Benz Mining Announces Maiden Regional Exploration Campaign Confirms Multiple Commodity Potential for Upper Eastmain Greenstone Belt
Benz Mining Announces Maiden Regional
Exploration Campaign Confirms Multiple
Commodity Potential for Upper Eastmain
Greenstone Belt
HIGHLIGHTS
Regional exploration summer work confirms numerous mineral occurrences across
Benz tenement package typical from Archean greenstone belts
Outcropping lithium (spodumene) bearing pegmatite at Ruby Hill West with historic rock
chips samples assay results from a 60m x 25m outcrop including:
4.72%Li
2
O, 1720 ppm Rb (>100ppm Ta, >500ppm Cs)
2.15% Li
2
O, 990 ppm Rb (>100ppm Ta, >500ppm Cs)
1.97% Li
2
O, 3660 ppm Rb (>100ppm Ta, >500ppm Cs)
1.10% Li
2
O, 710 ppm Rb (>100ppm Ta, >500ppm Cs)
Outcropping copper-gold mineralization in the Placer Lake Area coincident with newly
defined FLEM conductors with historical values of 2.7% Cu and 8.2 g/t Au
Multiple occurrences coincident with VTEM anomalies at both Ruby Hill West and East
30km of untested VTEM conductors on ultramafic contact at Ruby Hill West and East
Third drill rig due at site imminently with assays for 15,000m currently outstanding
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - August 26, 2021) - Benz Mining Corp. (TSXV: BZ) (ASX: BNZ) (the
Company
or
Benz
) is pleased to update the market on its summer regional exploration campaign, led
in parallel with its 50,000m diamond drilling campaign at Eastmain. Multiple documented mineral
occurrences were visited to confirm historical data, collect additional surface samples and prepare for
further exploration activities.
The successful campaign confirmed the strong mineral endowment potential of the upper Eastmain
Greenstone Belt of which Benz controls 220km
2
or approximately 30%. A large part of the belt's geology
lies under a thin layer of cover, a situation that Benz has successfully overcome at Eastmain with the
discovery of three new mineralized zones under glacial till cover using the appropriate geophysical
methods.
CEO, Xavier Braud, commented: "
Archean Greenstone Belts worldwide have been a source of mineral
wealth thanks to their amazing endowment, not only in gold but in base metals from copper rich VMS
deposits to ultramafic hosted nickel deposits. If one wanted to compare the Upper Eastmain
Greenstone Belt with an Australian example, the Agnew to Wiluna Greenstone Belt would come to
mind. The significant difference is that the Agnew to Wiluna belt has been accessible to prospectors
and explorers for over 100 years while the road to the Upper Eastmain Greenstone Belt is only 5 years
old. Now that Benz has year-round, all-weather access to the region and the only fully operational
winterised exploration camp in the belt, we will be able to realise the full potential it has to offer.
Exploring the Upper Eastmain Greenstone Belt in 2021 is a bit like having a virgin version of the
Agnew to Wiluna belt to explore with 21
st
century technology in a world craving minerals. Our team
has close to 100 years of cumulative nickel-copper-PGE exploration experience with WMC, BHP, IGO
and Falconbridge.
We are excited to draw on this experience in the Upper Eastmain Greenstone belt."
Figure 1: Agnew to Wiluna Greenstone Belt; >100years of access and exploration activities, multi-
million ounce gold endowment, globally significant nickel production area and verified lithium
endowment.
To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:
https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/1818/94485_13f98cde34a19864_001full.jpg
Figure 2: Upper Eastmain Greenstone Belt at the same scale; 5 years of year-round all-weather
access, 1 gold deposit confirmed and growing and multiple unfollowed metallic occurrences.
To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:
https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/1818/94485_13f98cde34a19864_002full.jpg
Figures 1 and 2 place in parallel the Agnew to Wiluna Greenstone Belt in Western Australia and the
Upper Eastmain Greenstone Belt in Quebec. In the Western Australian belt, the first gold was discovered
at the Lawlers gold field in 1895 and continuous mining and exploration activities since then have seen
the discovery of multiple multi-million ounce deposits.
Gold was first discovered in the Upper Eastmain Greenstone Belt in 1969 and it is only in 2016 that the
Route 167 Nord unlocked this untapped greenstone belt. Benz has a considerable first mover advantage
with the only permitted camp in the belt.
