Focus Announces Additional Assays from Nueva California
VANCOUVER, April 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - Focus Ventures Ltd. (TSX-V: FCV.V) has received the results from the latest 4 holes of the Company's drill program on its Nueva California project. Results from the first 10 holes of the second phase drill program were reported on March 30, 2010.
Drillholes were collared on a 100m spaced grid within the lower mine workings. All holes were drilled at bearing of 060 degrees to the northeast and at 45 degrees inclination. Average hole depth was 300m, and total meterage was 1,206m for these four holes, bringing the total meters drilled on the property during this second phase of drilling to 3,548m. A drill hole location map can be found on Focus's website at www.focusventuresltd.com.
Summary of Results
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Hole # From To Length Gold Silver
(m) (m) (m) (g/t) g/t
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DDH-NC-015 0.0 9.8 9.8 0.91 36 Tailings
30.2 73.9 43.7 0.25 15
DDH-NC-016 0.0 15.0 15.0 0.22 14
37.5 49.8 12.3 0.83 52
68.9 73.5 4.6 2.20 347
DDH-NC-017 0.0 11.0 11.0 0.73 32
50.0 66.0 16.0 0.26 12
DDH-NC-018 35.1 119.5 84.4 0.36 20
includes 80.6 87.1 6.5 1.53 123
138.5 160.4 21.9 0.35 9
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The grid drilling program at Nueva California was designed to test for a near surface, bulk tonnage deposit. Results to date have shown significant and potentially economic intercepts in several holes. However, due to the complex structural geology, the mineralization is generally inconsistent and grades erratic between holes from the lower to the upper levels of the mine. As a result, the potential for the project to host a (greater than)1Moz Au deposit within the area of the current mine workings has been significantly reduced.
The most recent drilling however has shown that viable drill targets exist to the south of the mine area. Further geological interpretation is ongoing and a decision will be made in due course regarding additional drilling to test the targets defined by the recent work. As these targets are outside the mine area, permissions from the local landholders must first be obtained. Management is also considering looking for a joint venture partner to continue the exploration of Nueva California.
Interpretation of Results
The drilling to date in the lower part of the mine around holes DDH-NC-012 and DDH-NC-018 has confirmed that the hydrothermal system in this lower part of the mine is deep and intense. Geophysics has confirmed that the anomaly continues for a further 200m - 250m to the south. The altered and silicified argillites drilled in DDH-NC-018 show thick intervals of mineralization. However gold grades are low compared to that drilled in DDH-NC-12 (46m @ 2.0 g/t Au from 52m downhole).
After the completion of Hole DDH-NC-18, drilling was halted to allow time to expand the IP Resistivity survey further south and to carry out downhole alteration studies on drillcore utilizing a portable spectrometer to characterize the hydrothermal alteration.
The geophysical survey returned a significantly larger (300m x 700m) resistivity anomaly that overlaps and is 50m to 100m above the chargeability anomalies. The geophysical program successfully extended the strong chargeability IP response from the original survey by an additional 200m to 250m along trend to the south-southeast. The anomaly also became significantly wider increasing from 100m to 150m wide in the north to (greater than)400m wide to the south. Two moderately strong and deeper coalescing chargeability anomalies emerged to the northeast of the bigger anomaly.
A possible interpretation of the geophysics is a pile of altered argillite forming a roof to altered granodiorite. Drilling to date suggests a strong correlation between high chargeability and phyllic altered - sulphidic granodiorite.
Holes DDH-NC-015 and 018, which were drilled past the southern most mine workings and the limit of the 2009 geophysical survey, intersected a thick intermittent sequence of siliceous hydrothermal breccia and quartz vein stockworks to over 180m below surface. Hole DDH-NC-018 intercepted the thickest consistently mineralized interval drilled to date (84.43m from 35.07m downhole) which averaged 0.36 g/t Au. This interval is hosted by a package of intercalated argillite and mixed argillite and granodiorite breccias crosscut by strongly phyllic-altered granodiorite dykes that are along trend of the southern extension of the IP - low resistivity geophysical anomaly defined in 2009.
Holes NC DDH 009, 012, 015, 016, and 018 are significantly more enriched in As, Cu, Pb, Zn, Sb and Mo than the holes drilled higher up in the deposit, suggesting that the hydrothermal system could be intensifying to the south outside of the principal mine workings in an area completely covered by glacial till for which no geological information is available. In particular, significant intervals in DDH-NC-018 assayed lead and zinc at sub-percent levels.
Geophysical maps and drill sections will be made available on Focus's website www.focusventuresltd.com
Sampling Quality Analysis and Quality Control
The drill program, including logging and drill core sampling was supervised by Mark Slauenwhite P.Geo., Focus's Vice-President of Exploration. Core was first split in half using a diamond core splitter and then logged, and each box photographed prior to sampling. Half-core samples were bagged, security-sealed and transported by Focus personnel to ALS Chemex laboratories in Lima for analysis. Gold was assayed by Atomic Adsorption Spectrometry with fire assay gravimetric finish. Silver was determined by multi-acid digestion and ICP-AES, with fire assay gravimetric finish. ALS Chemex's quality control system complies with International Standards ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 17025:2005. Analytical accuracy and precision are monitored by the analysis of reagent blanks, reference material and replicate samples.
Quality control is further assured by Focus's own QA/QC program which involves the insertion by Focus personnel of blind certified standards and blanks into the sample stream at regular intervals in order to independently assess analytical precision and accuracy of each batch of samples as they are received from the laboratory. Finally, representative sample pulps are forwarded to an ISO-compliant third party laboratory for additional quality control.
Qualified Person
The scientific and technical information in this release was prepared under the supervision of Mr. David Cass, Focus's President, who is a member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia, and a "Qualified Person" in accordance with NI 43-101.
About Focus Ventures
Focus Ventures is acquiring advanced, drill-ready projects in Peru. Backed by an experienced technical team of geologists and consultants, Focus's strategy is to identify and acquire former producing mines or un-tested gold properties that show potential to become new mines. The Company's most recent acquisition is the Chúcara gold-silver project in north-central Peru.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD
"David Cass"
David Cass, President
Contact: Erin Ostrom/Ralph Rushton
Symbol: TSXV-FCV
Shares Issued: 29.1-million
Forward-Looking Statement
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Some of the statements in this news release contain forward-looking information that involves inherent risk and uncertainty affecting the business of Focus Ventures Ltd. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
SOURCE Focus Ventures Ltd.
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