White Rock Minerals Ltd Stock Market Press Releases and Company Profile
Red Mountain Exploration - New Massive Sulphide Discovered
Red Mountain Exploration - New Massive Sulphide Discovered

Ballarat, Aug 1, 2018 AEST (ABN Newswire) - White Rock Minerals Ltd (googlechartASX:WRM) ("White Rock" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an update on exploration activities currently underway at its 100% owned high-grade zinc VMS project at Red Mountain in Alaska.

Reconnaissance work has discovered and is now currently focused at the Hunter prospect where a 60cm wide massive sulphide outcrop rich in sphalerite (zinc) and galena (lead) (see Figure 1 in link below) has been observed at surface. This massive sulphide extends over 500m of strike and is hosted within a graphitic schist that can be traced over 1km of strike. Portable XRF analysis of soil samples returned up to 24.3% Zn, 2.4% Pb, 1.5% Cu & 249ppm Ag. Rock chip assays are pending.

CSAMT geophysics lines have been completed across this favourable horizon with a subtle conductivity anomaly coincident with the massive sulphide. The massive sulphide occurs along a steep talus slope where there is little outcrop. Prospecting along the horizon has mapped out the favourable graphitic host. Subsequent hand trenching has confirmed the presence of massive sulphide, both in situ and as float interpreted to be close to the source along the entire 500m length of the horizon defined to date.

Drilling is now planned to test this massive sulphide outcrop down dip, primarily to acquire geological information with which to better interpret and plan follow-up drilling.

MD & CEO Matt Gill said "While a lot of focus and interest is on the diamond drilling we are doing, the background work by the reconnaissance mapping and geochemical sampling crew is key to our next discovery.

To date, this crew has mapped some 30 square kilometres of terrain on foot (out of our 143kms2 tenement package), and taken over 1,000 soil and rock samples. Identifying this potentially high-grade massive zinc and lead sulphide rock outcrop is exactly what we are after.

What is exciting is that our on-ground recon crew has to date covered just 20% of our strategic tenement package and already identified some seven areas of interest.

Proof of concept of course will be when we test this with the drill bit."

Reconnaissance and Surface Geochemistry

Prospectivity analysis of the Red Mountain VMS project has utilised several datasets to generate numerous targets for follow-up on-ground assessment. The primary datasets used were the Government of Alaska acquired airborne DIGHEM geophysics data from 2007, historic surface geochemistry (predominantly soil surveys) and whole rock lithogeochemical data. Together, the assessment of this data by a range of experts including Dr Jim Franklin and Condor Consulting has generated a series of prioritised target areas for assessment and follow-up field work to provide drill targets during 2018 (refer ASX Announcement "White Rock Identifies Multiple Zinc-Silver VMS Targets" dated 13 September 2016).

On-ground geological reconnaissance has been ongoing since the commencement of this year's field activities in late May. Geological crews have undertaken field inspections of targets to both validate historical mapping and surface sampling and in addition, prioritise the discovery of new zones of mineralisation not previously known using the desktop targets generated from this historic data as a starting point. The primary aim for this geological reconnaissance has been to gather sufficient data to generate new targets for additional CSAMT geophysics. Potentially, this would then lead to follow-up drill testing during the 2018 field season, and therefore provide the greatest chance to make a new discovery that has the potential to add resources in addition to the known Resource at Dry Creek and West Tundra.

To date, geological reconnaissance and surface sampling has successfully confirmed historic targets with previous drilling, where there is potential to test along strike and down-dip. In addition, sampling has also included orientation work to provide background fingerprinting with respect to the known mineralisation at Dry Creek and West Tundra. To date, some seven areas of interest have been identified from the Company's on-ground work. Results of interest include:

- The Dry Creek South prospect where a zone of alteration is associated with historic base metal soil anomalism that has been confirmed by portable XRF analyses. Rock chip grab sampling returned assays up to 12.8% Zn, 34g/t Ag, 1.1% Pb, 0.02g/t Au & 0.7% Cu. Portable XRF analysis of soil samples returned up to 168ppm Zn, 1,458ppm Pb & 100ppm Cu.

- The Dry Creek East prospect where soil sampling has confirmed the continuation of an anomalous trend. Portable XRF analysis of soil samples returned up 1,562ppm Zn, 275ppm Pb &68ppm Cu, providing indicative levels of anomalism for reference to new targets defined by portable XRF analysis of soil samples.

- At the West Tundra prospect the main VMS time horizon exposure at surface shows minimal evidence of massive sulphide mineralisation. The exposure is less than 100m up-dip from zinc-rich massive sulphide mineralisation. Two profiles of soil samples were collected across the VMS stratigraphic time horizon to provide a geochemical fingerprint with which to assess other favourable VMS time horizons identified throughout the tenement package. Portable XRF analysis of soil samples returned up to 2,978ppm Zn, 2,602ppm Pb & 94ppm Cu.

