VANCOUVER, Jan. 14 /CNW/ - Goldmember Minerals Inc. (TSX.V: "GMV") ("the Company" or "Goldmember") is pleased to announce that it has commenced field work for its 2008 exploration program to be conducted on its 100% owned Nechako and Alexis properties in central British Columbia.
Commencing immediately, Goldmember intends to aggressively explore both properties by diamond drill testing numerous IP and geochemical anomalies on the completed grids with 2,000-3,000 metres planned for the Nechako property and 1,000-2,000 metres for the Alexis property. Additional ground surveys will commence on new targets.
Alexis Property
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This week Company crews will be dispatched to:
1. establish a base camp location
2. complete a detailed ground magnetic survey of approximately
100 line-kilometres on the existing grid over the Quartz Lake area,
also known as the Maxwell area (southwest corner of the property)
3. extend the existing grid to the northeast and southwest to continue
tracing the open-ended IP chargeability conductor with approximately
25-30 line-kilometres of grid and complete both IP and magnetic
surveys on the new grid
4. evaluate the new data and plan drill holes to test the anomalies.
This pre-drilling program is estimated to take 4-6 weeks to complete after which the drill program will immediately commence. The drilling will comprise 1,000-2,000 metres in 4-8 holes and will test both high chargeability and high resistivity targets. It is anticipated that the drilling will take up to one month to complete.
In addition to testing the Quartz Lake/Maxwell area preliminary work will commence on the Sinterella area, 30 kilometres in the northwest portion of the property. This area was highlighted from the interpretation of the regional magnetics data. This area covers a large cinder cone and limited geochemical samples from the area show anomalous values in gold, arsenic and lead. The magnetics data suggest the presence of a large, deep structure that is bound to the north and south by northwest trending faults. Initial work will comprise grid establishment over favourable structural trends for subsequent ground magnetic and IP surveys.
Nechako Property
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The following program is planned for the Nechako property and is for the entire property, detailed work on the respective grids is outlined on a grid by grid basis.
Commencing immediately, the Company will determine availability of logging camps for crew accommodations for work on grids 1, 2 and 3. Further mapping and prospecting of all known roads, showings and outcrops, will commence in May-June when the snow cover is gone.
Grid 1 (Northeast corner of the property)
The grid area encompasses anomalous gold, silver, arsenic, antimony and molybdenum geochemistry as well as coincident MMI geochemical anomalies from both rock and till samples compiled from historic private company and government programs. Regional magnetic data shows a strong magnetic high striking at 318 degrees across the northwest corner of the grid and a weak magnetic low diagonally through the centre of the grid. The grid area is divided diagonally by a northwesterly trending contact, delineated by both magnetic and resistivity data with the majority of anomalous geochemistry focused along the contact. Regional mapping indicates that the area east of the break is overlain by Quaternary overburden and to the west by Endako Group volcanics.
The IP survey outlined two areas of chargeability response that could be associated with disseminated sulphides. The smaller anomaly lies along the magnetic and resistivity data defined contacts and may be cut by a northeast trending fault. It measures 200 metres (NE) by 250 metres (NW) and is interpreted to be 150 metres thick starting at surface. The larger anomaly measures 1,600 metres long by 400 metres wide and is buried some 100 metres below surface; the anomaly persists to the depth limit of the survey, 400 metres below surface.
2008 Exploration Program
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1. conduct ground magnetometer surveys (37.65 line-kilometres) over the
existing grid, located in the northeastern portion of the property
2. commence expansion of the grid to the east and south to resolve the
full extent of the chargeability anomaly present over approximately
1.6 km of northwesterly strike length and complete both magnetometer
and IP surveys over the new grid
3. evaluate the new data (IP and mag)
4. plan and drill to test the anomalies
The above surveys are estimated to take 3-4 weeks to complete. The drill program will commence shortly after the data is evaluated and the targets selected; initial testing will comprise approximately 1000 metres drilling in 2-3 holes with 2 holes in the large anomaly and 1 hole in the mall anomaly.
Grid 2 (Southwest corner of property)
Grid 2 encompasses multi-element geochemical anomalies as per grid 1 in an area of relatively subdued magnetic response with regional magnetic trends outlining intersecting northwest and northeast trending structures.
The grid is located along the northwest arm of a large "X" pattern defined in the magnetic data that encompasses grids 2 and 3. Resistivity data from the IP survey generally coincides with the magnetic trends, with the NW and NE magnetic trends paralleled by high resistivity trends. With increasing depth resistivity trends give the general impression of ringed structures defined by moderate resistivity centers surrounded by halos of lower resistivity material. The chargeability data has outlined four anomalies that warrant follow-up exploration.
