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________________ MARUM RESOURCES INC. __________________
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Please Note: We will attempt to update our project website with new
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______________________________________________________________
News Release - March 31, 1999
Large Volcanic System Discovered in Chinchaga Diamond Project
March 31, 1999 – International Tower Hill Mines Ltd. (ITH –
VSE) and Marum Resources Inc. (MMU – ASE) provide the
following technical update on the recent drilling operations that
were carried out on their Chinchaga area joint venture in
northern Alberta. This is a preliminary update prepared by
Marum Resources, the project operator, on the basis of technical
work performed by Marum, project manager Apex Geoscience
and two other geological consultants. Core logging and sampling
operations are still in progress. In this summary report the word
"pyroclastic" is used to describe a rock composed of hot volcanic
ejecta: including mineral grains, volcanic fragments and volcanic
ash. The word "volcaniclastic" is used to describe a sedimentary
rock that is composed of reworked volcanic rock: including lava,
volcanic ash and primary pyroclastic deposits. The word "lapilli"
is used to describe a pellet formed when volcanic ash is ejected
from a volcano and forms hailstone shaped pellets as it falls
through the storm clouds that usually accompany volcanic
eruptions.
Six targets were drilled to a maximum depth of 175 metres.
Three other drill targets were reserved for future drill programs
due to unexpected access problems and warm weather
conditions. Overburden cover was generally only a few metres
thick, but did reach a thickness of 20 metres in one hole. The
core has been shipped to a secure core storage and analysis site
in Edmonton and has been partially logged. Initial petrographic
and geochemical samples have been taken. The core logging is
expected to last another week during which selected intervals
will be packaged and sent to the Saskatchewan Research Council
laboratories for analysis.
Target 8 was located using an experimental technique. Target 8
core was terminated at shallow depth due to warm weather,
water truck complications and bad ground conditions. The small
amount of core recovered does not appear to have intersected
potential diamond host rocks.
Targets 10 and 11, located six km apart, contain medium-grained
volcaniclastic rocks at stratigraphically equivalent levels. The
boundaries of these layers have not yet been determined and
their analysis has been relegated to the end of the core logging
process since they are deemed to be less obviously interesting
than core in other holes. A quick microscope analysis of a
sample from one section indicates that the rock is composed of
massive amounts of mica, some ilmenite, unidentified possible
pyroxenes, minor magnetite and some zircons. Additionally, the
samples contain large quantities of white clay alteration grains
containing possible ilmenite and magnetite crystals. The thickest
overburden of the program, an estimated 20 metres, was
encountered on Target 11. The volcaniclastic units of Targets 10
and 11 are not considered to be stratigraphically equivalent to
any other units described in this summary report.
Target 7, a moderately magnetic positive anomaly, was drilled in
March 1998 and was found to contain volcanic ashes containing
diagnostic kimberlite indicator minerals. Additionally, an
extremely hard layer was encountered during the 1998 drill
program and could not be penetrated by the light reconnaissance
drill. Recent drilling on Target 7 confirms the existence of the
same ash units both above and below the hard layer, which was
determined to be a concretionary shale of no economic
importance. Target 7 was recently redrilled to a depth of 52
metres. The hole was terminated prematurely due to warm
weather.
Target 7-D, located approximately 600m east of Target 7 using
an experimental technique, was drilled to a depth of 115 metres.
Both the Target 7 and Target 7-D holes, at 30 metres, contain a
5-metre thick unit that is of undisputed primary volcanic origin.
The unit is called the "P-1 Sequence" since it is the first true
pyroclastic identified in the area. It is capped by a hard,
sulphide-rich, carbonate-veined, dense pyroclastic that overlies a
sulphide-rich rock described as a dark green, mica-rich, densely
packed, accretionary lapilli pyroclastic with chlorite alteration,
some serpentine textured alteration and as yet unidentified
splotches of a dark blue metallic mineral. Additional pyroclastic
units that have not yet been examined in detail underlie the P-1
Sequence. However, a quick microscope analysis of a grab
sample taken from a core depth of 107 metres is described as a
"dark green crystal pyroclastic with moderately packed lapilli,
scattered mica and sulphides, containing fragments of crystal
lithic pyroclastic and showing evidence of chlorite, slight
serpentine alteration and occasional blue metallic splotches". All
of the pyroclastic rocks are vesicular; that is, they contain
slightly elliptical, slightly deformed bubbles formed by the de-
gassing of the hot volcanic rock. The Target 7-D hole appears to
contain a number of significant pyroclastic units over an interval
of 75 metres below the P-1 Sequence.