- At West Tundra, orientation sampling was also completed to determine whether there is a geochemical signature that can be identified above the hangingwall and Tertiary sedimentary cover. Results have provided a promising analytical technique that White Rock will now look to apply on targets with a similar geologic setting along the northern limb of the regional East Bonnifield syncline which also sits within White Rock's strategic tenement land holding.

To date, geological reconnaissance and surface sampling has successfully added new targets for drill testing at:

- The Ram prospect where newly discovered massive sulphide float has been discovered and traced back to a proximal source position within a steep talus slope between the Dry Creek South and the main Dry Creek massive sulphide lenses. Rock chip grab sampling returned assays up to 27.1% Zn, 152g/t Ag, 8.2% Pb, 0.3g/t Au & 0.6% Cu.

- The Megan's Draw prospect where a zone of alteration is associated with historic base metal soil anomalism that has been confirmed by portable XRF analyses. Rock chip grab sampling returned assays up to 0.3% Zn, 8g/t Ag & 0.2% Pb. Portable XRF analysis of soil samples returned up to 1,331ppm Zn, 2,240ppm Pb & 625ppm Cu.

- The South Platypus prospect where a zone of alteration including semi-massive sulphide gossan outcrop has been discovered with coincident portable XRF base metal anomalism in soils. The zone has been traced over 1km of strike with evidence of chalcopyrite (copper) associated with the alteration zone. Portable XRF analysis of soil samples returned up to 617ppm Zn, 1,698ppm Pb & 154ppm Cu.

- The Hunter prospect where a 60cm wide massive sulphide outcrop rich in galena (lead) and sphalerite (zinc) (see Figure 1 in link below) has been discovered within graphitic schist that can be traced over 500m of strike. Rock chip assays are pending. Portable XRF analysis of soil samples returned up to 24.3% Zn, 2.4% Pb, 1.5% Cu & 249ppm Ag.

Geophysics Update

On-ground orientation geophysics completed across the known mineralisation at the Dry Creek deposit in early June confirmed that mineralisation is coincident with clearly defined conductivity anomalies. Figure 4 (see link below) highlights the coincidence of the CSAMT conductivity anomaly with massive sulphide mineralisation at the Discovery lens intersected in both historic drill holes and DC18-79 drilled earlier in 2018, which intersected 4.7m @ 19.5% zinc, 7.8% lead, 466g/t silver, 6.9g/t gold and 1.5% copper for 49.7% ZnEq1 in the core of the CSAMT anomaly. The coincidence of conductivity and massive sulphide mineralisation rich in sphalerite has provided confidence in applying the CSAMT technique to define other targets for drill testing in new prospective areas prioritised by favourable geological observations and anomalous surface geochemistry.

White Rock has now applied the rapid acquisition of CSAMT data across priority target areas, with 30 line-km of CSAMT done along 27 separate lines (see Figure 5 in link below). The CSAMT tool is proving to be highly effective in mapping geology in addition to assisting the prioritisation of targets through the integration of geological, geochemical and CSAMT data ahead of drilling.

CSAMT data acquisition is continuing on new target areas such as South Plat and at Hunters, and is intended to be continued as a prioritisation tool for areas of interest identified from geological reconnaissance and geochemical sampling, as well as being applied across broad areas of interpreted alteration where steep talus slopes might conceal the presence of new targets.

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About White Rock Minerals Ltd

White Rock Minerals Ltd

 White Rock Minerals Ltd (ASX:WRM) (OTCMKTS:WRMCF) is a diversified explorer and near-stage producer, headquartered in Ballarat, Victoria. The Company's flagship exploration project is Red Mountain in central Alaska. At Red Mountain, there are already two high grade zinc - silver - gold - lead VMS deposits, with an Inferred Mineral Resource of 9.1 million tonnes @ 609g/t AgEq / 13% ZnEq. The Company is also exploring its recently discovered large intrusion related gold anomaly at Last Chance, also located in the Tintina gold belt of Alaska, home to multi-million gold ounce deposits like Pogo, Fort Knox and the Donlin Project. The Company also has the Mt Carrington project, located near Drake, in Northern NSW, which is a near-production precious metals asset with a resource of 341,000 ounces of gold and 23.2 million ounces of silver on an approved mining lease, and with a Gold First PFS and JORC Reserve.

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Contact

Matthew Gill (Managing Director & CEO)
Phone: +61-3-5331-4644

Shane Turner (Company Secretary)
Phone: +61-3-5331-4644
Email: info@whiterockminerals.com.au
Website: www.whiterockminerals.com.au



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