Qiqavik Property Expanded by 10% to Cover New Wide Mineralized Shear Zone

TORONTO, Sept. 11, 2019 /CNW/ - Orford Mining Corporation ("Orford") (TSX-V: ORM) is pleased to announce the completion of the summer 2019 Exploration program on its 100% controlled Qiqavik gold project in the Cape Smith Belt in northern Quebec. Following the completion of the first and second phase exploration programs consisting of an Airborne Electromagnetic (EM) Survey, Ground Induced Polarization (IP) Survey and detailed prospecting and structural mapping, Orford has completed a 1,368 metre drilling program in 6 holes at Interlake, IP lake and the Focused Intrusive (Figure 1).  This exploration work continues to define shear-hosted gold mineralization along several trends.  In order to cover the western extension of the newly discovered IP Lake Shear Corridor, Orford has increased the size of the Qiqavik property by nearly 10% by adding 75 claims or 31 km² for a new total of 348 km².

David Christie, President and CEO of Orford, commented, "We are excited to have discovered visible gold in the newly defined 7km+ IP Lake Shear corridor which may explain several high gold grain count glacial dispersion trains. The 2019 drilling of QK-19-001 and QK-19-004 have extended the Au-bearing Interlake shear zone along strike to over 2 km. The potential unveiled by the results of the VTEM survey at the Esperance Copper-Gold Zone is promising for future exploration programs. We look forward to getting the rest of our results back and planning our 2020 exploration program."

Key 2019 Exploration Program Take-Aways:

• Extension of the mineralized trend at Interlake to a 5 km strike length with the identification of a thick (up to 500 m wide) structural package of multiple shears and crosscutting structures often coincident with pyrite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite and galena mineralization. (Figure 2).
  
  
• Identification of a large new structural corridor (75-100 m wide) that extends from IP Lake westward for approximately 10 km. The shear is hosted in basalt and meta-sediments and contains large quartz vein boulders with sphalerite, chalcopyrite, galena, pyrite and visible gold (Figure 2). Orford's claim position has been expanded by 10% to cover the IP Lake Shear Zone to the west.
  
  
• Identification of new Au anomalies in boulders up to 648 g/t Au¹ (Figure 3) defining dispersion trains pointing towards the IP Lake structural corridor (Figure 2).
  
  
• Successful in intersecting sulphide mineralization together with shearing and/or strong alteration in all drill holes.
  
  
• All six drill holes intersected various types of mineralization that explained the geophysical anomaly being targeted. Assays are pending for the majority of drilling, however partial results from three holes received have all returned gold-bearing intersections (Table 2).
  
  
• Key drilling intersections: Three drill holes tested the Interlake trend over more than 2 km of strike and intersected a number of thick altered/sheared/sulphide mineralized horizons (Figure 4). Two drill holes representing the first testing of the IP Lake Shear Zone, were drilled 600 m apart and intersected thick sections of altered / sheared / sulphide mineralized horizons. One drill hole tested the Focus intrusion and intersected altered and sheared granodiorite with quartz veining and disseminated sulphides.
  
  
• Drill hole QK-19-004 testing the Interlake structural zone 300 m east of drilling completed in 2018 (QK-18-007, 24.6 metres grading 0.48 g/t)² intersected 32.0 m grading 0.71 g/t gold, including 2.8 m grading 3.31 g/t gold in an altered volcaniclastic.
  
  
• Identification of new untested EM drill targets along the main Esperance trend and additional EM anomalies to the south of the main trend associated with Au (up to 10 g/t in boulders) (Figure 5).
  
  
• Discovery of a new south trend at Esperance sulphide mineralization in surface sampling.

1) Note that grab samples are selective by nature and values reported may not be representative of mineralized zones

2) All drilling intervals are down-hole lengths. True thicknesses cannot be estimated with available information.

Summary of Field Surveys Completed and New Targets Outlined

• 34.8 line-km of IP surveying using Abitibi Geophysics' Orevision^TM system at Interlake and IP Lake (Figure 2) The survey was conducted at various line spacings in a pole-dipole configuration with an "a"-spacing of 25 m.
  
  
• 1,128 line-km airborne EM survey using Geotech's VTEM^TM plus time-domain system covering Esperance, Interlake and West Gerfaut at 100m line spacing (Figure 1).
  
  
• 289 frost boil samples (bringing total to 5,022 samples property-wide) (Figure 1).
  
  
• 627 grab samples (bringing total to 2,647 samples property-wide) (Figure 1). 153 large till samples (213 property-wide).
  
  
• 1,368 meters of diamond drilling at Interlake (725m in 3 holes), IP lake (402 m in two holes) and Focused intrusive (240 m in one hole) (Table 1).
  

