- Drilling continues: 10 holes completed, 5,271.7 meters total;
- Results for four holes pending;
- VTEM survey provides series of new targets along main mineral trend between Caveira Mine and Lousal Mine.
Avrupa Minerals Ltd. (TSXV:AVU) (OTC:AVPMF) (FSE:8AM) is pleased to provide the following update for the ongoing project work at the Alvalade JV in the Pyrite Belt of south Portugal. The program is a joint venture between Avrupa Minerals and Minas de Aguas Teñidas, S.A. (MATSA) and is operated by Avrupa through the JV entity PorMining Lda. To date, the Company has completed 10 diamond drill holes totaling 5,271.7 meters. New results from four of the holes, SES21-037 through SES21-040 are pending, and are expected over the next few weeks.
Paul W. Kuhn, President and CEO of Avrupa Minerals, commented, “We have been extremely busy with many facets of exploration on the Alvalade license. Drilling at Sesmarias is the main priority, right now, but we are also preparing to drill strong targets in other locations around the license. Earlier in the year, we performed a regional VTEM geophysical survey over 80% of the license, and developed a whole new set of targets in addition to those previously generated by earlier Avrupa work. As the targets are verified and brought to drill-ready status, we expect that there will be more than enough to request a second rig to drill outside of the Sesmarias area.”
Drilling
Visual observation of the drill core indicates that the massive sulfide mineralization continues to the southeast from the 000 section at least to the 350 S section. Thickness of massive sulfide intercepts varies from 4 meters in SES21-037 to 36 meters in SES21-040. For now, we will continue to drill to the southeast. SES21-034 and SES21-035, drilled to the northwest of the 000 section, intercepted sulfides in the mineral horizon, as reported previously (see AVU news release, June 9th, 2021), but not massive sulfide mineralization. More drilling on that section, as well as further along to the northwest is planned for later in the summer/fall. The Sesmarias geo-structural exploration model now suggests that the first two holes on the 050 N section were collared too far to the west and drilled over the potential massive sulfide target. Geophysical information, local and regional, and the presence of sulfide mineralization in historic drilling in the Brejo area also supports the potential for more massive sulfide mineralization beyond the 050 N section to the northwest.
Figures 1 and 2. Location of SES north zone drilling and cross section 000, holes 032-008-033-036-037. To date, mineralization has been visually observed from the 050 N section to the 350 S section. Massive sulfide mineralization intercepts, from 4 meters to nearly 40 meters width, is present within wider zones of variable sulfide mineralization from the 000 section to the 350 S section.
Regional Geophysics
The Company commissioned a helicopter-supported VTEM geophysical survey over a portion of the Alvalade license earlier in the year. Initial results highlight a trend of potential targets from the Caveira Mine to the Lousal Mine. Widescale cultural interference in the survey area, caused by a village, railroad tracks, and power lines, made visualization of electromagnetic anomalism particularly difficult in the area between Lousal and Sesmarias. However, the Company has engaged a second geophysical consulting firm to re-process the original data in order to clarify and accentuate the VTEM anomalism by masking the cultural electromagnetic effects on the survey. We expect that information in the next few weeks, around the end of August.
First-pass, ground follow-up suggests that the anomalism follows the main mineral trend on the Alvalade license, and that the anomalism is hosted by the same (or similar) volcano-sedimentary sequence (VS) rocks that host mineralization at Sesmarias, Lousal, and Monte da Bela Vista. The follow-up work for the next few months will include mapping, rock chip sampling and grid soil sampling over the initial target areas, followed by work in the enhanced target areas presently being developed through the data re-processing procedures. We anticipate this work to be followed by scout drilling with a second drill rig.
Figure 3. General map of VTEM anomalism, highlighted in dashed red lines. VTEM processing generally defined a number of individual target areas within the main trend. The second round of data processing is expected to enhance the obvious targets and potentially highlight new targets. The strong north-south linear coloration is caused by railroad tracks, while the east-west linears are caused by either tracks or powerlines. The blank polygon in the center is a village, and the general yellow color at the south end of the survey represents cover of Tertiary gravels over the target horizons. The Cabeça Ruiva and Pombal sectors, in the south, will be flown at a later date.
Minas de Aguas Teñidas, S.A. (MATSA) is a private Spanish mining company, which owns and operates three mines in the province of Huelva (Andalusia, Spain): Aguas Teñidas, Magdalena, and Sotiel. MATSA also holds 1,312 km2 of exploration permits in the south of Spain and 1,106 km2 in Portugal. Focused on innovation and the most advanced technology to develop modern and sustainable mines, MATSA is a 50:50 joint venture company of Mubadala Investment Company, which manages a global asset portfolio, endorsing the vision of a globally integrated and diversified economy through sustainable returns for its shareholder, the Government of Abu Dhabi, and Trafigura, one of the world’s leading commodity trading houses.
Avrupa Minerals Ltd. is a growth-oriented junior exploration and development company directed to discovery of mineral deposits, using a hybrid prospect generator business model. The Company holds one 100%-owned license in Portugal, the Alvalade VMS Project, now optioned to MATSA in an earn-in joint venture agreement. Avrupa focuses its project generation work in politically stable and prospective regions of Europe, presently including Portugal and Kosovo. The Company continues to seek and develop other opportunities around Europe.
For additional information, contact Avrupa Minerals Ltd. at 1-604-687-3520 or visit our website at www.avrupaminerals.com.
On behalf of the Board,
“Paul W. Kuhn”
Paul W. Kuhn, President & Director
This news release was prepared by Company management, who take full responsibility for its content. Paul W. Kuhn, President and CEO of Avrupa Minerals, a Licensed Professional Geologist and a Registered Member of the Society of Mining Engineers, is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 of the Canadian Securities Administrators. He has reviewed the technical disclosure in this release. Mr. Kuhn, the QP, has not only reviewed, but prepared and supervised the preparation or approval of the scientific and technical content in the news release.
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.
