Santa Rosa Property
The Company's Category II drill permit application is being processed by the Ministry of Energy and Mines. The Company will inform shareholders as soon as the permit is in place and a drill rig can be mobilized to site. Management anticipates that the permit will be granted sometime in July, although the Peruvian authorities have not yet confirmed this timing.
Recent highlights of the work at Santa Rosa include:
- Sampling of broad widths of vein and stockwork mineralization in underground workings that could potentially be amenable to bulk mining e.g.
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53.6m @ 32 g/t Ag, 1% Pb, 4% Zn (Santa Rosa Mine) |
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15.1m @ 43 g/t Ag, 2.6% Pb, 7.8% Zn (Milagros-Sally Mine) |
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(see press release March 10, 2011) |
- Bonanza silver grades associated with massive sulphide lead and zinc veins e.g.
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5.9m @ 389 g/t Ag, 24.3% Pb, 15.5% Zn (Santa Rosa Mine) |
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including 2m @ 807 g/t Ag, 51.3% Pb, 15.8% Zn |
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(see press release April 19, 2011) |
- Definition of strong geophysical chargeability anomalies west and south of the mine workings below surface outcrops of vein and stockwork zones hosted in volcanics. These anomalies are additional high priority targets for drilling
- Recognition that mineralization is associated with several structural trends that will ultimately help guide the exploration drilling.
- Sampling of high grade silver veins elsewhere in the property e.g. Yanapata where underground sampling has shown intervals that include 1.5m @ 523 g/t Ag, 8.7% Pb, 6.9% Zn.
Minas Chanca Silver Project (optioned to Buenaventura)
Work to date by Buenaventura has focused in the Santa Rosa area located to the west of the old mine area where mapping, rock chip sampling and diamond drilling along the newly discovered Plombominas vein has been completed. Drilling has yet to commence in the main area of historic production (Candelaria area) which will test beneath the past producing silver veins exploited by a system of galleries, cross-cuts and drives. Here plans include the drilling of 17 diamond drill holes and the rehabilitation, mapping and sampling of approximately 1,000m of old galleries and drives. The work program will commence as soon as exploration permits are received, anticipated for this month.
A total of 1,494m were drilled in 7 holes along the Plombominas vein to test the structure and associated splays for approximately 800m. The vein was successfully intercepted in all holes but assay results from five holes received to date were disappointing, with a best intercept of 283 g/t Ag over 0.3m. Assay results for the two remaining holes are pending.
Minas Chanca is located some 17km to the north of Buenaventura's Mallay project where a new access road has been constructed. The Mallay project is a permitted mine and mill and will have important synergies should exploration be successful in delineating resources at Minas Chanca.
Buenaventura is earning into the Minas Chancas project under an option agreement with Focus signed in December 2010 (see press release January 4, 2011).
Machay Phosphate Project
Initial reconnaissance has commenced on the Company's Machay phosphate project claims located in Central Peru. A total of 17,000 hectares were staked over parts of the Aramachay Formation, a Jurassic-aged sedimentary unit and known host to phosphate occurrences, including Stonegate Agricom's (TSX: ST) Mantoro phosphate deposit near Sincos, located approximately 30km to the southeast. To date, Stonegate has outlined measured and indicated resources of 39.5Mt @ 10% P2O5 and inferred resources of 376.3Mt @ 9% P2O5.* Approximately 70% of Focus's claims have been titled to date, the others are still pending subject to site inspections by the Regional Department of Agriculture. The main objective of the Company's preliminary work is to confirm the presence of the phosphate bearing rock units on the claims.
* "Technical Report on Mantoro Phosphate Deposit, Junin District, Peru, March 2, 2010" of Stonegate on www.sedar.com.
Project Evaluations
Elsewhere in Peru, the Company's strategy of targeting and evaluating quality mineral properties and opportunities for acquisition is continuing.
Qualified Person
The scientific and technical information in this release was prepared under the supervision of Mr. David Cass, Focus's President, who is a member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia, and a "Qualified Person" in accordance with NI 43-101.
Samples were analyzed by ALS Chemex Laboratories in Lima. Gold was assayed by Atomic Absorption Spectrometry with fire assay gravimetric finish. Silver was determined by multi-acid digestion and ICP-AES with Atomic Absorption finish. Lead and zinc were determined by ICP with Atomic Absorption with volumetric finish. ALS Chemex's quality control system complies with International Standards ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 17025:2005. Analytical accuracy and precision are monitored by the analysis of reagent blanks, reference material and replicate samples. Focus's own blanks and duplicates were included in the sample stream.
About Focus Ventures
Focus Ventures is acquiring advanced, drill-ready projects in Peru. Backed by an experienced technical team of geologists and consultants, Focus's strategy is to identify and acquire former producing mines or un-tested gold and silver and base metal properties that show potential to become new mines.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD
"David Cass"
David Cass, President