Highlights:
- Dahrouge Geological Consulting Ltd. initiated a
preliminary field assessment program on Palisades and Moberly Creek
properties
- Coal samples recovered from across the Palisades and
Moberly Creek properties
- New coal seams identified on Palisades and Moberly Creek
properties
- Mapping and trenching completed and 2013 drill targets
identified across the Palisades property
CALGARY, Feb. 20, 2013 /CNW/ - Altitude Resources Ltd.
(TSX-V: ALI) ("Altitude") is pleased to provide a summary of
exploration carried out in September
2012 on the Palisades and Moberly Creek coal properties.
Dahrouge Geological Consulting (Dahrouge) of Edmonton, Alberta were contracted to carry out
a field assessment program on Altitude Resources' Palisades and
Moberly coal lease properties, in north-central Alberta.
Commenting on the Study, President and CEO,
Andrew Wusaty said, "We are very
pleased with the results of the Study as it significantly improves
our knowledge of the Altitude properties. We have identified
several new outcrops on Moberly Creek and the Palisades Extension
and furthermore, all the work done in this initial phase will
provide the plans and access requirements for the drilling, coal
quality and exploration programs which will follow in the
2nd / 3rd Quarter 2013."
The Palisades Properties are located
approximately 30 kilometres north of the Yellowhead Highway (Hwy
16) and Highway 40 North, near Hinton,
Alberta. Altitude's properties are in close proximity to CN
rail which services the Grande
Cache mine to the northwest. Historical work in this area,
reported as the "Hoff Property", included drilling programs first
by Rio Tinto Canada (1969) and then Denison
Mines (1982-83). A National Instrument (NI) 43-101 study was
carried out by Moose Mountain
Technical Services in November 2011
on the original Palisades property.
The Moberly Creek property is located
approximately 28 kilometres north-west of the Palisades Properties.
Only a minor amount of historic surface work (no drilling) has been
documented within the boundaries of this property, but a large
database is available for the adjoining historic Moberly Property,
immediately to the south in an area designated as the Willmore
Wilderness. Four coal outcrops were located on Moberly Creek, which
Altitude has identified during the field program as areas for
further exploration.
The Palisades and Moberly properties fall within
the North-Central Alberta Foothills near the eastern edge of the
Front Range Foothills. The location close to the Rocky Mountains
has resulted in formation of a low-volatile metallurgical coal.
Surface coal samples were taken from across the Palisades and
Moberly Creek properties (Table 1) and although they are oxidized,
they provide coal rank and petrography information. The goal of
this program is to review and synthesis historical results, in
combination with regional geology and to provide exploration
targets and recommendations for a more significant field program.
This field program also will provide additional information for an
updated NI 43-101 Resource report on Altitude's properties.
To simplify the Palisades and Palisades
Extension properties they have been divided into four zones; South,
Central, Coal Hill, and North Palisades. These areas are defined
based on dividing historical exploration targets. The South
Palisades area includes historical trench WT10 and surrounding
drill holes. This area has undergone extensive, but localized,
trenching and minor drilling, so pre-existing access is available.
The Central Palisades includes a larger body of historical drill
holes, and existing trenches WT05 and WT06. This area
provides the greatest number of drill hole records, but has
restricted surface exposure localized to an anticline exposure of
the Grande Cache Member. Coal Hill
remains one of the most recognizable areas, as it is a topographic
high point of the property that transitions through a well-defined
syncline-anticline-syncline structural zone. This structure
provides the potential for significant coal thickening within the
fold closures. The Coal Hill area contains extensive
trenching/dozer pushes revealing surface coal exposures and minor
drill hole testing. The furthest north division of the Palisades
Property, North Palisades, is naturally divided by the east-west
trending Wildhay River. This area is being treated as a new
exploration target, as there is only minor documentation or
un-descriptive general references provided in historical
reports.
In 1969, Rio Tinto initiated a surface trenching
and five drill hole program on the Hoff Property, now known as the
Palisades Property. Data collected during the 2012 exploration
program provided the required local grid survey control to properly
reference Rio Tinto's historical work. Denison Mines expanded on Rio Tinto's work
during a 1982-1983 drilling (23 holes) and trenching program. The
Denison program provided a detailed geological map and a more
in-depth look into the structural complexities of the property.
New Coal Seams Identified
During the 2012 exploration program two
undocumented coal seams were identified and exposed within the
Palisades Property, one at the northern base of Coal Hill and the
second along the Spine Line of Northern Palisades Division. A
third small seam was previously located, along the northern bend of
the active lease road, North Palisades division. An additional
three undocumented coal seams were identified on the Moberly Creek
Property.
