VANCOUVER, March 4, 2013 /PRNewswire/ - Brazil Resources
Inc. (TSX-V: BRI; OTCQX: BRIZF) ( the "Company" or "Brazil
Resources") is pleased to announce the results of a recently
completed National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") mineral resource
estimate, which was completed by Tetra Tech, Inc. ("Tetra Tech") on
the Company's Cachoeira do Piria Gold Project, located in the Pará
state, Brazil. The resource
estimate has an effective date of March 1,
2013. Highlights include:
- Indicated Resource - 17,470,093 tonnes at 1.40 g/t gold
(786,737 ounces);
- Inferred Resource - 15,666,580 tonnes at 1.12 g/t gold
(628,035 ounces);
- This new estimate represents a 77% increase in the indicated
and a 184% increase in the inferred categories over the
December 2010 Roscoe Postle
Associates Inc. ("RPA") figures; and
- Resource expansion drilling program to be initiated 2Q
2013.
Stephen Swatton,
President and CEO, stated: "This resource estimate from Tetra Tech,
one of the world's leading mining consulting companies, is a
milestone for the Company. We are currently reviewing all options
to fully exploit the potential of the asset, including the
possibility of developing multiple pits in addition to further
exploration of the surrounding areas. The current drill spacing is
approximately 60m, therefore the Company will embark on further
tighter drilling with minimal cost to upgrade much of the inferred
resource to the indicated resource category."
The Company recently signed a drilling contract
with Servitec Foraco Sondagem S.A. and expects to commence an
initial drill program at the Cachoeira Project in calendar Q2 2013,
the size of which will be determined by the outcome of ongoing
studies. The Company will also explore extensions of the currently
known mineralized zones as in-house district wide studies intimate
that mineralization may not only be constrained to the three zones
identified on the property to date.
The difference in the total resources calculated
by RPA and Tetra Tech is explained by the application of an in-pit
design resource estimate incorporated in the technical report by
RPA dated July 19, 2012 titled
"Techncial Report on the Cachoeira Project, Pará State,
Brazil" (the "RPA Estimate"). The
preliminary Whittle pit optimization study completed by RPA in 2010
reported an indicated resource of 12.5 million tonnes grading 1.11
g/t gold and an inferred resource of 5.4 million tonnes grading
1.27 g/t gold. The resources, as reported by RPA, were constrained
within an economic pit-shell with the following parameters: gold
price of US$1,250, pit slope angles
of 45 degrees, 90% gold recovery, mining cost between $2.50-2.60 per tonne and general and
administration costs of US$1.50. The RPA Estimate therefore, by
definition, excluded many gold rich intersections which fell
outside of the RPA defined pits for Arara, Coruja and Tucano.
By comparison, the Tetra Tech estimate was constrained only by the
geological models of the mineralized zones and by the lower
threshold grade of 0.35 g/t gold.
Tetra Tech has estimated the mineral resources
in accordance with NI 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral
Projects and the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and
Petroleum classification system, using the Company's dataset of
42,432 assays, which includes historical diamond drilling, outcrop,
underground channel samples, auger and reverse circulation
drilling. Exploration at the Cachoeira Project was initiated
in 1985 by Companhia de Mineração e Participações and Mineração CCO
Ltda ("CCO") and continued through the 1990's with work by
Brazilian Goldfields Ltd ("BGZ") and Goldfields Ltd ("Goldfields").
Companhia Vale do Rio Doce ("Vale")
conducted an exploration program at Cachoeira in 2003. Luna
commenced exploration at the property after it acquired it in 2007.
The Company acquired the project in 2012. CCO drill core assays
were conducted at Geoser Laboratory, Belo
Horizonte. The BGZ and Goldfields drill core assays were
conducted at Bondar Clegg Laboratories, Vancouver. The Vale core assays were conducted
at Geosol Laboratories, Belo
Horizonte. Luna used ALS Chemex Laboratories in Belo Horizonte, Brazil and Lima, Peru for drill core assays. The
data from such exploration programs utilized in the resource
estimate met quality assurance/quality control requirements, which
are set forth in more detail in the RPA Estimate. Both RPA and
Tetra Tech applied a 0.35 g/t gold cutoff in their analyses.
