Rockcliff makes new Nickel-PGE discovery at Tower property
Rockcliff Metals Corp. [RCLF-CSE; RO0-FSE; A2H60G-WKLN] has made a new high-grade nickel-PGE (platinum group element) discovery on its 100%-owned Tower property in the Snow Lake area of central Manitoba. This new discovery, termed the TGR nickel-PGE prospect, has returned significant assay results.
TGR is located only 600 metres south of the company’s high-grade, copper-rich Tower deposit. The TGR mineralization was discovered in a previously unexplored area and is associated with ultramafic rocks of the Thompson nickel belt (TNB). The TNB is a world-class over-300-kilometre-long mining belt with over 60 years of production from high-grade nickel mines with associated copper and cobalt.
Discovery hole TSA20-002 intersected significant nickel-PGE mineralization at a down-hole depth of 244.8 metres. Drilling intersected high-grade nickel, palladium and platinum mineralization over a down-hole interval of 2.40 metres grading 2.53% nickel, 3.08 g/t palladium and 1.04 g/t platinum (3.82% nickel equivalent), including 1.25 metres grading 4.46% Ni, 5.61 g/t Pd and 1.87 g/t Pt (6.79% NiEq).
Alistair Ross, President and CEO, commented: “The Tower property has surprised us yet again with this very significant high tenor nickel-PGE mineralization. Our high-grade, copper-rich Tower deposit is associated with rocks from the Flin Flon-Snow Lake greenstone belt. The high-grade TGR Ni-PGE mineralization is associated with rocks from the Thompson nickel belt and is a very exciting development for Rockcliff and its shareholders.
“We have several additional untested high-priority targets along a significant strike length of 12 kilometres to the west. We will be busy at Tower once spring breakup is complete as we continue exploration and the advancement of our high-grade Tower deposit through a preliminary economic assessment in preparation of making a construction decision as soon as it is feasible.”
The TGR discovery hole was the last hole drilled in the 2020 winter drill program. Drill hole TP20-002 intersected high tenor, high-grade nickel-PGE mineralization beginning at a hole depth of 244.8 metres with the assays reported above. The hole was designed to test the centre of a large time domain electromagnetic geophysical anomaly interpreted to have dimensions of 400 metres by 350 metres. Additional geophysical surveys will be completed to determine the relationship between the high-grade interval and the geophysical anomaly. Borehole geophysics completed in TSA20-002 identified an additional off-hole geophysical anomaly that has yet to be tested. The geological relationship between the Tower deposit and TGR is unknown at this time.
A recent NI 43-101 technical report prepared by P&E Mining Consultants Inc. with an effective date of March 2, 2020. The 2020 drill holes were not included in the current mineral resource estimate. For the Tower deposit, Indicated Resources are 129.8 million lbs CuEq with Inferred Resources of 34.7 million lbs CuEq.
Rockcliff is well-financed and has a fully functional +1,000-tonne-per-day leased processing and tailings facility as well as several advance-stage, high-grade copper and zinc dominant VMS (volcanogenic massive sulphide) deposits in the Snow Lake area of central Manitoba. The company’s extensive portfolio of properties totals over 4,500 km2 and includes eight of the highest grade, undeveloped VMS deposits in the belt.