aurania’s public documents filed on SEDAR. Although Aurania believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. Aurania disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by law.