Target 9 was drilled to a depth of 175 metres. Rocks with
pyroclastic textures and minerals were encountered throughout
the hole. The most important of these is a 10 metre thick unit
encountered at a depth of 38 metres. It consists of a brecciated,
somewhat fragmental, sulphide-rich, crystal pyroclastic that is
underlain by a hard layer consisting of dark green vesicular,
slightly pelletal pyroclastic rock with horizontal calcite veins and
multiple horizontal and cross-cutting veins of sulphide minerals,
including pyrite, pyrrhotite, possible chalcopyrite and splotches
of a dark blue metallic mineral. This veined layer is underlain by
a spectacular dark green and dark brown, massive, densely
packed, pelletal lapilli pyroclastic with a fine-grained chloritized
matrix. The dense pelletal unit contains disseminated sulphides
as well as beautiful sulphide latticeworks that envelop the lapilli
structures. The base of the main pyroclastic unit consists of a
medium gray matrix with sparse lapilli and minor sulphides,
including blue metallic minerals. The preliminary examination of
samples has yielded numerous confirmations that the rocks are
primary volcanic pyroclastics. One spectacular indicator is a
grain of drop glass that was extracted from small sample of
Target 9 core. It consists of a glass droplet with a delicate glass
filament tail that formed as a drop of molten magma was thrown
into the air and spiraled into the building mass of pyroclastic
rock outside the volcanic vent. The droplet and tail, which could
not possibly withstand any sedimentary transport without
breaking, is perfectly preserved and contains gas bubbles. The
glass and trapped gas may yield evidence concerning the
composition of the original volcanic magma.
The topmost pyroclastic unit encountered in Targets 7, 7-D and 9
are considered to be stratigraphically equivalent due to their
virtually identical internal stratigraphic structure. That is, the P-1
Sequence has been identified at precisely the same elevation in
the three targets. Targets 7 and 7-D are 600 metres apart and
both are located approximately 13 km from Target 9. All three
targets are on elevated ground and the P-1 Sequence is projected
to outcrop around the periphery of the Naylor Hills, the
dominant topographical feature of the area. P-1 is flat lying and
its elevation is now precisely known. A preliminary calculation,
using an average thickness assumption of 7 metres, suggests that
a very conservatively estimated minimum of 600 million tonnes
of P-1 Sequence material is available for surface sampling on the
joint venture permits. A significantly larger tonnage of P-1
Sequence material can be projected to be available at nominally
higher rock strip ratios. In other words, based on recent drill
intercepts and the results of previous sampling programs, the P-1
Sequence is a flat-lying volcanic, possibly kimberlitic, layer
between 5 and 10 metres thick and is projected to outcrop along
the edges of the Naylor Hills in a band varying between 300
metres and one kilometre wide, covering a conservatively
estimated area of 30 square kilometres without any rock cover
and with virtually no overburden.
This technical report is preliminary. Diagnostic kimberlite
component minerals have been extracted from Target 7 volcanic
ash core drilled in 1998 and recovered from samples taken from
streams cutting the P-1 Sequence. However, no petrographic or
geochemical tests have yet been performed on core from the
recently completed drilling program. The proposed geochemical
tests, in addition to diamond related analysis, will include gold,
silver, platinum-group, copper, zinc and nickel assays on the
sulphide layers. Such tests are routinely performed whenever
sulphides are encountered in drill core. The core logging process
will continue and laboratory results will be announced as they
are received.
Major diamond deposits and resources thoughout the world are
closely associated with pyroclastics and volcaniclastics. In some
cases, such as at the DeBeer's Orapa mine in Botswana, the
grade of the volcaniclastic rocks can be many times higher than
the grade of the associated Orapa pipe material. Pyroclastics,
specifically lapilli pyroclastics, occur in and near the Ashton
pipes 125 km to the east of the Chinchaga area; are major
components in and near the Argyle diamond mine in Australia;
and are closely associated with diamond mines in Tanzania,
Botswana and South Africa.
The discovery of the existence of a major volcanic system in the
Chinchaga area is of great scientific importance and will likely
redefine the geological perception of the western Canadian
sedimentary basin. The fact that the volcanic ashes overlying the
P-1 Sequence have already been linked to a kimberlitic source
may have a profound effect on diamond exploration in Alberta.
To date, diamond exploration in Alberta has revolved around the
search for relatively small, limited tonnage pipe deposits. Future
diamond exploration, in areas of low overburden and bedrock
cover, must now logically include large tonnage horizontal
economic targets which could be effectively mined in the
Alberta sedimentary environment using existing Alberta mining
techniques. Examples of these mining techniques are represented
by Alberta's large coal mines and the largest production mine in
the world, the one million tonne-per-day Syncrude mine at Fort
McMurray.
Several mini-bulk samples of one to 5 tonnes each are being planned
for execution immediately following spring breakup. Since 1995, at the
beginning of the Chinchaga diamond program, Marum Resources Inc.
has been acquiring the components of a mobile bulk sample processing
plant. The equipment is in storage in Calgary and Edmonton and is
readily available for mobilization to the Chinchaga area.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
International Tower Hill Mines Ltd. Marum Resources Inc.
Mr. Anton Drescher, President Mr. Richard Boulay, President
Tel: (604) 685-1017 Tel: (403) 264-2220 or
Website: www.towerhillmines.com Mr. Arness Cordick, Director
Tel: (604) 602-1440
Toll Free: 800-321-8564
www.marumresources.com
The Vancouver Stock Exchange and The Alberta Stock Exchange have not
reviewed and do not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of
this release.
_____________________________________________________________
Chinchaga Project Website
mmu.simplenet.com
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*Italics added by me.
-j
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