VANCOUVER, May 1, 2013 /CNW/ - Focus Ventures Ltd. (TSX-V:
FCV) is pleased to announce that drilling has started at the El
Reventon silver-gold property, located in Durango, Mexico.
A total of 2,000m is planned to test several
targets, commencing with the Estrella area where at least five
mineralized breccias and veins have been discovered over an area of
roughly 700m long x 250m wide.
Surface and underground sampling by Focus at the
Estrella mine has shown significant grades in silver and gold
including 687 g/t Ag over 5.6m, with 0.2 g/t Au, 2.6 % Pb and 1.3%
Zn, and 8.9m @ 165 g/t Ag, 0.32 g/t Au. Sampling of hydrothermal
breccias at Colorin and La Plomosa, located 400m east of the
Estrella mine gave 12m @ 176 g/t Ag, 0.2 g/t Au, 3.1% Pb and 0.8%
Zn, and 6m @ 78 g/t Ag, 0.38 g/t Au respectively.
The Chicle Zone lies approximately 250m west of
the Estrella Mine and appears to be one of several additional
mineralized epithermal breccias where sampling gave up to 4.5m @
383 g/t Ag and 0.6 g/t Au.
Additional holes are also planned at the
Reventon Breccia where drilling in 2007 and 2008 by International
Northair Mines (TSX-V : INM) cut significant intercepts of silver,
zinc and lead in the majority of holes drilled, including 155.4m @
71.3 g/t Ag, 0.46% Pb and 0.61% Zn (Hole RC-08-8) and 22.9m @
287 g/t Ag, 1.39% Pb and 3.48 % Zn (Hole RC-08-13).
Other targets include Bellota where trenching of
soil anomalies discovered a new trend of mineralization in altered
andesites that assayed 98 g/t Ag over 24m (see Focus news release
October 30, 2012).
Maps and plans are available on the company
website www.focusventuresltd.com.
Santa Cruz Property
Due to the ongoing cost of maintaining its
option at Santa Cruz and the new
mining levy to be imposed by the Mexican government, the Company
attempted unsuccessfully to re-negotiate the option terms with the
property owners. Therefore the Company will terminate the option in
order to focus its capital resources on the drilling of the higher
grade silver-gold targets at Reventon.
El Reventon Background
The El Reventon property lies within the Silver
Lake Trend, a polymetallic belt that hosts several operating and
past producing gold and silver mines, including the La Ciénega,
Topia, San Dimas and Metates deposits. Since mid-2012 exploration
by Focus has resulted in the definition of several breccia-hosted
silver and gold targets within the trend that show potential to
host bulk-tonnage high-grade and low-grade deposits.
Focus holds an option agreement at El Reventon
with International Northair Mines, whereby Focus can earn a 65%
interest in the Project by incurring US$2,000,000 in exploration expenditures over
three years, including a firm commitment of US$250,000 in the first year. Focus must also
make cash payments to Northair totalling US$235,000 over two years, and maintain all
underlying obligations of Northair by making cash payments under an
existing option agreement to a property owner totalling
US$105,000 (paid). Focus can earn an
additional 15% interest by presenting a feasibility study of
sufficient quality that would allow Northair to fund its share of
the project, plus a cash payment of $100,000.
Sampling Quality Analysis and Quality
Control
Rock samples were prepared at ALS Chemex's
preparation facility in Zacatecas
and analyzed in Vancouver,
Canada. Silver was determined by multi-acid digestion
and ICP-AES, with fire assay gravimetric finish. Gold was assayed
by Atomic Adsorption Spectrometry with fire assay gravimetric
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. Quality control is further assured by
Focus's own QA/QC program which involves the insertion by Focus
personnel of blind certified standards and blanks into the sample
stream at regular intervals in order to independently assess
analytical precision and accuracy of each batch of samples as they
are received from the laboratory.
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.
About Focus Ventures
Focus Ventures is developing a diversified
portfolio of quality silver, gold, copper and phosphate properties
in Peru, Mexico and Colombia. Backed by an experienced
technical team of geologists and consultants, Focus's strategy is
to identify and acquire former producing mines or untested gold and
silver and base metal properties that show potential to become new
mines. For further information, please call 604-688-5288 or
visit our web site www.focusventuresltd.com.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD
"David Cass"
David Cass, President
Symbol: TSXV-FCV
Shares Issued: 40.1-million
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the
Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy
or accuracy of this release.
Forward-Looking Statement
Some of the statements in this news release contain
forward-looking information that involves inherent risk and
uncertainty affecting the business of Focus Ventures Ltd.
Actual results may differ materially from those currently
anticipated in such statement.
SOURCE Focus Ventures Ltd.