Drilling Defines Second GOLD Zone Along 1.4 Km Vein Structure at Astra’S Pampa Paciencia Project, Chile
DRILLING DEFINES SECOND GOLD ZONE ALONG 1.4 KM VEIN STRUCTURE AT ASTRA’S
PAMPA PACIENCIA PROJECT, CHILE
Vancouver, British Columbia – May 25, 2022 – Astra Exploration Inc. (TSX-V: ASTR) (“Astra” or the
“Company”) is pleased to provide results from the remaining 18 of 30 completed drill holes at the
Pampa Paciencia gold-silver project in northern Chile.
Highlights
• New results expand mineralization at the Paciencia Vein to over 300 metres where it remains
open at depth and along strike
• Second zone at Paciencia Oeste Vein now defined over 200 metres where it remains open
at depth and along strike
HOLE PPRC-22-36:
• 3.96 grams per tonne (g/t) gold and 37.67 g/t silver over three metres downhole (mDH) within
a broader zone of 0.92 g/t gold and 8.61 g/t silver over 31 mDH at the Paciencia vein
HOLE PPRC-22-24:
• 5.53 g/t gold and 47.1 g/t silver over one metre and 2.78 g/t gold and 75.6 g/t silver over two
mDH within a broader zone of 0.72 g/t gold and 19.38 g/t silver over 25 mDH at Paciencia
Oeste vein
HOLE PPRC-22-28:
• 4.02 g/t gold and 26.9 g/t silver over two mDH within a broader zone of 1.45 g/t gold and 12.59
g/t silver over nine mDH at Paciencia Este vein
Astra’s CEO, Brian Miller commented: “Astra’s maiden drill program has accomplished two important
goals at Pampa Paciencia. First, we have identified two high-grade shoots within the Paciencia Vein
system, both of which remain open along strike and at depth. Second, we have made blind vein
discoveries which demonstrates the effectiveness of the Company’s geologic model and exploration
methods. Early indications suggest that we could be in the upper levels of the gold mineralization
with significant room to grow beneath these shallow intercepts. Astra will next complete a Phase 2
program to expand these open interstections and explore for new vein structures.”
Figure 1: Longitudinal section of the Paciencia Vein System. Triangles are previous trenches and drill holes,
circles are Phase I drill program. Values in gold equivalent. Blue boxes signify historical results.
Figure 2: Schematic cross sections of the Paciencia Oeste (left) and Paciencia Este (right) veins.
Drill Results Discussion
Pampa Paciencia is a 3,840 h ectare road-access low -sulphidation epithermal (LSE) gold -silver
project located within an active mining district less than 15 kilometers from two major mines (Sierra
Gorda and Spence) and five kilometers from the Faride LSE mine (Figure 5).
Astra has completed property wide mapping and sampling, geophysical surveys, and localized
trenching and in doing so, has defined a vein boulder field over approximately 75% of the project
area. The veins do not outcrop as the majority of the project area is covered by a thin layer of gravels
and caliche but the vein float can be used to identify areas of high prospectivity.
Most drilling focused on the 1.4 km long Paciencia Vein system located in the North Zone, which is
comprised of Paciencia Oeste, Paciencia, and Paciencia Este vein segments (Figures 3 & 4). The
Company previously reported results for 11 of 29 drill holes (May 2nd news release) which were from
the Paciencia Vein, and the holes reported herein are for the remaining 18 drill holes as follows:
• Paciencia Vein – 1 hole
• Paciencia Oeste – 9 holes
• Paciencia Este – 3 holes
• Geophysical Targets – 2 holes
• 15 Vein/Central Zone – 3 holes
Figure 3: Black dots & traces are historical DDH holes, and blue dots & traces are Phase I 2022 Astra
Exploration RC holes.
Two mineralized shoots are being defined at Paciencia and Paciencia Oeste, where quartz texturing
and geochemistry indicates that these two shoots could be higher elevations of the mineralized
precious metals horizon. Both shoots are open along strike and at depth. Hole PPRC-22-36 from the
Paciencia Vein further extended one mineralized shoot to the east while a second shoot is being
defined by shallow drilling at Paciencia Oeste (Figures 1 & 4).
Drill holes at Pacienca Oeste and Paceincia Este intercepted thick (10 - 20 metres true thickness )
vein structures which occurred in shallow drill holes approximately 15 to 25 metres below surface ,
with one hole reaching 75 metres below surface in Paciencia Oeste. Detail interpretation shows one
to two parallel branches in both veins, with higher grades located in the more vertical portion of the
Paciencia Oeste vein, as was also detected in Paciencia vein segment (Figure 2 and 3D Movie).
Figure 4: Magnetics map with location of RC drill holes (white dots and traces) at the Paciencia Vein System
and the two geophysical targets. Dashed thick lines represent projected veins (purple = mineralized shoots)
discovered at depth with Phase I drill program. Ag:Au calculated ratio is detailed for every vein segment.
The three vein segments along the Paciencia Vein System are separated by ENE-striking faults that
were interpreted with geophysical magnetics and confirmed with trenching. Plan map (Figure 4) and
an integrated longitudinal section (Figure 1) clearly show this continuous but segmented nature of
the Paciencia Vein System, and the presence of two high grade mineralized shoots with similar
behaviour (45° SE plunge) which are both open along strike and at depth.
Geochemical results (Table 1) show the variation in the of Ag:Au ratios in the Paciencia Vein System,
with an average Ag to Au ratio of 47 in the higher grade portions of the Paciencia Oeste vein, that
decrease to 16 in Paciencia vein, and to 4 in Paciencia Este vein. Preliminary results for the two blind
geophysical vein discoveries returned Ag: Au ratios of 61 and 2 in Geophysical targets 2 and 1,
respectively (Figure 4). Company geologists believe this further demonstrates the potential for finding
Au-rich veining in the eastern portion of this vein network and/or at depth.