Coal Analysis
Results from the Palisades coal samples have
variable ash content, depending primarily on the amount of parting
material included in the trench samples. The high total moisture
contents and variable volatile matter results are tribute to the
oxidized nature of the samples. Sulphur content is low which is
typical for this coal type. It was recognized that the effects of
oxidation would negatively impact the coking characteristics of the
coal (FSI, Fluidity) and also bias the Volatile Matter content and
thus, would not represent the true commercial potential and they
were not included. Coal rank was determined by Petrographic
Reflectance of the samples (Ro) and confirms the low volatile
bituminous classification of the coal seams. The planned drilling
program will provide more accurate information.
Table 1: Proximate Raw Coal Sample
Analysis
Sample |
Target |
Property |
Field Coal
Description |
H2O
% (ar) |
ASH
% (d) |
Volatiles
% (d) |
Fixed_C
% (d) |
S %
(d) |
RoMax
(%) |
AP12-001 |
Exploration |
N. Palisades |
Weathered, fragments
> 5 cm |
24.51 |
49.01 |
25.62 |
25.37 |
0.19 |
n/a |
AP12-003 |
WT-05 |
Palisades |
Upper contact to mid-
point, Weathered,
fragments > 10 cm |
17.68 |
7.00 |
28.20 |
64.79 |
0.43 |
1.45 |
AP12-004 |
WT-05 |
Palisades |
Mid-point to bottom
contact, Weathered,
fragments > 10 cm |
15.48 |
6.38 |
22.97 |
70.65 |
0.42 |
1.50 |
AP12-005 |
WT-06 |
Palisades |
Main coal seam
Weathered, fragments
> 10 cm, ibd shale |
14.00 |
29.74 |
17.90 |
52.36 |
0.39 |
1.44 |
AP12-006 |
WT-06 |
Palisades |
Potential fault zone,
Weathered, fragments
> 10 cm, ibd shale |
14.86 |
58.15 |
13.34 |
28.51 |
0.21 |
n/a |
AP12-007 |
WT-09 |
Palisades |
Weathered, fragments
> 5 cm |
21.99 |
6.38 |
29.84 |
63.78 |
0.40 |
n/a |
AP12-009 |
WT-02 |
Palisades |
Weathered, fragments
> 5 cm |
34.31 |
16.45 |
29.23 |
54.32 |
0.29 |
n/a |
AP12-010 |
WT-03 |
Palisades |
Weathered, fragments
> 5 cm |
17.26 |
5.77 |
28.78 |
65.46 |
0.37 |
1.54 |
AP12-011 |
WT-04 |
Palisades |
Weathered, fragments
> 5 cm |
21.18 |
30.58 |
26.74 |
42.68 |
0.34 |
1.48 |
AM12-001 |
Exploration |
Moberly |
Fresh, fragments > 20
cm, vitreous |
3.27 |
5.62 |
16.44 |
77.94 |
0.51 |
1.76 |
AM12-002 |
Exploration |
Moberly |
Fresh, fragments > 10
cm, vitreous |
5.23 |
15.67 |
14.55 |
69.78 |
0.43 |
1.75 |
AM12-003 |
Exploration |
Moberly |
Fresh, fragments > 10
cm, vitreous |
6.14 |
10.06 |
16.74 |
73.20 |
0.40 |
1.79 |
AM12-004 |
Exploration |
Moberly |
Weathered, fragments
> 5 cm |
33.95 |
19.66 |
27.22 |
53.12 |
0.31 |
n/a |
Note: ar = as received, ad = as determined, d
= dry
Samples collected during the 2012 exploration
program were submitted to Loring Laboratories, Calgary, Alberta, for proximate and
petrographic analysis. Loring's
proximate analysis includes ash, moisture, and volatile matter,
with additional analysis requested for sulfur and free swelling
index (FSI). Splits were taken from the submitted samples and
issued to Pearson Coal Petrography for coal rank classification.
Samples were collected across the coal seam interval, from the top
to bottom contacts, focusing on maintaining continuous channel
samples. A total of 15 samples were collected in the field
and 13 samples were submitted for proximate analysis and 11 samples
were submitted for petrographic analysis.
Dahrouge field observations revealed significant
structural complexities but also structure associated coal
thickenings. Based on their observations, Dahrouge recommended a
detailed program of mapping, trenching and drilling. Both
exploration and resource confirmation-expansion drilling is
planned. The Company is currently in the process of filing drilling
applications with the Alberta
Government.
Gene Wusaty,
Altitude's Chairman, a qualified person as defined by NI 43-101,
supervised the preparation of the technical information in this
release.
About Altitude Resources
Altitude Resources is a new Canadian coking coal
exploration and development company focused on developing its
portfolio of coking coal properties in west-central Alberta, Canada. Altitudes most advanced
property, the Palisades Coal Project, is located approximately 12
kilometres from CN rail which has capacity to provide transport of
coal to deep-water ports on the west coast of Canada to service the growing demand from
world markets.
The TSX Venture Exchange has not reviewed and
does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this
release.
SOURCE Altitude Resources Inc.
Image with caption: "LOCATION NEAR HINTON, ALBERTA (CNW Group/Altitude Resources
Inc.)". Image available at:
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