Anomaly 1 (Eastern Strip) - is a large, buried, high chargeability zone and is the strongest response on the grid. It is flanked both above and below by high resistivity units and is the only anomaly associated with resistivity highs. It is strongest from 100 metres to 350 metres below surface, the depth limit of the survey. The anomaly is open to both the north and south and was only covered by 3 lines in the initial survey.
Anomaly 2 (Northwest target) - is an elliptical shaped body with 4 smaller satellite highs. The main anomaly extends from surface to 350 metres below surface, where it gradually weakens; the smaller satellite targets are fairly shallow. It is located along a northwest trending structure and associated with the edge of a magnetic low and surface resistivity low.
Anomaly 3 - (Southwest target) - is similar to the Northwest target in that it appears to be conformable with regional magnetic and resistivity trends. The chargeability anomaly is buried at a depth of 200 metres below surface and extends to 350 metres below surface, the depth limit of the survey. The anomaly is covered by a resistive cap but is associated with more resistive material at depth.
Anomaly 4 (Central target) - this is the lowest priority target and is defined primarily by a northeasterly trending zone of high resistivity. It is flanked by 3 weak chargeability anomalies.
The grid area is mapped as underlain by Quaternary alluvium.
2008 Exploration Program
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1. initiate ground magnetometer surveys (51.80 line-kilometres) over the
existing grid focusing more on IP anomalies 1, 2 and 3.
2. expand the grid both north and south of IP anomaly 1 (Eastern strip)
to fully resolve the anomaly, approximately 10 line-kilometres of new
grid is anticipated
3. expand the grid to the north to fully resolve IP anomaly 2 (Northwest
target) and to the south to resolve IP anomaly 3 (Southwest target)
for a total of approximately 10 line-kilometres
4. complete magnetic and IP surveys on the grid extensions
5. evaluate all the data and plan the drill program
6. drill test the anomalies
The above surveys are anticipated to take 4-5 weeks to complete with drilling to commence thereafter. Approximately 1500-2000 metres of drilling is planned; with 1-2 holes in each of IP anomalies 1, 2 and 3.
Grid 3 (Southwest corner of property)
Grid 3 lies just south of grid 2 and like grid 2 is covered by Quaternary alluvium. Rock and till samples show north to northeast trends in the northern portion of the grid for gold and silver with weaker arsenic and antimony. Regional magnetic data show that grid 3 is at the intersection and along the southwest arm of the large "X" pattern that includes grid 2.
The northwest portion of the grid is the most interesting. A northwesterly trending hill is associated with a strong resistivity high that extends from surface to 250 metres below surface, the depth limit of the survey. This high resistivity feature is disrupted in several places with lower resistivity sections coincident with moderate chargeability anomalies; there appears to be one large chargeability zone surrounded by several smaller zones and it coincides with a distinct break in the resistivity. The main zone has been interpreted to be sill-like, 25-50 metres thick, and buried about 100 metres below surface; it is of moderate intensity to a depth of 200 metres below surface.
2008 Exploration Program
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1. complete ground magnetic surveys over the northwest portion of the
grid to cover the resistivity and chargeability anomalies, this will
entail approximately 10-15 line-kilometres
2. evaluate the new data and plan the drill program
3. conduct drill program
This work will take approximately 1 week to complete and if drilling is undertaken it will involve approximately 500 metres in 2 holes to test the resistivity and chargeability anomalies.
Additional Work
The Company has several other areas to evaluate through grid establishment, mapping, prospecting and geophysical surveys (magnetic and IP). The priority grids are grid 6, which encompasses eastward extensions of the mineralization at the Rhub-Barb prospect, and grid 4 which covers multi-element geochemical anomalies and the Gusty prospect.
Wesley Raven, P. Geo., VP Exploration, is the qualified person and takes responsibility for the technical disclosure in this news release.
Goldmember Minerals Inc.
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Goldmember Minerals Inc. is a mineral exploration company focused primarily on epithermal style gold and silver projects in central British Columbia. The Company is well financed having recently completed its qualifying transaction and concurrent financing of C$2,545,000.
Goldmember has amassed a sizeable land position upon which it has completed an extensive amount of work to date. Recent exploration programs conducted on the 100% owned Nechako and Alexis Properties have successfully: identified several corresponding conductivity and related resistivity geophysical anomalies located at depth which display the characteristics of an epithermal style mineralized body; confirmed a positive correlation with MMI geochemical sampling and 3D Induced Polarization results within a favourable geological setting; and identified numerous priority targets within the claim boundaries that coincide with regional geophysical trends with coincidental geochemical anomalies suitable to host further epithermal gold-silver and porphyry copper-gold style mineralization.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
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Alistair MacLennan, President
Statements about the Corporation's future expectations and all other statements in this press release other than historical facts are "forward looking statements". Such forward-looking statements are based on numerous assumptions, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, including risks inherent in mineral exploration and development, which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of the Corporation to be materially different from any projected future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.
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RELEASE