Drilling at Geophysical targets 1 and 2 resulted in the discovery of two blind veins (Figures 3 & 4).
Geophysical target 1 intercepted two parallel structures composed of a 1 meter Mn-rich quartz vein
and 3 meters limonitic breccia with anomalous precious metals (2m @ 0.28 g/t Au equivalent).
Geophysical target 2 intercepted a shallow 14 meters thick structure composed by a chalcedonic
quartz vein and limonitic breccias reporting similar anomalous results (5m @ 0.14 g/t Au equivalent).
Additional drilling will be required to find the hidden mineralized shoots that may be associated with
these new vein discoveries.
The remaining three holes in the Central Zone confirmed thin (up to 2 m thick) chalcedonic vein and
veinlet structures hosted in the Paleocene andesites which overlay the Cretaceous granitoids. Drill
holes did not reach sufficient depth to intersect the more competent granitoid rock where thicker veins
develop as indicated by field mapping. These results indicate a shallow system elevation and deeper
drilling is required to properly test the Central Zone targets.
Exploration Program Discussion
2,981 metres of RC drilling w ere completed in thirty holes between February and Ma rch 2022 at
Pampa Paciencia. These mostly concentrated on defining the strike and depth continuity of the
Paciencia Vein System in the North Zone with three holes were drilled to test veins at depth in the
Central Zone and two holes tested geophysical targets in the North Zone (Figure 1). A total of 1,233
samples, including blanks, duplicates and standards, were sampled and sent to ALS lab in Santiago,
Chile.
The drill program was completed for ~C$650,000 of all -in costs highlighting the ability to complete
cost-effective exploration at low elevations in Chile.
Eleven historical holes had been drilled previously on the property and Astra’s geologists continued
with the numbering system, so holes PPRC-22-12 to PPRC-22-41 are the thirty holes completed by
Astra Exploration.
Drill Hole From
(m)
To
(m) Length (m) Aueq_80 (ppm) Au (ppm) Ag (ppm)
PPRC-22-23 - Paciencia Oeste 16 38 22 0.76 0.57 15.32
including 20 37 17 0.91 0.69 17.23
and including 20 24 4 1.31 0.88 34.62
and including 29 33 4 1.08 0.93 11.82
PPRC-22-24 - Paciencia Oeste 10 35 25 0.96 0.72 19.38
including 1 14 23 9 1.69 1.21 38.62
and including 15 20 5 2.36 1.66 56.14
and including 15 17 2 3.73 2.78 75.60
including 2 33 34 1 6.12 5.53 47.10
PPRC-22-25 - Paciencia Oeste 10 26 16 0.50 0.33 13.71
including 10 17 7 0.94 0.67 21.76
and including 1 11 14 3 0.91 0.75 12.00
and including 2 16 17 1 2.33 1.12 96.00
PPRC-22-26 - Paciencia Oeste 12 17 5 0.17 0.12 4.50
PPRC-22-28 - Paciencia Este 26 36 10 0.46 0.41 3.81
including 31 32 1 2.08 1.92 13.10
56 65 9 1.61 1.45 12.59
including 56 61 5 2.69 2.44 19.72
and including 59 61 2 4.36 4.02 26.90
PPRC 22-29 - Paciencia Este 48 52 4 0.20 0.15 3.60
PPRC-22-30 - Paciencia Este 46 58 12 0.54 0.51 2.65
including 1 46 49 3 0.90 0.86 2.93
and including 46 47 1 1.68 1.65 2.10
including 2 53 55 2 0.99 0.94 3.65
and including 54 55 1 1.37 1.33 3.20
PPRC-22-31 - Paciencia Oeste 29 42 13 1.41 1.13 22.34
including 32 40 8 2.19 1.80 31.50
and including 36 37 1 3.96 3.43 42.20
PPRC-22-32 - Paciencia Oeste 14 27 13 0.34 0.19 12.09
including 19 22 3 0.75 0.27 38.00
PPRC-22-33 - Paciencia Oeste 21 34 13 0.41 0.29 9.51
including 27 32 5 0.80 0.59 17.04
and including 30 32 2 1.01 0.76 19.30
PPRC-22-34 - Paciencia Oeste 22 24 2 0.18 0.10 6.20
PPRC-22-35 - Paciencia Oeste 61 88 27 0.51 0.24 21.86
including 1 61 62 1 1.95 1.19 60.30
including 2 76 82 6 1.24 0.54 55.67
and including 78 80 2 1.82 0.83 78.65
PPRC-22-36 - Paciencia 55 86 31 1.03 0.92 8.61
including 57 67 10 2.14 1.94 16.35
and including 1 57 60 3 4.42 3.96 37.67
and including 2 74 75 1 4.62 4.42 15.70
PPRC-22-37 - Geophysical target 1 81 83 2 0.28 0.27 0.65
PPRC-22-38 - Geophysical target 2 18 23 5 0.14 0.08 4.88
PPRC-22-39 - 15 Vein No significant results
PPRC-22-40 - 15 Vein 56 57 1 0.32 0.20 9.60
PPRC-22-41 - 15 Vein 52 53 1 0.15 0.09 5.20
Table 1: Summary of the gold and silver geochemical results from Phase I drilling program.
Figure 5: Location of the Pampa Paciencia flagship project in the Paleocene Belt.
Sampling Procedures
Drill samples were sampled, bagged, and tagged by Astra´s geologists and then delivered to the
ALS sample preparation laboratory in Santiago. 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). Gold overlimits were analysed by gravity method (Au-GRA22).
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 an exploration company based out of Vancouver, BC. Astra is engaged in
the acquisition, exploration and development of epithermal gold -silver properties 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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