Table 1: 2019 Drill Hole Information

Prospecting and Mapping Highlights

The first batches of rush grab sample results have been received. Highlights include up to 20 g/t at a new find at Esperance South and up to 79.3g/t in the IP lake shear corridor (Figure 3).

Preliminary results for gold grain counts (Figure 2) show a north easterly dispersal train which is continuous up ice to the IP lake shear corridor, specifically proximal to the VG boulders east of Dumbbell lake (Figure 2). Additional till samples have been collected to the north and south (as shown in Figure 2) to aid in defining Au sources along the 10 km IP lake shear corridor for 2020.  Results from these samples are pending. The 2019 Drilling on the IP Lake Shear Corridor was completed to understand the structure based on limited information available at the time and was therefore not necessarily located on the most prospective section of the Shear Trend.

* Note that grab samples are selective by nature and values reported may not be representative of mineralized zones.

Diamond Drilling Highlights

Summaries of observations for each drill hole are given below.  Partial Assay results have been received for three of the six holes drilled at Qiqavik this summer (QK-19-001, QK-19-002 and QK-19-004). These are shown in Table 2. All drilling intervals are down-hole lengths. True thicknesses cannot be estimated with available information.

Diamond drill hole QK-19-001 targeted a high chargeability anomaly in a high resistivity zone outlined by the 2019 IP survey, approximately 2 km to the east of drill hole QK-18-008, that was also coincident with the Interlake East Showing  comprised of a sheared basalt with pyrite, chalcopyrite, malachite and quartz-carbonate veining and a glacial dispersion train of gold in till samples. From 45.0 to 68.8 m the hole intersected weakly to moderately deformed andesites with quartz-carbonate alteration and 2-5% pyrite (Assays are Pending for this section). A second mineralized section was intersected from 84.2 m to 95.0 m, intersecting seriticitized mafic volcanics with 5-10% pyrite and trace sphalerite and chalcopyrite. Partial assay results have only been received for the section from 84 to 96 m.  Highlights from this section include 88-89 m grading 2.45 g/t gold and 91 to 92 m at 1.20 g/t gold (Table 2). This hole now has extended the gold mineralization in the Interlake Structural zone by over 2 km to the east from hole QK-18-002. This hole ended at 111 metres.

Diamond drill hole QK-19-002 targeted the possible source of a visible gold (VG) boulder train in the IP Lake Shear chargeability anomaly. From 79.9 to 92.8 m, the drill hole intersected basalts cut by 5-8% quartz-carbonate veins with vuggy pyrite (trace to 5%). This included a section from 88 to 91 m which was strongly deformed and brecciated with strong carbonization and 5 to 15% pyrite. Partial assay results from 88 to 89.4 m returned 3.24 g/t gold (table 2). This hole ended at 111 metres.

Diamond drill hole QK-19-003 targeted the possible source of a visible gold (VG) boulder train in the IP Lake Shear chargeability anomaly 600 metres west of QK-19-002.  From 196 to 278 m, the hole intersected highly foliated and bleached basalts (sericite and quartz-carbonate alteration) up to 5% pyrite stringers. This hole ended at 291 metres. Assays Pending.

Diamond drill hole QK-19-004 targeted the Interlake shear trend and a thick VTEM anomaly coincident with 2 adjacent IP chargeability anomalies within the Interlake structural package. This hole is located 300 m east of holes QK-18-007/008 and 400 m east of hole QK-18-002 which intersected thick intervals (up to 24.6 m grading 0.48 g/t including 1.0m grading 3.55 g/t) Au); see Table 1, Orford news release dated October 16, 2018). From 156 to 206 m, hole QK-19-004 intersected a sulphide mineralized shear zone hosting frequent quartz veins with silica flooding along with up to 40% pyrrhotite with 15-20% pyrite with trace arsenopyrite and sphalerite including a quartz vein from 198.73 to 200.2m with 5-10% arsenopyrite and 1% to 10% pyrite-pyrrhotite (Figure 4). Partial assay results for the interval 154 to 211 m from have been received for this hole - highlights include: 3 m @ 0.59 g/t Au from 156.0 to 159.0 m  and 32 m @ 0.72 g/t Au from 177.0 m to 209.0 m, including 2.8 m @ 3.31 g/t Au from 200.79 m to 203 m. This hole ended at 285 metres.

Diamond drill hole QK-19-005 also targeted the Interlake structural trend and a thinner VTEM anomaly with two adjacent chargeability anomalies. It was drilled approximately 100 metres west of hole QK-18-002. From 278 to 300 m, the hole intersected a shear zone with silica flooding and pyrite, pyrrhotite, sphalerite and arsenopyrite mineralization. This hole ended at 329.68 metres. Assays are pending.

