VANCOUVER – After two very successful exploration programs in 2017 and 2018, Aben Resources’ 2019 exploration season is fully funded with high-grade targets ready to go on two separate projects: the Justin Project in Yukon and the Forrest Kerr Project in British Columbia. James G. Pettit, Director, President & C.E.O. of Aben Resources Ltd. [ABN-TSXV; ABNAF-OTCQB; E2L2-Frankfurt] provided Canadian Investor with an update on their plans for 2019.
The Forrest Kerr Project
Aben has completed and received the assays from their 2018, 10,000-metre program on their Flagship, Forrest Kerr Project, located in British Columbia’s busy Golden Triangle where retreating glaciers have exposed extensive areas of outcrops in this highly prospective region.
With 10,000 metres drilled Aben has a lot of data to work with. Pettit said, “We put out all the news as far as the assay results go, and now, we’re moving in to the data compilation process for our own information and knowledge as well as for assessment work that needs to be done.”
The program comprised 36 holes drilled from nine drill pads in the North Boundary Zone in 2018. “So that North Boundary Zone is peppered and pretty much looks like swiss cheese. That will give us a tremendous amount of knowledge. There is a lot of fracturing, there is a lot of veining. With the oriented core technique that we are using we will be able to determine the direction and orientation of the veins to give us a better understanding of the structure,” said Pettit. The company plans to develop a 3D model from consolidated data. Some highlights from the 10,000-metre program include:
Hole FK18-10, returned four separate high-grade zones within 190 metres downhole (with visible gold from interval 118.0-119.0m) The highest-grade zone consists of 331.0 g/t Au over 1.0m within broad zone averaging 38.7 g/t Au over 10.0m from 114.0-124.0m including 62.4 g/t Au over 6.0m
Additional high-grade zones in Hole FK18-10 include 22.0 g/t Au, 22.4 g/t Ag over 4.0m; 3.9 g/t Au, 4.0 g/t Ag over 13.0m; and 8.2 g/t Au,1.4 g/t Ag over 6.0m
Hole FK18-12 returned 5.08 g/t Au over 12.0m (40.0m – 52.0m depth), including 24.25 g/t Au over 2.0m (42.0m – 44.0m depth)
Hole FK18-13 returned 23.3 g/t Au over 2.0m (106.0m – 108.0m depth)
Hole FK18-17 returned 3.18 g/t Au over 15.0m (232.0m – 247.0m depth) including 11.02 g/t Au over 2.0m (239.0m – 241.0m depth), as well as 31.40 g/t Au over 1.0m (261.0m – 262.0m depth)
North Boundary Zone remains open in all directions
*intervals are drilled intercepts and not true widths
The 2018 drill program expanded the Boundary North Zone and expanded the Boundary Zone to the South. Gold values in all three south boundary holes range from trace amounts to greater than 5 g/t in the 1- or 2-meter sample intervals (silver values range from trace to 8.7 g/t and copper values range from trace to 9500 ppm). These holes were continuously mineralized over very broad intercepts (up to 379 metres in hole FK18-21). Pettit said that the team is busy putting together targets for the 2019 drill program. “One of the things we are looking forward to this year is having, finally, our new amended permits for 40 more drill pads,” said Pettit. Last year, forest fires limited the number of drill pads on the property. Pettit estimates that the Forrest Kerr drill program could comprise up to 40 more holes with many more targets to choose from in the Boundary Zone alone.
The 4 km by 2 km Boundary Zone remains the number one target. The company is eager to drill the zone a bit deeper as everything drilled there last year was within 125 m from surface. Pettit said the additional pads will allow them to test the zone from a few different angles.
The company is considering running two drills at Forrest Kerr in order to follow up on the successes and untested targets in the Boundary Zone while also exploring other promising targets on the property.
“We are pretty interested in a target on the Forrest Property which is the southernmost property. That would be, as the crow flies, maybe 10 km to the south. And then there are some in-between targets and there are a few to the north,” explained Pettit.
“The good news, he said, “is we raised $6 million and still have $6.3 million in the till. We had money in the till already and that paid for the (2018) season pretty much. So, we don’t have to raise money.”
The Justin Project
Aben also plans to follow up on some spectacular results from last year’s trenching program at their Justin Project that is contiguous to Golden Predator’s 3 Aces Project in Yukon’s Tintina Belt. Highlights from that program include:
2018 results from trenches TR18-001 through TR18-005 (115 m) from the Lost Ace quartz stockwork vein zone:
TR18-001 returned values ranging from trace to an average of 20.8 grams/tonne (g/t) gold (Au) over 4.4 m, including 88.2 g/t gold (Au) over 1.0 m. Visible gold was observed in the sample returning 88.2 g/t gold (Au).
The 2018 high-grade samples were collected 127 meters from 2017 discovery outcrop and within 20 metres from where a bulk soil sample returned 1135 visible gold grains in 2017.
TR18-003 returned 0.9 g/t gold (Au) over 1.0 m while three grab samples from a large quartz boulder excavated from the contact zone returned 7.3 g/t Au, 3.9 g/t gold and 4.6 g/t gold respectively. Visible gold was also noted in one of these samples. TR18-003 was completed as an extension to TR17-004 which returned 4.7 g/t gold (Au) over 1.0 m. This particular trend of quartz stockwork veining has now been exposed over 8.0 metres.
Mike Burke, P. Geo., and former Chief Geologist with Golden Predator Mining Corp. states “The orogenic style mineralization discovered at Lost Ace shares many characteristics with the orogenic veins discovered at the 3 Aces project.”
Several other high-priority exploration targets are located within 1 km of the POW Zone where past drill results indicate potential for bulk-tonnage gold mineralization with intercepts reported ranging from trace values to highs of 1.19 g/t Au over 60.0 m (including 2.47 g/t Au over 21.0 m) and 1.49 g/t Au over 46.4m. Those targets are untested with the potential to expand the intrusion related gold system. “It is worth putting a drill there,” said Pettit. The company is considering using a RAB drill as part of their exploration program there.
“We know we have got something that we think ties into what we discovered there in 2012, in the Pow Zone, which is a greenfield intrusion related gold system that traditionally would be lower-grade but big tonnage not unlike Fort Knox,” said Pettit. He explained, “The new discovery at the Lost Ace has a lot of course gold in it and sometimes that can be an issue but if it is like that then you can blend the grades and carry on.”
The exploration season at Justin starts much earlier in the year and a team can get to work there as early as March. The Forrest Kerr Project, being closer to the coast gets much more snow and the exploration season there may start around May/June
“But our main focus is the Forrest Kerr Project,” said Pettit. “That is where the market is looking and that is where we still have the potential for big upside.”
With the funds in hand to plan an extensive exploration program and many great targets to follow up on, Aben Resources’ 2019 exploration program promises to be an exciting one.
