Commerce Resources Corp. (TSXV:CCE) (OTCQX:CMRZF) has reported the receipt of positive assay results from Saville Resources Inc.’s maiden drill programme on Commerce’s Miranna Prospect in Quebec, Canada,
The testing of Miranna is part of its 2021 diamond drill programme at the Niobium Claim Group Property.
The Property covers several prospective and advanced-stage niobium-tantalum targets, where Saville Resources is completing an Earn-in Agreement for up to a 75% interest in the claim group.
The 2021 drill programme, completed in July, included seven holes totalling 1,349m split over two prospects – Mallard (681 m over three holes) and the Miranna Prospect (668 m over four holes). The results of the drill holes targeting the Mallard Prospect were announced in early November and include the best niobium intersection to date. The maiden drilling at Miranna followed and has also demonstrated the potential for >1% Nb2O5 mineralisation at depth.
Core sample assay highlights at Miranna include:
- 20.4 m of 0.72% Nb2O5 and 5.7% P2O5 (EC21-180), including,
- 3.1 m of 1.20% Nb2O5 and 7.6% P2O5, or
- 4.6 m of 0.97% Nb2O5 and 6.4% P2O5
The four drill holes completed by Saville Resources at Miranna are the first to date to test the Miranna Prospect and were scoping in nature. Each drill hole, ranging in depth from 140 m to 236 m, was designed to test a different area of the geophysical anomaly that defines the prospect – the north-northwest margin, east-northeast margin, and the anomaly centre – with the objective of identifying the most prospective area for follow-up.
Saville Resources also reported that drill hole EC21-180 achieved this objective, returning significant mineralization downhole, including 1.20% Nb2O5 over 3.1 m within a larger interval of 0.72% Nb2O5 over 20.4 m. The potential of this area is further emphasised by the additional mineralization encountered from surface in drill hole EC21-180 at 0.61% Nb2O5 over 7.9 m
The high-grade mineralisation encountered in EC21-180 is hosted within dark grey phoscorite to cream-grey phoscorite-calcite carbonatite units with minor to abundant magnetite and local dolomitization. This rock type and mineralogy is consistent with one of the common rock types present in the high-grade boulder train, in which the bedrock source is interpreted to be the Miranna geophysical anomaly.
The high-grade mineralisation encountered in the 2021 Miranna and Mallard drill holes is present within 110m of surface and is locally known to reach surface. Coupled with the presence of numerous high-grade, glacially dispersed boulders, suggests that open-pit extraction methods may be potentially applicable in a development scenario. By comparison, several of the more advanced niobium focused projects in North America are being developed using underground extraction scenarios due to significant amounts of overburden, including North America’s only operating niobium mine – Niobec. Overburden thickness at Miranna and Mallard is less than 10 m.
Saville Resources also announced that the field programmes were carried-out while adhering to all federal, provincial, and regional restrictions in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The process to enter Nunavik was successfully navigated with authorization obtained to complete the planned field activities. Mineral exploration has been recognised as an essential service in Canada and the Province of Quebec. Saville Resources also reported that no cases of COVID-19 were documented with respect to the 2021 exploration programme.
For further information please visit: http://www.commerceresources.com/