Diamond drill hole QK-19-006 targeted the Focused Intrusive and local felsic intrusive boulders with Au up to 189 g/t associated with a coincident chargeability anomaly in a very resistive body. The hole intersected altered and bleached granodiorite with disseminated pyrite, pyrrhotite (0.5-1%) and infrequent quartz veins hosting arsenopyrite and sphalerite. This hole ended at 240m. Assays are pending.

Table 2: Diamond Drill Hole Partial Assay results*. Results shown below are all significant results received to date.

Share Issuance for Services

Subject to TSX-V approval, Orford will issue 203,512 common shares as payment to a service provider for services at a deemed price of $0.0921 per share.

About the Qiqavik Property

The Qiqavik Property covers the 40-km long Qiqavik Break, part of the Cape Smith Belt event which is of Paleoproterozoic age (1.8-1.9 billion years). This geologic era is marked by its significant metal endowment as illustrated by the important gold districts that occur worldwide related to geological events of Paleoproterozoic age. These include the Flin Flon-Snow Lake Belt, the Ashanti Gold Fields of West Africa, the Tapajos-Parima Belt of Brazil, and the Tanami Region in Australia². The Cape Smith Belt is also home to Glencore's world class Raglan Mine.

Early-stage exploration work completed to date on the Qiqavik Property shows that high-grade gold and copper occurrences are structurally controlled and associated with secondary splay structures located along the district-scale Qiqavik Break Shear Zone which extends the full 40 km length of the Qiqavik Property.

About Orford Mining Corporation
Orford Mining is a mineral explorer focused on highly prospective and underexplored areas of Northern Quebec. Orford's principal assets are the Qiqavik and West Raglan projects comprising of a land package totaling over 70,000 hectares in the Cape Smith Belt of Northern Quebec. The Qiqavik Project hosts several new high-grade gold discoveries along a mineralized trend in excess of 40 km. Orford's common shares trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol ORM.

To view further details about the Qiqavik and West Raglan Projects please visit Orford's website, www.orfordmining.com.

Qualified Person
The disclosure of scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been approved by Alger St-Jean, P.Geo., Vice President Exploration of Orford, a Qualified Person under NI 43-101. 

The work program at Qiqavik was supervised by Alger St-Jean, P.Geo., who is responsible for all aspects of the work, including the quality control/quality assurance program. On-site personnel at the project log and weigh all samples prior to sealing and shipping. Sample shipments are sealed and shipped to SGS Canada Inc. in Val-d'Or, Québec. All gold assays reported were obtained by either 500-g screen fire assay (method GO FA$30K) or standard 50-gram fire-assaying-AA finish or gravimetric finish (method GE FAA515 and GO FAG505). The 500-g screen assay method is selected by the site geologist when samples contain coarse gold or higher percentage of sulfide mineralization that may be associated with gold relative to surrounding intervals. All samples are also analyzed for multi-elements, including copper and silver, using a four-acid method with an ICP-AES at SGS Canada Inc. in Lakefield, Ontario. Overlimits were analyzed by peroxide fusion with ICP-AES finish (method GE ICP90A). Drill program design, Quality Assurance/Quality Control ("QA/QC") and interpretation of results is performed by qualified persons employing a QA/QC program consistent with NI 43-101 and industry best practices. Standards and blanks are inserted at a minimum of 10% for core and 5% for grab samples respectively for QA/QC purposes in addition to those inserted by the lab. A subset of samples has not yet been sent for a verification assay at another lab. SGS Canda Inc. is accredited by the Standards Council of Canada and found to comply with the requirements of ISO/IEC 17025:2005.

The information regarding work disclosed herein in respect of the Qiqavik Property is based on the independent report of Clement Dombrowski, P.Geo of IOS Services Geoscientifiques Inc. titled "NI 43-101 Technical Report on Qiqavik Project, Northern Quebec, Canada" effective September 14, 2017, and on Orford's news releases available on Orford's website and on SEDAR.

Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release contains "forward-looking information" including without limitation statements relating to the liquidity and capital resources of Orford and potential of one or more of the Qiqavik, and West Raglan, properties.

Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Orford to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could affect the outcome include, among others: future prices and the supply of metals; the results of drilling; inability to raise the money necessary to incur the expenditures required to retain and advance the properties; environmental liabilities (known and unknown); general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry; political instability, terrorism, insurrection or war; or delays in obtaining governmental approvals, failure to obtain regulatory or shareholder approvals. For a more detailed discussion of such risks and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, refer to Orford's filings with Canadian securities regulators available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Although Orford has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. Forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this news release and Orford disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws.

The TSXV has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release.

SOURCE Orford Mining Corporation