Multiple mineral occurrences coincident with VTEM
The 2005 Variable Time Domain Electro Magnetic (
VTEM
) survey, helped identify tens of kilometres of
conductive zones, associated with mafic and ultramafic units but also with iron formations and
sediments. All these environments are prospective for a range of commodities and the presence of
documented mineral occurrences near the VTEM anomalies augurs well for future exploration success.
Figure 3: Ruby Hill East and Eastmain Geology with documented mineral occurrences and known
deposits.
To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit:
https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/1818/94485_13f98cde34a19864_003full.jpg
Figure 4: Ruby Hill East and Eastmain 2005 regional VTEM showing +10km of unexplored VTEM
conductors.
To view an enhanced version of Figure 4, please visit:
https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/1818/94485_13f98cde34a19864_004full.jpg
Figure 5: Ruby Hill West and Eastmain Geology with documented mineral occurrences and known
deposits.
To view an enhanced version of Figure 5, please visit:
https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/1818/94485_13f98cde34a19864_005full.jpg
Figure 6: Ruby Hill West and Eastmain 2005 regional VTEM showing +30km of unexplored VTEM
conductors.
To view an enhanced version of Figure 6, please visit:
https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/1818/94485_13f98cde34a19864_006full.jpg
Exploration opportunities
Benz recently completed a test survey over its newly discovered D zone with a new version of airborne
high powered VTEM. The newer VTEM systems are designed to be far superior to the equipment used
in the original 2005 survey flown by Eastmain Resources over Benz's projects.
Results of this test are currently being interpreted and, following the results, Benz will be able to decide
whether VTEM will be used to explore its extensive tenement package.
Gold Potential
Extension of the Mine horizon to the NW
Several days were spent following up high gold values identified by Eastmain Resources in trenches and
understanding the structure and alterations.
This work enabled Benz to extend the mineralized zones
previously reported, including the Suzanna and Michel zones where rock chips taken at surface assayed
up to 125gpt gold.
Grids G and H
These areas were covered with ground Crone Deep Electromagnetic (
EM
) surveys last winter and
several EM conductors were prospected by our geologists.
Mineralized quartz veins and garnet biotite
alteration zones were identified in the field corresponding closely to the EM conductors and in the same
stratigraphic position as the Eastmain Mine trend. These EM conductors will be tested in upcoming drill
programs.
Grid F / Loop F
This grid covers the Lac Erasme, Lac Placer and the Meg Au-Cu occurrences.
Several ground EM
conductors were identified, some of which correspond to the historical mineral occurrences.
The Lac Erasme occurrence was discovered in 1983 and yielded values up to 2.72% Cu, 8.25 g/t Au in
grab samples.
This area contains several gossanous outcrops, where the contact between felsic
pyroclastic and basalt is mineralized in pyrite and pyrrhotite.
The rocks are strongly altered as well.
Figure 7: Mineralized contact between basalts and altered felsic pyroclastic, Lac Erasme occurrence
looking North west, the felsic tuffs are to the right of the photo. Samples taken from this outcrop have
assayed 8.3g/t gold and 2.7% copper.
To view an enhanced version of Figure 7, please visit:
https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/1818/94485_13f98cde34a19864_007full.jpg
Figure 8: FLEM Loop F with the location of the 8.3g/t gold rock chip sample at the Lac Erasme
occurrence.
To view an enhanced version of Figure 8, please visit:
https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/1818/94485_13f98cde34a19864_008full.jpg
In the Ruby Hill East property, a mineral occurrence called the Lac Rene Sud showing corresponds to
strongly deformed sulphide bearing silicate and magnetite iron formations with associated
conglomerates.
There are multiple quartz veins present in this unit.
Only one outcrop was sampled in the
past and yielded values of up to 1.65 g/t Au (Quebec government report).
This mineralized zone was
found to extend for at least 1.4km to the NW on the same magnetic trend and represents an excellent
exploration target that will require further work.
The main mineralized occurrences within the Ruby Hill West property were visited as well.
Nickel potential
Geological mapping and interpretation from geophysics by Quebec's MERN shows the presence of
multiple ultramafic flows within the tenement package. In the rare areas where they outcrop, those
ultramafics are komatiitic in composition and as such could be prospective hosts for nickel sulphide
mineralization.
