VANCOUVER, BC, July 7, 2020 /CNW/ - Southern Empire Resources
Corp. ("Southern Empire"; TSX-V: SMP) (Frankfurt: 5RE) is pleased to report gold
assay results for selective grab samples collected from the surface
of two historical heap leach pads located on its 2,160 hectare
(5,338 acre) Oro Cruz Gold Project in Imperial County, California.
Assessment of Historical Leach Pads – Background, Objectives
and Highlights
Historical mining of the American Girl, Padre y Madre, Queen and
Oro Cruz oxide gold deposits by the American Girl Mining Joint
Venture ("AGMJV"; MK Gold Company and Hecla Mining Company)
occurred between 1987 and 1996. At that time, processing was either
by heap leaching of lower-grade, or milling of higher-grade,
gold-mineralized materials. Operations ceased in late 1996, due to
declining gold prices, leaving both the American Girl and Padre y
Madre historical leach pads, covering approximately 61 and 22 acres
respectively.
Southern Empire believes that the gold-bearing material in the
two historical leach pads may contain significant residual gold
and, as a first phase of assessment, twenty-six (26) samples were
collected; 12 from the historical Padre y Madre and 14 from the
American Girl leach pads. Gold assay results are presented in Table
1 and sample locations are presented in Figures 1 and 2.
David Tupper, P.Geo. and Southern
Empire's VP of Exploration stated: "We are pleased to report that
our preliminary surface sampling has confirmed gold is present in
historical heap leach pads that remain from the former American
Girl Mining Joint Venture operations."
Southern Empire's President and CEO, Dale Wallster stated: "Having now unequivocally
demonstrated that gold still exists in the historical leach pads,
we will use sonic drilling to quickly target the establishment of a
resource and provide us with samples for extractive metallurgical
test work. The potential for Southern Empire to ultimately
reprocess this already mined material represents additional upside
to any high-grade, underground results we get at Oro Cruz."
Steps Forward on the Historical Heap Leach Pads at the Oro
Cruz Gold Project
To establish a NI 43-101 resource for the historical heap leach
pads, Southern Empire has:
- Initiated permitting for sonic drilling of both the Padre y
Madre and American Girl heap leach pads with both the U.S. Bureau
of Land Management ("BLM") and Imperial
County,
- Initiated a review of historical AGMJV metallurgy in order to
determine the best methods for gold extraction from the existing
heap leach pad material, and
- Engaged Mr. Garth Kirkham, the
principal of Kirkham Geosystems Ltd., of Vancouver, Canada, to oversee the resource
establishment procedures at Oro Cruz. Kirkham Geosystems is a
full-service provider of geoscience consulting services to the
mining, environmental, oil & gas and geotechnical industries
focusing on offering 3D computer modeling expertise using a variety
of leading volumetric modeling systems. Mr. Kirkham is the
Past-President of the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and
Petroleum (CIM) and is the co-Chair of the CIM Mineral Resources
and Mineral Reserves Committee and the Chair of the Geoscientists
Canada, Securities Committee. He is also currently a representative
for Canada on CRIRSCO - Committee
for Mineral Reserves International Reporting Standards.
Data Verification, Sampling Procedures and Quality
Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC)
Surface grab samples of rock chips from larger boulders combined
with gravel and fines, all considered representative of the
materials of the historical American Girl and Padre y Madre heap
leach pads at Oro Cruz were collected from 20 centimetre deep,
hand-dug pits. Samples were described and photographed, and their
location surveyed with handheld GPS, accurate to within 3
metres.
Each sample was then in control of the geologist until it was
shipped from Yuma, AZ and
Brawley, CA to either Bureau
Veritas Mineral Laboratories USA
("BVM") in Sparks, NV (samples
OCR-11 to OCR-27) or ALS USA Inc.
("ALS") in Reno, NV (samples
OCR-27 to OCR-49), respectively. The samples were collected in two
events, as noted in Table 1. The averages of analytical results
from the two sampling events are comparable.
Samples were crushed, split and pulverized (250 grams to 75
microns ("µ"); 200 mesh) using BVM process PRP70-250 or ALS
processes CRU012 and PUL31, then a 30 gram homogenized sample
was analyzed using fire assay techniques with an atomic absorption
spectroscopy (AAS) finish (procedures FA430 at BVM and Au-AA23 at
ALS). Four acid digestion of each sample was followed by
multielement Inductively Coupled Plasma ("ICP") mass spectrometry
analysis using MA3000 procedure at BVM and ME-ICP61 procedure at
ALS. The results were reported in grams gold/tonne ("g Au/t"; also
parts per million, or "ppm") and then converted to ounces gold per
ton ("oz Au/ton"; also "opt") using a ratio of 34.28.