As part of the current study, Tetra Tech also
investigated the influence of high grade material and ran a model
to apply a 'cap' to exclude statistically anomalous values based on
a distribution curve. The potential risk in including statistically
high values in a resource estimate is that their contribution to
the estimated grade will be disproportionate to their contribution
to the tonnage and therefore the grade of the resource as a whole
will be overstated. The conclusion of the study is that, if a
cap is applied, it only reduces the resource by 13.7% in the
indicated and 4.7% in the inferred category.
Cachoeira Project Resource Table
|
|
|
|
|
|
INDICATED VEINS |
TONNES |
GOLD |
GOLD CAP |
GOLD |
GOLD CAP |
|
@ 0.35 G/T |
G/T |
G/T |
OZ TROY |
OZ TROY |
ARARA VEINS |
528,435 |
1.805 |
1.740 |
30,658 |
29,554 |
CORUJA VEINS |
84,272 |
2.026 |
2.016 |
5,490 |
5,463 |
TUCANO VEINS |
4,051,741 |
2.160 |
1.846 |
281,365 |
240,514 |
TOTAL VEINS |
4,664,448 |
2.12 |
1.84 |
317,514 |
275,531 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
INDICATED ALTERATION |
TONNES |
GOLD |
GOLD CAP |
GOLD |
GOLD CAP |
|
@ 0.35 G/T |
G/T |
G/T |
OZ TROY |
OZ TROY |
ARARA HALO |
1,592,239 |
1.623 |
1.056 |
83,098 |
54,081 |
TUCANO HALO |
11,213,406 |
1.071 |
1.004 |
386,124 |
362,064 |
TOTAL ALTERATION |
12,805,645 |
1.14 |
1.01 |
469,223 |
416,145 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
TOTAL INDICATED |
17,470,093 |
1.40 |
1.23 |
786,737 |
691,676 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ALL INDICATED |
TONNES |
GOLD |
GOLD CAP |
GOLD |
GOLD CAP |
|
@ 0.35 G/T |
G/T |
G/T |
OZ TROY |
OZ TROY |
ARARA VEINS + HALO |
2,120,674 |
1.67 |
1.23 |
113,757 |
83,635 |
CORUJA VEINS |
84,272 |
2.03 |
2.00 |
5,490 |
5,415 |
TUCANO VEINS+HALO |
15,265,147 |
1.36 |
1.23 |
667,490 |
602,578 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
TOTAL INDICATED |
17,470,093 |
1.40 |
1.23 |
786,737 |
691,628 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
INFERRED VEINS |
TONNES |
GOLD |
GOLD CAP |
GOLD |
GOLD CAP |
|
@ 0.35 G/T |
G/T |
G/T |
OZ TROY |
OZ TROY |
ARARA VEINS |
631,690 |
2.41 |
2.38 |
40,883 |
40,399 |
CORUJA VEINS |
139,835 |
1.62 |
1.61 |
4,386 |
4,367 |
TUCANO VEINS |
2,207,256 |
2.01 |
2.00 |
262,465 |
259,905 |
TOTAL VEINS |
2,978,781 |
2.08 |
2.06 |
311,817 |
308,679 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
INFERRED ALTERATION |
TONNES |
GOLD |
GOLD CAP |
GOLD |
GOLD CAP |
|
@ 0.35 G/T |
G/T |
G/T |
OZ TROY |
OZ TROY |
ARARA HALO |
1,757,048 |
1.17 |
0.80 |
59,687 |
40,780 |
TUCANO HALO |
10,930,751 |
0.85 |
0.84 |
305,916 |
303,273 |
TOTAL ALTERATION |
12,687,799 |
0.89 |
0.84 |
367,451 |
343,794 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
TOTAL INFERRED |
15,666,580 |
1.12 |
1.07 |
628,035 |
599,662 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ALL INFERRED |
TONNES |
GOLD |
GOLD CAP |
GOLD |
GOLD CAP |
|
@ 0.35 G/T |
G/T |
G/T |
OZ TROY |
OZ TROY |
ARARA VEINS + HALO |
2,388,739 |
1.49 |
1.21 |
101,860 |
82,825 |
CORUJA VEINS |
139,835 |
1.62 |
1.61 |
4,386 |
4,367 |
TUCANO VEINS+HALO |
13,138,007 |
1.04 |
1.04 |
512,619 |
508,005 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
TOTAL INFERRED |
15,666,580 |
1.12 |
1.07 |
628,035 |
599,662 |
The resources were estimated by inverse distance
squared (ID2) weighting and grades were interpolated into blocks in
a single pass. A minimum of two and a maximum of 12
composites within the volume of the search ellipse were necessary
for a grade to be interpolated into a block. A maximum of two
composites was permitted per drill hole so that a grade could be
interpolated into a block on the basis of a single drill hole.