In addition to the komatiitic flows, several zoned mafic and ultramafic intrusions are
present in the south-west part of the Ruby Hill East property.
MaxMin surveys and later airborne EM surveys showed numerous anomalies within the greenstone belt.
The most recent VTEM survey has identified multiple conductors coincident on the contact of these
ultramafics and mafic rocks over 30km at Ruby Hill West and over 10km at Ruby Hill East. However, to
our knowledge no exploration for nickel sulphide mineralization associated with the mafic and ultramafic
rocks has been conducted.
Outside of the Upper Eastmain River greenstone belt, the Lac Lessard nickel prospect has nickel-
copper-PGE disseminated sulphide mineralization associated with a younger mafic / ultramafic zoned
intrusion.
This intrusion is part of an intrusive trend, called the Dominique suite, interpreted as
Paleoprotezoic.
Copper- Zinc potential
Multiple surface occurrences of polymetallic mineralization have been identified since the early 1980's.
Most occurrences recorded show sulphide mineralization usually associated with lithological transitions
between felsic and mafic units, typical of Volcanogenic Massive Sulphides environment.
Lithium potential
The lithium potential of Archean Greenstone Belts comes from late pegmatite intrusions commonly
bearing lithium rich minerals including spodumene.
Production of spodumene concentrates from greenstone hosted LCT (lithium, cesium, tantalum)
pegmatites is an integral part of the currently growing and undersupplied global lithium market.
A prime example of such a deposit is Western Australia's Pilgangoora deposit currently in production by
Pilbara Minerals. Keeping the comparison between the Agnew to Wiluna and the Upper Eastmain
Greenstone belts, the Kathleen Valley Lithium deposit owned by Liontown Resources show the belts
potential for the critical battery element.
In the James Bay area of the Province of Quebec, several lithium bearing pegmatites are in an
advanced production stage (Nemaska Lithium, Rose) in addition to several other Li bearing pegmatites
at a prospect stage.
In the Ruby Hill West project area, a lithium (spodumene) bearing pegmatite outcrops over an area of
25m x 60m. Rock chips samples, collected in 2016, returned assay results of:
4.72%Li
2
O, 1720 ppm Rb (>100ppm Ta, >500ppm Cs)
2.15% Li
2
O, 990 ppm Rb (>100ppm Ta, >500ppm Cs)
1.97% Li
2
O, 3660 ppm Rb (>100ppm Ta, >500ppm Cs)
1.10% Li
2
O, 710 ppm Rb (>100ppm Ta, >500ppm Cs)
The limited size of the outcrop is mostly due to the presence of thin cover over the area masking
potential extensions to the outcrop.
Figure 9: Photograph taken of the spodumene bearing pegmatites in the Ruby Hill West property.
To view an enhanced version of Figure 9, please visit:
https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/1818/94485_13f98cde34a19864_009full.jpg
Regional VTEM
In 2005, Eastmain Resources flew a VTEM survey over Ruby Hill West, Ruby Hill East and Eastmain
projects. The technology available at the time did not allow for precise modelisation of EM conductors
nor for precise location and shape of the conductive zones but still showed vast tracts of land with
coincident VTEM conductors and prospective lithologies.
When adding those VTEM anomalies to the map of recorded mineral occurrences in outcrop and in
drilling, the whole area is strongly prospective for the discovery of additional sulphide bearing
mineralisation.
To help with the targeting, an extensive soil survey was conducted this summer to cover prospective
areas with overburden in areas not previously covered.
Several till samples were also collected in
selected areas.
Eastmain Gold Deposit
The Eastmain Gold Project, situated on the Upper Eastmain Greenstone Belt in Quebec, Canada,
currently hosts a NI 43-101 and JORC (2012) compliant resource of 376,000oz at 7.9gpt gold (Indicated:
236,500oz at 8.2gtp gold, Inferred: 139,300oz at 7.5gtp gold). The existing gold mineralization is
associated with 15-20% semi-massive to massive pyrrhotite, pyrite and chalcopyrite in highly deformed
and altered rocks making it amenable to detection using electromagnetic techniques.
Multiple gold
occurrences have been identified by previous explorers over a 10km long zone along strike from the
Eastmain Mine with very limited but highly encouraging testing outside the existing resource area.
This press release was prepared under supervision and approved by Dr. Danielle Giovenazzo, P.Geo,
acting as Benz's qualified person under National Instrument 43-101.