TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - June 28, 2012) - Thundermin Resources Inc. ("Thundermin") (News - Market indicators) and 50% joint venture partner Cornerstone Resources Inc. ("Cornerstone") (TSX VENTURE:CGP) announce that they have retained P&E Mining Consultants Inc. ("P&E") of Brampton, Ontario to undertake a National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") compliant mineral resource estimate for the 100% owned, past-producing Whalesback Copper Mine ("Whalesback"). Recent drilling completed by Thundermin and Cornerstone at Whalesback has extended the historical strike length and depth of the deposit (see news releases dated February 23 and May 10, 2012). The Whalesback mineralization is expected to increase the total mineral resource available for mining and enhance the economics of establishing a new copper mining and milling operation at the adjacent Little Deer Copper Deposit ("Little Deer") which was estimated by P&E to contain NI 43-101 compliant Indicated Resources of 1,911,000 tonnes grading 2.37% Cu (99.8 million pounds of copper) and Inferred Resources of 3,748,000 tonnes grading 2.13% Cu (175.0 million pounds of copper) (see news release dated December 8, 2011). Whalesback is located approximately 10 km north of Springdale in north-central Newfoundland and approximately 800 m north of Little Deer.
The NI 43-101 mineral resource estimate for Whalesback will be based on assay data from 12 historical surface and 105 historical underground holes that were recovered from the archives of the Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Natural Resources in St. John's and 14 recent holes drilled by Thundermin and Cornerstone. The assay results for most of these holes were reported previously in releases dated October 20, 2011 and February 23 and May 10, 2012. P&E has already commenced work and it is anticipated that the mineral resource estimate for Whalesback should be completed by the end of July.
Borehole Pulse EM at Whalesback
Eastern Geophysics Ltd. has been retained to undertake borehole Pulse EM surveys on 5-6 of the recently completed drill holes at Whalesback. Borehole Pulse EM has worked extremely well at Little Deer and the results of this work will help direct future drilling at depth at Whalesback. The geophysical work is scheduled to commence around mid-July once applicable work permits have been received.
Little Deer Copper Property Exploration Plan
A 223 line km, helicopter-borne VTEM survey carried out in 2008 east of the Little Deer and Whalesback copper deposits identified a number of untested conductors that occur within mafic volcanic rocks of the Lushs Bight Group, host to Little Deer and Whalesback and the Little Bay copper deposit located 5 km to the east. Thundermin and Cornerstone intend to undertake surface TDEM geophysical surveys over these conductors and have budgeted for approximately 2,000 m of follow-up Diamond drilling to test the best of these conductors. This work will be undertaken following the completion of the borehole Pulse EM program at Whalesback.
Qualified Persons
The mineral resource estimate for Whalesback will be prepared under the supervision of Mr. Eugene J. Puritch, P. Eng., President of P&E. Mr. Puritch is an independent Qualified Person ("Q.P.") in accordance with NI 43-101.
Mr. Andrew Hussey, P.Geo., Project Geologist and Lands Manager for Cornerstone, is the Q.P. responsible for supervising the exploration programs at Little Deer and Whalesback for the purposes of NI 43-101.
Little Deer Joint Venture
Under the terms of its joint venture agreement with Cornerstone, Thundermin has the right to increase its interest in the Little Deer property to 75% by completing a feasibility study and by arranging 100% of the necessary bank financing required to place the property into commercial production. Details on Little Deer and Whalesback and the terms of the agreement with Cornerstone can be found in numerous news releases between May 1, 2007 and May 10, 2012 and on Thundermin's and Cornerstone's respective websites and on SEDAR.
About Thundermin
Thundermin is a Canadian-based mineral exploration company focused on the exploration for and the discovery of economically viable base metal and gold deposits in Canada. Thundermin has an interest in, or the right to earn an interest in 12 base metal and gold properties in Canada. Thundermin owns a 100% interest in the Lebel Township gold property, which is located on the Kirkland Lake Main Break in the prolific Kirkland Lake gold camp. Thundermin recently acquired the right to earn a 100% interest in eight exploration licenses covering a large portion of the Stirling volcanogenic massive zinc-lead-copper-silver-gold sulphide belt located on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. Thundermin has royalty interests in 28 base metal and gold properties located in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, British Columbia and Quebec, the most significant being a 2.5% net smelter return royalty in the Pelletier Lake gold deposit which is under option to Alexis Minerals Corporation. Thundermin also has various shareholdings in fourteen other junior resource companies that are actively exploring for base metal, gold, chrome, vanadium-titanium and Diamond deposits in Canada.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release may contain "Forward-Looking Statements" that involve risks and uncertainties, such as statements of Thundermin's plans, objectives, strategies, intentions and expectations. The words "potential," "anticipate," "forecast," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "may," "project," "plan," and similar expressions are intended to be among the statements that identify "Forward-Looking Statements". Although Thundermin believes that its expectations reflected in these "Forward-Looking Statements" are reasonable, such statements may involve unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors disclosed in our regulatory filings that can be viewed on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com. For us, uncertainties arise from the behavior of financial and metals markets and from numerous other matters of national, regional, and global scale, including those of an environmental, climatic, natural, political, economic, business, competitive, or regulatory nature. These uncertainties may cause our actual future results to be materially different than those expressed in our "Forward-Looking Statements". Although Thundermin believes the facts and information contained in this news release to be as correct and current as possible, Thundermin does not warrant or make any representation as to the accuracy, validity or completeness of any facts or information contained herein and these statements should not be relied upon as representing its views subsequent to the date of this news release.
E-mail: info@thundermin.com or visit Thundermin's website at www.thundermin.com or the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com.