Composites could only be drawn from the geological model for which
a grade was being estimated to avoid over- or underestimation of
grades within a given geological domain.
In addition to capped and uncapped gold grades,
the number of drill holes and composites used for each estimated
value was recorded as well as the mean distance of those composites
from the centroid of the block.
Resources were classified as indicated or
inferred. In order for a block to be classified as indicated,
it was necessary that the grade that it contained was based on a
minimum of four drill holes and that the mean distance of the
composites from those holes was 50 meters or less from the centroid
of the block. All blocks that failed to meet the criteria for
indicated classification, but had an estimated grade of at least
0.001 g/t gold were classified as inferred.
Qualified Person
The resource estimate was prepared by
Greg Mosher, M.Sc. P.Geo. Mr.
Mosher is a qualified person and a Senior Geologist with Tetra Tech
and is independent of the Company, as defined by section 1.5 of NI
43-101. Paulo Pereira, the Company's
Vice President of Exploration, has supervised the preparation of,
and reviewed, the technical information contained in this document.
Mr. Pereira holds a Bachelor degree in Geology from Universidad Do
Amazonas in Brazil, is a qualified
person as defined in NI 43-101 and is a member of the Association
of Professional Geoscientists of Ontario.
About Brazil Resources Inc.
Brazil Resources is a public mineral exploration
company with a focus on the acquisition and development of projects
in emerging producing gold districts in Brazil, Paraguay and other parts of South America. Currently, the Company is
advancing its Cachoeira, Montes Áureos, Trinta and Maua Gold
Projects located in the Gurupi Gold Belt in the state of Maranhão,
northeastern Brazil, and its
Artulandia Copper-Gold Project in central Brazil.
Cautionary Note
This news release utilizes the terms
"indicated" and inferred" mineral resources in accordance with NI
43-101. While those terms are recognized by Canadian securities
regulatory authorities, they are not recognized by the U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") and the SEC does not
permit U.S. companies to disclose resources in their filings with
the SEC. U.S. investors are cautioned that the mineral resource
information contained herein is not comparable to information
regarding mineral reserves disclosed in accordance with SEC
requirements.
Investors are cautioned not to assume that
any part or all of mineral deposits in the "indicated" and
"Inferred" categories will ever be converted into mineral reserves
with demonstrated economic viability or that inferred mineral
resources will be converted to the measured and/or indicated
categories through further drilling. In addition, the
estimation of inferred resources involves far greater uncertainty
as to their existence and economic viability than the estimation of
other categories of resources.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains certain
forward-looking statements, including statements regarding future
exploration plans at the Cachoeira Project, potential
mineralization and resource estimates. Forward-looking statements
are based on the then-current expectations, beliefs, assumptions,
estimates and forecasts about the business and the markets in which
the Company operates. Investors are cautioned that all
forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties,
including: the inherent risks involved in the exploration and
development of mineral properties, the uncertainties involved in
interpreting drill results and other exploration data, the
potential for delays in exploration or development activities, the
geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits, the possibility
that future exploration, development or mining results will not be
consistent with the Company's expectations, accidents, equipment
breakdowns, title matters, labor disputes or other unanticipated
difficulties with or interruptions in operations, fluctuating metal
prices, unanticipated costs and expenses, uncertainties relating to
the availability and costs of financing needed in the future,
commodity price fluctuations, currency fluctuations, regulatory
restrictions, including environmental regulatory restrictions and
other factors listed in the Company's public filings, including its
Management's Discussion and Analysis for the year ended
November 30, 2011. These risks,
as well as others, could cause actual results and events to vary
significantly. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance
on forward-looking statements and information. There can be no
assurance that forward-looking information, or the material factors
or assumptions used to develop such forward looking information,
will prove to be accurate. The Company does not undertake any
obligations to release publicly any revisions for updating any
voluntary forward-looking statements, except as required by
applicable securities law.
Neither the 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 news release.
Stephen Swatton or Patrick Obara
Telephone: (855) 630-1001
E-mail: info@brazilresources.com
SOURCE Brazil Resources Inc.