Astra Trenching Returns 5.0 G/T AuEq over 3.5 Metres and Drilling Commences at Pampa Paciencia, Chile
ASTRA EXPLORATION INC. (TSX-V: ASTR)
NEWS RELEASE
ASTRA TRENCHING RETURNS 5.0 G/T AUEQ OVER 3.5 METRES AND DRILLING
COMMENCES AT PAMPA PACIENCIA, CHILE
Vancouver, British Columbia – March 14, 2022 – Astra Exploration Inc. (TSX-V: ASTR) (“Astra” or
the “Company”) is pleased to provide an exploration update on Pampa Paciencia , its flagship gold-
silver project in northern Chile (Figure 5).
Highlights
• Delineation of a 600 metre long mineralized vein & breccia structure at the Paciencia and
Paciencia East veins containing wide intervals, up to 28.8 metres of precious metals, including
3.5 metres @ 5.0 grams per tonne (g/t) gold equivalent (AuEq) in trench TRP22-09
• Trenching results and re-logging historical drill core confirms both grade and vein thickness
increasing at depth
• 3,000 metre drill program commenced in February. Approximately 1,500 metres are planned
to test the Paciencia Vein at depth and along strike (Figure 4) with remainder of metres testing
other veins in the North and Central Zone targets .
Astra Exploration’s CEO, Brian Miller commented:
“The Company is making great strides with drilling commencing only one month after public listing.
Preparation ahead of drilling included systematic trenching and re -logging of historic core. This
demonstrates Pampa Paciencia is a large system with wide veins and high grade gold and silver
intercepts.”
“Most exciting is that historic drilling indicates grades are increasing at depth where the Company’s
initial drill holes will test . These are the perfect ingredients for a large, preserved system and the
Company’s maiden drill program will look to step out from open intersections to grow the Pampa
Pacienca mineralization further.”
Exploration Program Discussion
Pampa Paciencia is a 3,840 ha road -access low sulphidation epithermal ( LSE) gold-silver project
located within an active mining district less than 15 kilometr es from two major mines (Sierra Gorda
and Spence) and five kilometres from the Faride LSE mine.
The current exploration program has combined property wide mapping and sampling, geophysical
surveys, and localized trenching with the dual aims of defining a larger district and identifying the
highest priority initial drill targets.
Trenching
A 1,119 m etre trenching program was completed in early 2022 at the Pampa Paciencia project to
map the Paciencia and Paciencia E ast veins, and to confirm underlying magnetic structures
coincident with float Au -Ag anomalies. Trenches were concentrated in the outcropping or
subcropping areas of the North target, with some trenches targeting covered areas. A total of 311
samples were taken with rock saw and pneumatic hammer and sent to ALS lab in Santiago, Chile.
Above the primary drill target systematic trenches at the Paciencia and Paciencia East veins reported
anomalous gold and silver, with best results of of 21.1 metres @ 1.28 g/t AuEq, including 3.5 metres
@ 5 g/t AuEq in trench TRP22-09 (Table 1).
Table 1: Summary of the Au and Ag geochemical results from Phase I trenching program. AuEq calculated
using AuEq_80.
Trenches in covered areas (TRP22-01, TRP21-04 and TRP21-06) failed to reach the bed rock due
to the combined thickness and hardness of the caliche and alluvial sediments cover . Trenches
TRP21-03, TRP21-07 and TPR22-11 did not return significant mineralization.
