Almaden Minerals Ltd. ("Almaden" or "the Company") is pleased to announce the results from Almaden's ongoing 2013 Ixtaca Zone drill program at the Company's 100% owned Tuligtic project, Mexico.
The 2013 drill program is focussed on expanding the known resource immediately along strike to known mineralisation, adjacent to the current resource shell and within what is considered a potential pit shell. The drilling encountered a new vein zone east of, and parallel to, the main Northeast extension (Chemalaco) zone. Highlights from the holes released today include the following intercepts (a more complete list of intercepts is shown in the table below):
- Hole TU-13-250 NORTHEAST EXTENSION
20.50 meters @ 0.58 g/t gold and 12.4 g/t silver (0.8 g/t gold equivalent)
- Hole TU-13-254 NORTHEAST EXTENSION
9.80 meters @ 0.44 g/t gold and 103.5 g/t silver (2.5 g/t gold equivalent)
- Hole TU-13-255 NORTHEAST EXTENSION
68.00 meters @ 0.36 g/t gold and 54.5 g/t silver (1.5 g/t gold equivalent)
Including 9.00 meters @ 0.56 g/t gold and 151.1 g/t silver (3.6 g/t gold equivalent)
- Hole TU-13-256 WESTERN ANTICLINE
32.50 meters @ 1.05 g/t gold and 24.8 g/t silver (1.6 g/t gold equivalent)
Including 9.50 meters @ 2.36 g/t gold and 59.7 g/t silver (3.6 g/t gold equivalent)
27.50 meters @ 0.74 g/t gold and 10.7 g/t silver (1.0 g/t gold equivalent)
Including 4.50 meters @ 2.46 g/t gold and 14.0 g/t silver (2.7 g/t gold equivalent)
- Hole TU-13-257 NORTHEAST EXTENSION
67.81 meters @ 0.55 g/t gold and 3.0 g/t silver (0.6 g/t gold equivalent)
14.6 meters @ 0.89 g/t gold and 54.8 g/t silver (2.0 g/t gold equivalent)
- Hole TU-13-258 NORTHEAST EXTENSION
20.00 meters @ 0.61 g/t gold and 77.0 g/t silver (2.2 g/t gold equivalent)
- Hole TU-13-260 WESTERN ANTICLINE
9.50 meters @ 2.02 g/t gold and 1.9 g/t silver (2.1 g/t gold equivalent)
78.00 meters @ 0.41 g/t gold and 16.2 g/t silver (0.7 g/t gold equivalent)
- Hole TU-13-263 NORTHEAST EXTENSION* (FROM NEW PARALLEL ZONE)
8.25 meters @ 0.52 g/t gold and 180.3 g/t silver (4.1 g/t gold equivalent)
- Hole TU-13-264 EASTERN MAIN IXTACA ZONE
18.50 meters @ 1.01 g/t gold and 3.0 g/t silver (1.1 g/t gold equivalent)
To view the table, plan map and relevant sections which will be posted to the Company's website (www.almadenminerals.com) please click on the following link: http://file.marketwire.com/release/NRMayPlanSections.pdf
About the Ixtaca Property
The 100% owned Ixtaca zone is a blind discovery made by the Company in 2010. The Main Ixtaca and Ixtaca North Zones of veining are thought to have a north-easterly trend. Holes to date suggest that the Main Ixtaca and Ixtaca North Zones are sub vertical with local variations. This interpretation suggests that true widths range from approximately 35% of intersected widths for a -70 degree hole to 94% of intersected widths for a -20 degree hole. The drilling completed to date has traced mineralisation over 1,000 meters along this northeast trend. Based upon observations at surface and of core as drilling progresses, there seems to be a variety of veinlet orientations within the Northeast Extension Zone however overall the zone is currently interpreted to be dipping shallowly to the west and striking roughly north-south.
Mr. Norm Dircks, P.Geo., a qualified person ("QP") under the meaning of NI 43-101, is the QP and project manager of Almaden's Ixtaca program and reviewed the technical information in this news release. The analyses reported were carried out at ALS Chemex Laboratories of North Vancouver using industry standard analytical techniques. For gold, samples are first analysed by fire assay and atomic absorption spectroscopy ("AAS"). Samples that return values greater than 10 g/t gold using this technique are then re-analysed by fire assay but with a gravimetric finish. Silver is first analysed by Inductively Coupled Plasma - Atomic Emission Spectroscopy ("ICP-AES"). Samples that return values greater than 100 g/t silver by ICP-AES are then re analysed by HF-HNO3-HCLO4 digestion with HCL leach and ICP-AES finish. Of these samples those that return silver values greater than 1,500 g/t are further analysed by fire assay with a gravimetric finish.
Blanks, field duplicates and certified standards were inserted into the sample stream as part of Almaden's quality assurance and control program which complies with National Instrument 43-101 requirements. Gold equivalent ("AuEq" or "Gold Eq.") and silver equivalent ("AgEq" or "Silver Eq.") values were calculated using silver to gold ratios of 50 to 1. The ratio of 50 to 1 was used for the sake of consistency with past news releases. Intervals that returned assays below detection were assigned zero values. Metallurgical recoveries and net smelter returns are assumed to be 100% for these calculations.