VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Oct. 16, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aton Resources Inc. (AAN.V) (“Aton” or the “Company") is pleased to provide investors with an update on exploration activities at the West Garida prospect, currently underway at the Company’s 100% owned Abu Marawat Concession (“Abu Marawat” or the “Concession”), located in the Eastern Desert of Egypt.

Highlights:

• Field inspection and sampling of the West Garida prospect has led to the identification of at least 6 gold mineralized quartz veins outcropping at surface;
     
• Initial sampling at West Garida has returned assays up to 99.6 g/t Au from grab samples, and 45.6 g/t Au from channel samples, with abundant visible gold identified from several different mineralized structures.

“The discovery of another potential high grade gold system at our Abu Marawat Concession is hugely exciting, given that it follows on from the other great results in the intrusion related belt. These new discoveries in outcrop reinforce for us the district scale high grade gold potential of our IR belt,” said Mark Campbell, President and CEO of Aton. “The discovery of gold is always an exciting moment. The history of successful gold areas with subsequent producing gold mines starts with a surface discovery, a good gold assay and later exploration leading to the definition of deposits.  Aton has now commenced preparations for diamond drilling in the area to test the down dip extent of the gold mineralization.”

West Garida Prospect

The Wadi Garida prospect is located approximately 3km ENE of the Company’s Hamama West mineral deposit (see Figure 1), and is easily accessed along the geophysics road constructed earlier this year.  West Garida is located approximately 500m from the western margin of a Younger Granite intrusion, and is along strike from the Hamama West deposit, located in a stratigraphic sequence that strikes at about 060° - 070°, and dips to the north at between 70° and 90°.  The general geology of the West Garida area is similar to that at the Hamama West deposit, and is characterized by a sequence of intermediate to felsic volcanic and pyroclastic rocks that are cut by a number of felsic sub-volcanic intrusive bodies.  A younger series of andesitic dykes is also seen in the general area.

Mineralization at West Garida occurs in shallow dipping, narrow gold-bearing quartz veins, and recent mapping by Aton geologists has identified the presence of three principle gold bearing veins, Veins #1 to #3, as well as a further three to four minor veins (see Figure 2).  Veins #1 to #5 have all been worked in ancient times, and there are also extensive ancient superficial workings in colluvium.

Vein #1 is the most easterly of the veins, striking almost due east, dipping to the south at between 8° and 15°, and can be traced along strike for about 120m (see Figure 2).  It consists of a fairly clear quartz vein with sharp margins, and contains pseudomorphs and larger lenses of goethite and hematite after pyrite, which carry scattered grains of visible gold.  The vein is hosted by a very fine grained aphanitic felsic volcanic rock which is phyllic altered and bleached for about 3m above the vein, the extent of the alteration below is not seen.  The in situ outcrop of the vein is limited and disturbed by ancient workings, but where it is visible a channel sample taken across the vein (AHA-14745) returned assays of 45.6g/t Au and 22.8g/t Ag, while a grab sample (AHA-14747) from the altered wallrock returned an assay of 2.33g/t Au.

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Vein #2 is the most laterally extensive at outcrop, it strikes ESE, dips to the south at 10-15° and can be traced for about 130m along strike (see Figure 2).  The vein has sharp margins locally but small stringers of quartz, sericite and secondary iron oxides penetrate the intensely phyllic altered wallrock for a short distance.  The actual vein is typically less than a metre wide, and consists principally of quartz with a little accessory pyrite and traces of chalcopyrite, galena and sphalerite. The host rock is a very characteristic quartz porphyry.  Several channel samples have been taken across the outcrop of Vein #2 and returned assays of up to 3.83g/t Au, 41.9 g/t Ag and 1.8% Cu.

Vein #3 is the most intensely worked and although it can be traced for about 70m along strike (see Figure 2) no complete section is now visible. The mineralized structure appears to consist of a gently westward dipping shear zone with a wide alteration halo and a parallel quartz vein impregnated with earthy hematite, sericite and gold; copper minerals are scarce. It appears to dip at between 10° and 15° to the west, and the total thickness is uncertain, but possibly a metre or more.  The vein is hosted mainly by coarse andesitic tuff breccias.  Free gold is locally abundant in both the quartz vein and in the phyllic altered wallrock.  The gold in the wallrock is always very fine grained, mossy and deep yellow while the gold in the vein quartz can be yellow to white (electrum) and grains can reach 1-2mm.  Several channel samples were taken across the reasonably well exposed and altered shear zone and quartz lenses within it, which returned assays ranging up to 17.45g/t Au and 22.5g/t Ag (sample AHA-14793).  A single grab sample taken from a poorly exposed vuggy quartz vein, containing abundant visible gold and electrum, returned assays of 99.6g/t Au and 148 g/t Ag (sample AHA-14795).  Channel samples from the altered wallrock adjacent to the vein assayed up to 5.03 g/t Au (sample AHA-14776).