Trench From To Width (m) g/t Au g/t Ag AuEq
TRP22-01
TRP21-02 46.3 57.3 11.0 0.42 4.18 0.47
including 46.3 48.3 2.0 1.15 5.00 1.22
TRP21-03
TRP21-04
TRP22-05 63.7 72.1 8.4 0.31 2.64 0.34
including 69.7 70.7 1.0 0.90 6.00 0.97
And 81.0 92.5 11.5 0.25 4.55 0.30
including 85.0 86.5 1.5 0.66 13.00 0.82
TRP21-06
TRP21-07
TRP22-08 37.8 38.6 0.8 0.58 1.00 0.60
And 47.0 48.0 1.0 0.63 4.00 0.68
TRP22-09 42.0 50.7 8.7 0.26 1.75 0.29
And 68.5 89.6 21.1 1.15 10.05 1.28
including 74.4 78.3 3.9 1.38 8.31 1.49
and including 84.7 88.2 3.5 4.52 38.86 5.00
TRP22-10 48.5 50.5 2.0 0.98 12.00 1.13
TRP22-11
TRP22-12 50.5 51.5 1.0 0.37 5.00 0.43
TRP21-13 18.4 19.4 1.0 0.55 1.00 0.56
Detailed trench mapping and interpretation of geophysical lineaments reveals that the the surface
expression of the Paciencia vein system is a NW-SE striking fault-related lineament composed mainly
by a late tectonic and hydrothermal breccia with limonitic matrix and clasts of the LSE quartz vein.
This late breccia event is transporting vein clasts to the surface, creating the large amount of vein
float blocks, and diluting the precious metal content of the quartz veins.
Figure 1: Phase I trenching program detail at Paciencia and Paciencia East vein areas.
Figure 2: Paciencia vein system (thick black dashed line) at the North Zone target area with detail of the
mineralization mapped with trenches on top of ground map (TDR map).
Relogging of DDH cores from holes PP15 -005, PP15-006 and PP15 -007 confirmed that the vein
breccias are more abundant at surface and the quartz veins are thicker and more continuous at depth
(Figure 3).
Reverse circulation d rilling commenced in February at Pampa Paciencia, with 50% of the 3,000
metres program stepping out from known mineralization on the Paciencia vein (Figure 4). The rest of
the program will be testing Paciencia Este vein, Paciencia Oeste vein,and geophysical anomalies in
the North Zone and the Central Zone (refer to February 17 news release) target.
The Company is stepping out in 35-50 metre steps from previous drilling including hole PP15-007
which returned 3.75 metres @ 8.29 g/t AuEq and hole PP15-006 which returned 2.1 metres @ 8.49
g/t AuEq. This drilling indicates to company geologists that mineralization is getting stronger in the
deepest holes, that the mineralization is likely to be fully preserved and that previous drilling was too
widely spaced to accurately define the shoots of mineralization that occurs in epithermal veins like
those at Pampa Pacienca.
Figure 3: Cross section from Figure 1 showing the different proportion of breccias and veins with depth.
Figure 4: Longitudinal section from Figure 1 of the Paciencia vein. Triangles are previous trenches and drill
holes, green circles are proposed drill program. Values in gold equivalent grams per tonne per metre
indicating system strengthening to depth.
Figure 5: Location of the Pampa Paciencia flagship project in the Paleocene Belt.
Sampling Procedures
Trench samples were sampled, bagged, and tagged by Astra´s geologists and then delivered in two
separate batches to the ALS sample preparation laboratory in Santiago. The first group was
delivered by Company personnel directly to the lab, while the second group was sent to the lab by
courier. The geologists placed a series of blind blanks, standards and sample duplicates in the
sample shipments as part of the Company’s QA/QC protocol. The QA/QC results were checked
and verified before any sample results were accepted to the assay database. Samples were
prepared with PREP 31B code, and then analyzed with fire assay for gold (Au-AA24), acid
digestion for silver (Ag-AA62), and multi elements by ICP (ME-ICP61).
Qualified Person Statement
The technical data and information as disclosed in this report has been reviewed and approved by
Darcy Marud. Mr. Marud is a Practicing Member of the Association of Professional Geoscientists of
Ontario and is a qualified person as defined under the terms of National Instrument 43 -101
– Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.
About the Company
Astra Exploration Inc. is a n exploration company based out of Vancouver, BC. Astra is engaged in
the acquisition, exploration and development of epithermal gold -silver prop erties in Chile and is
building a portfolio of high -quality projects. Astra’s current focus is the development of the Pampa
Paciencia Project . Additional information is available on the Compnay’s website at www.astra -
exploration.com
For further information please contact:
Brian Miller
Chief Executive Officer
Tel. 604.428.0939
Email: [email protected]
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