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2011Canada Zinc Metals Reports on Phase One of Geotechnical Drill Program on the Akie ProjectJanuary 11, 2011 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada – Canada Zinc Metals Corp. (TSX Venture Exchange: CZX) is pleased to report on the recently completed geotechnical program on its 100% owned Akie property, which includes the Cardiac Creek SEDEX zinc-lead-silver deposit. The property is located approximately 260 kilometers north-northwest of the town of Mackenzie in northeastern British Columbia, Canada. The program was referred to in the Company’s September 23, 2010 press release and is part of Canada Zinc Metals’ ongoing program of engineering and environmental baseline studies aimed at advancing the Cardiac Creek zone toward underground exploration and future development. The results of the fall 2010 program will provide a basis necessary to complete design and development of a future haul road (from a planned underground portal near Cardiac Creek), a waste rock dump, a settlement pond and a soil stockpile area. Continuation of the geotechnical program in the spring of 2011 (Phase Two) will provide detailed design criteria for the portal and the decline which are planned to access the underground for exploration drilling and deposit definition. The combined Phase One and Phase Two results, coupled with ongoing environmental baseline studies, will also allow permitting to proceed toward a work approval for the summer/fall of 2011. Background: Field work was conducted in July, 2010 to evaluate the alignment of the planned Lower Trail along the hillside overlooking Silver Creek and to evaluate 5 potential portal locations that could provide underground access to the Cardiac Creek deposit. The intent is to collar in the footwall of the deposit in rocks that have improved structural integrity and have no identified acid rock or metal leaching concerns. Terrain stability mapping and a preliminary geotechnical onsite assessment confirmed the most suitable portal location is on the north side of Cardiac Creek. Underground access will allow drilling of relatively short drill holes for deposit definition and at a drill density required to define an indicated resource necessary for the preparation of a prefeasibility study. Underground sampling will also increase the level of confidence of the current resource estimate, and provide important mine design and metallurgical data. Underground drilling is essentially unaffected by weather and will allow operation throughout the year. Underground development will initially be confined to the footwall of the deposit, with future upgrade possible for the removal of a bulk ore sample which would provide data for pilot plant test work and marketability studies. Fall 2010 Results: A total of 57 m of HQ overburden and bedrock core drilling was completed at the proposed waste rock dump site. Test pitting by excavator was also constructed at the site to improve understanding of foundation materials for a planned settlement pond and soil stockpile area. A summary of the completed work is provided below:
As with previous programs on Akie, the Lower Trail system was semi-permanently deactivated to avoid incidental damage from spring breakup, and to maintain the site in stable and non-erosive state. The program was planned and initiated by Michael Cullen, Ph.D., P.Eng., the principal geotechnical engineer of Michael Cullen Geotechnical Ltd. Lorax Environmental provided important criteria and input into well development for groundwater quality sampling and packer testing for hydraulic conductivity testing. Drilling was conducted by Geotech Drilling Limited of Prince George, BC. Data from the drilling, test pits, packer tests and groundwater quality sampling will be evaluated over the coming weeks and will assist with ongoing engineering design work. Additional studies have recently been initiated including a 3D Minesite model of a preliminary decline and design of geotechnical and hydrogeological holes and test pits for the planned portal site. Future underground drilling will provide data for the required drill spacing to upgrade to a measured category. Work will continue throughout the winter months to provide detailed designs for several aspects including the portal, equipment laydown, underground services, decline, drill bay stations, ventilation, ground support systems, waste rock dump site, settling pond and project schedule. Kinetic testing and full analysis of ore and waste materials is ongoing. About the Akie Property The Akie zinc-lead property is situated within the southern-most part (Kechika Trough) of the regionally extensive Paleozoic Selwyn Basin, one of the most prolific sedimentary basins in the world for the occurrence of SEDEX zinc-lead-silver and stratiform barite deposits. Drilling on the Akie property by Inmet Mining Corporation during the period 1994 to 1996 and by Canada Zinc Metals since 2005 has identified a significant body of baritic-zinc-lead SEDEX mineralization (Cardiac Creek deposit). The deposit is hosted by variably siliceous, fine grained clastic rocks of the Middle to Late Devonian ‘Gunsteel’ formation. The Company has outlined a NI 43-101 compliant inferred resource of 23.6 million tonnes grading 7.6% zinc, 1.5% lead and 13.0 g/t silver (at a 5% zinc cut off grade). Two similar deposits, Cirque and Cirque South Cirque, located some 20 km northwest of Akie and owned under a joint venture by Teck Resources and Korea Zinc, are also hosted by Gunsteel rocks and have a combined geologic inventory in excess of 50 million tonnes (not 43-101 compliant) grading approximately 10% combined zinc + lead. In addition to the Akie property, Canada Zinc Metals Corp. controls a large contiguous group of claims which comprise the Kechika Regional project. These claims are underlain by geology identical to that on the Akie property (Cardiac Creek deposit) and Cirque. This project includes the 100% owned Mt. Alcock property, which has yielded a historic drill intercept of 8.8 metres grading 9.3% zinc+lead, numerous zinc-lead-barite occurrences, and several regional base metal anomalies. Ken MacDonald P.Geo., Vice President of Exploration, is the designated Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and is responsible for the technical information contained in this release. The TSX Venture Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. CANADA ZINC METALS CORP. “PEEYUSH VARSHNEY” |