One pulp field standard and one trip blank were inserted with
samples OCR-11 to OCR-27 that were analyzed at BVM. One pulp field
standard and one trip blank was submitted with samples OCR-27 to
OCR-49. which were analyzed at ALS. All lab standard and blank
assay results reported in the BVM and ALS analytical certificates
and all field standards and blank samples assayed within accepted
QA/QC value ranges.
Standards and blanks submitted to BVM included the gold standard
MEG-Au-09.03 and blank MEG-BLANK.10.14 purchased from Shea Clark Smith/MEG, Inc.
(http://www.sheaclarksmith.com/). The submitted standards returned
accepted values of 2.091 Au ppm and <0.005 ppm Au
respectively.
Standards and blanks including WCM Mineral Standard CU160 and
WCM Mineral Standard CU172 were submitted to ALS Geochemistry with
samples OCR-27 to OCR-49. These QA/QC standard material were
purchased from WCM Minerals, a division of WCM Sales Ltd., located
in Burnaby, BC, Canada (http://www.wcmminerals.ca/). The
values returned for the submitted standards were 2.93 Au ppm and
0.266 Au ppm respectively, which are within accepted QA/QC
ranges.
Qualified Person (QP)
The scientific and technical information contained in this news
release has been prepared, reviewed, verified and approved by
David Tupper, P.Geo. (British Columbia), Southern Empire's VP -
Exploration and a Qualified Person (QP) within the context of
Canadian Securities Administrators' National Instrument 43-101;
Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.
Work Programs During the COVID-19 Pandemic
As the health and safety of our employees, contractors and
associated communities is a top priority, Southern Empire will
continue to monitor COVID-19 regulatory recommendations and
restrictions and, together with our consultants and subcontractors,
will follow governmental health and safety regulations and protocol
regarding personnel management, lodging, travel, etc., in our
current and future work related to both the Eastgate and Oro Cruz
Gold Projects.
The timing of Southern Empire's on-going exploration and
development programs will be contingent on governmental regulations
regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.
About Southern Empire Resources Corp.
Southern Empire is focused on the acquisition, exploration and
development of gold deposits in North
America, currently having two projects in the American
southwest.
In the Cargo Muchacho mountains of Imperial County, southeast California, Southern Empire holds options to
acquire a 100% interest in the 2,160 hectare (5,338 acre) Oro Cruz
Property located approximately 22.5 kilometres (14 miles) southeast
of the Mesquite gold mine of Equinox Gold Corp.
With a history that includes extensive drilling and large-scale
open pit and underground mining that was suspended during the gold
market downturn in 1996, the Oro Cruz Gold Project hosts numerous
exploration targets in addition to a high-grade oxide gold zone
that, based on the historical mine records, is amenable to
conventional heap leach extractive methods.
Southern Empire also owns an 85% interest in the 817 hectare
(2,020 acre) Eastgate Gold Project, located 81 kilometres (50
miles) southeast of the city of Fallon in Churchill
County, Nevada. Southern Empire has just completed six
HQ-size core drill holes at Eastgate, in a first-pass drill program
targeting high-grade gold/silver epithermal vein systems. Selective
core samples have been submitted to ALS USA Inc.'s laboratories in Reno, Nevada and assay results will be
released after they become available. Permitting for the next phase
of drilling has been initiated.
On behalf of the Board of Directors,
Dale Wallster, CEO and
Director
Southern Empire Resources Corp.
Cautionary Notice on Forward-Looking Information
Information set forth in this news release may contain
forward-looking statements that are based on assumptions as of the
date of this news release. All statements, other than statements of
historical fact, that address activities, events or developments
that Southern Empire expects or anticipates will or may occur in
the future are forward-looking statements that reflect management's
current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations. They are
not guarantees of future performance. Southern Empire cautions that
all forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain and that
actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors,
many of which are beyond Southern Empire's control. Such
factors include, among other things: risks and uncertainties
relating to Southern Empire's limited operating history and the
need to comply with environmental and governmental regulations.
Accordingly, actual and future events, conditions and results may
differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions and
expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking
information. Except as required under applicable securities
legislation, Southern Empire undertakes no obligation to publicly
update or revise forward-looking statements or information.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its regulation services
provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX
Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or
accuracy of this release.
SOURCE Southern Empire Resources Corp.