Vancouver, B.C., November 6th, 2008. Empire Mining Corporation (EPC: TSX-V) ("Empire" or the "Company") is pleased to announce results of its recently completed initial Diamond drilling program at the Bursa copper-molybdenum porphyry project in Turkey. Significant copper mineralization was intercepted in five of six holes testing the Karapinar prospect at Bursa including 99.7 metres from surface averaging 0.50% copper, 0.007% molybdenum and 0.10 grams per tonne gold in Drill Hole KDH-006.
Empire is earning a 65% interest in Bursa from Anatolia Minerals Development Limited. The Bursa Property is located 120 km south of Istanbul within the Turkish sector of the Tethyan Metallogenic Belt. The Tethyan Belt passes through central and Southeast Europe, the Middle East, and central and Southeast Asia, and hosts a number of significant copper-molybdenum-gold porphyry deposits.
Empire's program consisted of six Diamond core holes, totaling 1,601 metres, designed to confirm and expand the zone of porphyry copper mineralization indicated in three earlier holes by Rio Tinto at the Karapinar deposit (see announcement of July 10th, 2008). Five of the six holes, results of which are summarized below, intercepted thick intervals of copper mineralized porphyry with significant molybdenum and gold over a surface area approximately 400 metres x 400 metres. The mineralized porphyry is open in all directions laterally and at depth.
Hole No. |
Total Depth (m) |
From (m) |
To (m) |
Intercept (m) |
Cu (%) |
Mo (%) |
Au (g/t) |
KDH-006 |
363.00 |
0.00 |
99.70 |
99.70 |
0.50 |
0.0071 |
0.10 |
|
|
138.70 |
227.00 |
88.30 |
0.23 |
0.0022 |
0.06 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
KDH-007 |
380.50 |
5.50 |
133.20 |
127.70 |
0.31 |
0.0133 |
0.11 |
|
|
363.00 |
380.50 |
17.50 |
0.49 |
0.0112 |
0.07 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
KDH-008 |
323.00 |
0.00 |
224.00 |
224.00 |
0.36 |
0.0110 |
0.08 |
Including |
|
20.00 |
141.00 |
121.00 |
0.47 |
0.0153 |
0.12 |
Including |
|
43.00 |
86.00 |
43.00 |
0.72 |
0.0114 |
0.18 |
Including |
|
43.00 |
68.00 |
25.00 |
1.01 |
0.0118 |
0.21 |
Including |
|
202.00 |
218.40 |
16.40 |
0.62 |
0.0056 |
NS |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
KDH-009 |
278.00 |
19.00 |
206.60 |
187.60 |
0.34 |
0.0110 |
NS |
Including |
|
75.00 |
113.60 |
38.60 |
0.57 |
0.0190 |
NS |
Including |
|
97.90 |
113.60 |
15.70 |
0.77 |
0.0333 |
NS |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
KDH-010 |
101.00 |
No Significant Results |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
KDH-011 |
155.50 |
0.00 |
155.5 |
155.6 |
0.25 |
0.0148 |
NS |
Including |
|
60.00 |
84.00 |
24.00 |
0.46 |
0.0314 |
NS |
total |
1601.00 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
NS = no significant values
Drill holes KDH-008 and 011, located at the southwest margin of the drill pattern, intercepted zones of supergene enrichment in heavily fractured porphyry containing native copper (see photos) and other secondary copper minerals from surface to depths up to 100 metres. The enriched section of the Karapinar deposit, containing higher grade intervals up to 25 metres averaging 1.01% copper in KDH-008, is being further evaluated for potential copper recovery by leaching.
Additional drilling is currently planned at Bursa to further define and expand the Karapinar porphyry copper deposit and test the Gurculer prospect, where past drilling by Rio Tinto intercepted mineralized porphyry in Hole G-002 containing 0.43% copper, 0.005% molybdenum and 0.14 grams per tonne gold along 45 metres. An initial drill test is also planned for the Demirtepe prospect which is located midway between Karapinar and Gurculer and contains a large area of mineralized skarn with coincident IP and copper-molybdenum-gold geochemical anomalies covering an area 1500 x 1000 metres.
Quality Assurance/Quality Control
Gold assays were determined by fire assay with an AA finish at ALS Chemex Assay Laboratories in Vancouver, B.C. Canada. ALS Chemex performed internal check assaying on about 5% of the samples, and also included analyses of internal standards inserted into the sample string. In addition, check analyses are in progress on a duplicate second split on a further 5% of the samples. The second split was collected at the drill rig during drilling, at the same time as the first, and retained for check assaying.
The Company's Qualified Person, John Prochnau, B.Sc. (Mining Engineering), M.Sc. (Geology), and a Special Advisor to Empire, has reviewed and approved the content of this news release.
About Empire Mining
Empire Mining Corporation is a mineral exploration and development company operating principally in and near the western segment of the under-explored Tethyan Belt, which is a major porphyry-related mineralized zone that hosts numerous world-class ore-bodies. Empire's primary objectives are the development of its chromite projects in Albania and the exploration and development of mineral properties in Serbia and Turkey.