Baguio EP Application Data
Metals Exploration PLC
20 June 2006
METALS EXPLORATION PLC
REVIEW OF HISTORICAL DATA INDICATES THAT THE PORPHYRY-STYLE COPPER
MINERALISATION LOCATED WITHIN THE COMPANY'S EXPLORATION PERMIT APPLICATION IN
NORTHERN LUZON, PHILIPPINES, MAY BE OPEN-PITTABLE
20 June 2006
Further to the Company's announcement of 07 March 2006, the Board of Metals
Exploration PLC ('the Company') is pleased to announce that certain historical
data has now been obtained and collated in respect of an area located in the
district of Northern Luzon, Philippines covered by an Exploration Permit
Application ('the EP Application'). The Company is currently processing the EP
Application with the Baguio regional office of the Mines & Geosciences Bureau
('MGB') and, whilst the Company expects that an Exploration Permit will be
granted to it in due course, there can be no guarantee that this will in fact
happen.
The EP Application is located in the Baguio district of Northern Luzon,
Philippines, and is situated to the north of the Santo Nino property, previously
a copper-gold producer. The EP Application area covers approximately 5,845
hectares and is located about 10 kilometres to the northeast of Baguio City. The
property is underlain by quartz diorite and andesite rock types and was
previously the object of exploration for copper+gold porphyry-style
mineralisation during the 1970s. Porphyry style copper mineralisation was first
recognized in the area in 1967 during a first pass reconnaissance programme by
the MGB as an integral part of a nationwide metallogenic study.
In 1974, the MGB carried out a trial IP survey over the area comprising porphyry
style mineralisation. Subsequently, Worldwide Mineral and Industrial Corporation
('Worldwide'), a Philippine corporation, in conjunction with the MGB, carried
out a programme of soil geochemistry (645 samples) to follow up the interpreted
IP anomalies. Results of the soil survey produced best results of 4,481ppm Cu
with 28 samples returning results greater than 1,000ppm Cu.
Between 1974 and 1981, Worldwide reputedly completed 44 diamond drill holes for
an aggregate total of 12,989 metres over a surface area of 600m x 1,200m. The
data package obtained so far relates to 34 of these holes, drilled on a grid
spacing of between 100 to 200 metres, for an aggregate total of 10,407 metres.
Worldwide estimated a positive and possible resource for each drill hole based
on the polygonal method of resource estimation. Their non-JORC compliant
resource totals approximately 150Mt at an average grade of 0.3% Cu and 0.2 g/t
Au.
It should be noted, that Worldwide's estimate is not compliant with the
reporting guidelines as defined by the JORC Code, the Australasian Code for
Reporting of Identified Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves.
The first 18 drill holes were only drilled to an average depth of 175 metres.
Later, three diamond drill holes were drilled to confirm some of the better
mineralisation encountered in the earlier drilling and to test the
mineralisation at depth. The results of these three confirmatory holes are
tabulated below:
Drill-hole ID Depth (metres) Intercept (metres) Cu Au Ag
(%) (g/t) (g/t)
From To Width
C1 510 18 474 456 0.35 0.22 2.41
C2 255 21 255 234 0.41 0.33 4.11
C3 506 0 468 468 0.31 0.26 3.22
In 1982, Worldwide submitted a small batch of samples (21kg) to the nearby
Philex Metallurgical and Assay Laboratory for metallurgical testing. The samples
were mixed and split into two x 2kg test batches for flotation testwork. It was
reported that the second test batch averaged head grades of 0.36% Cu, 0.09 g/t
Au, 3.76 g/t Ag and 0.006% Mo. The concentrate produced by flotation method
assayed at 23.2% Cu, 2.3 g/t Au, 55 g/t Ag and 0.17% Mo. The laboratory reported
that 'the submitted sample was fast-floating and no problem was encountered in
producing separate concentrates of copper and molybdenum of marketable grade'.
The molybdenite concentrate produced was about 0.01% by weight of the total
sample and assayed 45-55% MoS2 with a recovery of 45-55%.
Subsequent to 1980, very little work has been carried out within the EP
Application area.
Given the limited nature of the data collated so far, no assurance or
implication is being given, or should be assumed to be being given, by the
inclusion of this historical data in this news release, that the mineralisation
has been, or will in the future be, deemed to be economic.
The Company intends to announce the results of any drilling programme within the
EP Application area to validate the historical data to a JORC compliant standard
as soon as practicable.
EXPLANATION OF TERMS
Au chemical symbol for gold
Ag chemical symbol for silver
Cu chemical symbol for copper
Mo chemical symbol for molybdenum
g, kg gram, kilogram
t, Mt tonne, million tonnes
g/t grams per tonne, which is equivalent to parts per million (g/t Au =
grams of gold per tonne)
ppm parts per million
% percent (0.1% Cu = 1,000 parts per million of copper)
IP survey Induced Polarisation survey - An electrical geophysical survey
technique measuring the magnetic field spontaneously induced in a
volume of rock by the application of an electric current. A technique
often used to identify disseminated sulphide deposits
QUALIFIED PERSON
Gary Powell (a Director of the Company) has been involved in the mining and
exploration industry for more than 20 years. He has a Bachelor of Applied
Science degree in geology and is a member of the Australasian Institute of
Mining and Metallurgy and the Australasian Institute of Geoscientists. He has
compiled, read and approved the technical disclosure in this regulatory
announcement.
ENQUIRIES:
Steven Smith Chairman + 44 (0) 7797 721 858
Gary Powell Executive Director (technical) + 63 (02) 894 4173
Jonathan Anderson Investor Relations + 44 (0) 7950 410 680 or + 63 (0) 917 560 6654
Philip Haydn-Slater/Paul Dudley WH Ireland Limited + 44 (0) 20 7220 1666
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange