May. 27, 2008
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TORONTO, ONTARIO May 27, 2008 Noront Resources Ltd. (“Noront”) (TSX Venture: NOT) wishes to present the following progress report regarding chrome on its exploration activities in the McFaulds Lake area of northern Ontario in the James Bay Lowlands. This press release should be read in conjunction with the press release issued earlier today concerning Noront’s exploration results pertaining in particular to sulphides. The anomaly drill testing program on the Double Eagle Project continues with two machines testing visible copper-nickel sulphide as well as chromite mineralization. The chrome mineralization is found proximal and related to the shear hosted sulphides (“SHS”) mineralization at anomaly AT2 also referred to as Eagle Two, initially located by geophysical surveying. Assay results are being received by the Company from both SGS Mineral Services (“SGS”) in Toronto, and Activation Laboratories (“Actlabs”) in Ancaster, Ontario. These results are complying with the Company’s strict QA/QC program supervised for Noront by P&E Mining Consultants of Brampton Ontario. The Company’s geologists report the following highlights with respect to chrome from their recent results emanating from its diamond drilling programs;
To date, 23 holes totaling 7,412.9 meters have now been completed at Eagle Two to assess the SHS occurrence discovered by Noront earlier this year (see press release dated February 25, 2008). Drilling continues on this anomaly with two drills. The eight holes with assays reported herein and those completed since the last press release on April 2, 2008 have continued to extend the mineralization containing visible copper-nickel sulphides as well as chromitite beds to vertical depths of 350 meters and 400 meters respectively. Both zones (SHS and chromitite) occupy positions conformable with and near the stratigraphic bottom of a wide Peridotite Sill (that defines part of the Ring of Fire) which in turn unconformably overlies a Granodiorite older basement rock. Assays are pending for many of the new holes.
Of similar importance being encountered in the Eagle Two delineation drilling program is the intersection of wide intervals of massive chromite mineralization conformably lying within close distance (average 30 – 50 meters below the shear hosted sulphides but at a stratigraphic position above the SHS and within the overturned Peridotite Sill (that partially defines the Ring of Fire). To date, (including up to hole NOT-08- 1G31) Chromitite has been intersected from UTM section 5841950 north to 5842100 north over a strike length of 150 meters. It has been traced by drilling from near surface to over 400 meters vertically below surface with core widths varying up to 69.2 meters. Additional varying widths of intermittent chromitite beds occur adjacent to and on both sides of the massive chromitite. Assays pertaining to chrome content are pending.
Dr James Mungall, (Associate Professor at the University of Toronto), consulting geologist to Noront in the McFaulds Lake area, recently visited the project area and reports the following from his observations of drill core at Eagle Two and his resulting laboratory determinations at the University of Toronto.
“Chromitite seams have been intersected in several diamond drill holes into the AT2 target area southwest of the Eagle One magmatic massive sulphide deposit. The chromitite seams occur as steeply dipping stratiform layers with down dip extent of at least 500 metres and strike length of at least 150 metres. The chromitites vary from narrow seams, centimetres thick to massive beds of chromite orthocumulate greater than 20 metres in true thickness. Massive chromitite at AT2 consists of 60 to 90% euhedral chromite grains up to 1 mm in size surrounded by a matrix of talc, chlorite, serpentine, and stichtite, a hydrated magnesium chromium carbonate mineral. The host rock is metadunite and metaperidotite that has been altered to talc and carbonate and is relatively undeformed close to the chromitites. Preliminary petrographic work indicates that the chromite is generally fresh and unaltered. Wavelength dispersive electron microprobe analysis of 90 individual chromite grains in samples from holes NOT-08-1G3 (134 m) and NOT-08-1G20 (247 m) show that the compositions of the chromite grains show little variability around an average value of 51.9 weight percent Cr2O3 (standard deviation of 0.98 weight percent), equivalent to 35.5 weight percent Cr, with Cr/Fe weight ratios between 1.6 and 1.8 and averaging 1.72. Further petrographic and electron microprobe work is underway to establish the consistency of these grades throughout the deposit. Whole-rock assay data is pending for all of the chromitite intersected to date.”
Assaying for chrome involves several steps. All samples from the project undergo multi-element analysis by either of the two labs currently working on the project. At SGS, the samples undergo ICP40B multi- element analysis that utilizes 4 acid total digestion prior to the analysis; the result for all 40 elements is provided in parts per million. Similarly at Actlabs, the samples initially undergo four acid total digestion followed by ICP analysis (TD-ICP); the end result is provided in parts per million. (For details on this initial assay methodology, please visit the websites for the two labs www.SGS.com or www.actlabs.com). For those samples where assays are greater than 10,000 parts per million for chrome (elemental Cr), the sample undergoes additional analysis to determine the higher concentration levels. Noront has selected Actlabs to provide the higher grade analysis, where the sample undergoes further analysis using INAA methodology that provides a more accurate total chrome content addressing the chrome content that is bound to the silicates in the rock. The chrome content is typically provided as the compound Cr2O3 as well as the element Cr. The following table provides the initial assay data for one of the massive chromite layers as seen in hole NOT-08-1G17, This is the first hole that complete assays for chrome have been received, providing the total chrome and Cr2O3 content over a 49.4 meter interval. The rest of the assays for chromite on additional holes are pending.
| Hole ID | from (m) | to (m) | int (m) | Ni (%) ICP90Q | Pt (g/t) FAI323 | Pd (g/t) FAI323 | Cr% INAA | Cr2O3 % INAA | Fe % INAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NOT-08-1G17 | 192.1 | 241.5 | 49.4 | 0.14 | 0.04 | 0.12 | 27.4 | 39.1 | 11.1 |
This assayed sample interval is not considered to be a true width as the attitude of the chromite beds have not been fully determined.
Management believes that the recent drill hole results, with the presence of visible copper – nickel sulphide and chromite mineralization being observed by the geologists on site is very encouraging, and could be of significant importance for Noront, if the assays pending are favourable. Notwithstanding the foregoing, visual observations are estimates only and pending assay results may not confirm visual observations in whole or in part.
The following table presents the visual details of the holes recently drilled where Chromitite beds were intersected in close proximity to the sulphide mineralization at Eagle Two:
| Hole ID | Northing (local) (m) | Easting (local) (m) | Northing UTM (m) | Easting UTM (m) | azimuth (deg.) | dip (deg.) | Length (m) | Mineralization from - to (tenure of chromite) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NOT-08-1G17 | 680 N | 3225 E | 5842008 | 546177 | 0 | -90 | 267 | 192.1 - 241.5 (massive Cr) |
| NOT-08-1G20 | 680 N | 3200 E | 5841990 | 546155 | 0 | -90 | 288 | 246.5 - 285.6 (Cr beds) |
| NOT-08-1G24 | 725 N | 3200 E | 5842025 | 546125 | 0 | -90 | 372 |
295.8 - 312.1 (int. Cr beds) 312.1 - 368.2 (massive Cr) |
| NOT-08-1G25 | 725 N | 3175 E | 5842025 | 546100 | 0 | -90 | 447 |
372.0 - 386.0 (int. Cr beds) 386.0 - 417.0 (massive Cr) |
| NOT-08-1G28 | 785 N | 3215 E | 5842062 | 546100 | 0 | -90 | 432 |
353.3 - 364.5 (int. Cr beds) 364.5 - 413.0 (massive Cr) 413.0 - 424.0 (int. Cr beds) |
| NOT-08-1G31 | 835 N | 3237 E | 5842100 | 546100 | 0 | -90 | 453 |
336.7 - 341.6 (int.Cr beds) 341.6 - 410.8 (massive Cr) |
| NOT-08-1G32 | 769 N | 3140 E | 5842025 | 546050 | 0 | -90 | 594 | 494.0 - 494.1 (Cr bed) |
For the above table:
Cr refers to chromite mineralization
Int. refers to intermittent
Semi-massive or massive refers to tenure of visual chromite mineralization
The aforementioned assay and sample information, as well as geological descriptions are taken from drill logs as prepared by the Project geologists for the drill program onsite. Billiken Management Services Inc. is providing all services on site for the Noront Double Eagle Project., Billiken is a holder of Certificate of Authorization issued by the Association of Professional Geoscientists of Ontario. All samples from the early part of the 2008 exploration program were submitted to SGS Mineral Services in Toronto, Ontario. Samples were selected in the field under the supervision of the site geologist, then were cut by diamond saw. One half of the sample is retained for record at the base camp, the other half of the sample was placed in a plastic bag and individually sealed. The sealed bags are then placed in durable rice bags in batches of 5 and a numbered security tag seals each rice bag. The rice bags are placed in plastic pails and batches of 40 samples were sent by bonded courier to SGS Mineral Services in Toronto Ontario or Actlabs in Ancaster, Ontario.
A thorough quality control program was implemented for the Double Eagle project which included grouping samples into batches of 35 into which was added 2 certified reference material standards, 2 field blanks comprised of sterile drill core, and a field duplicate. It can be said with confidence that all assays as reported in this Press Release have passed the strict quality control guidelines as set out by an Independent Qualified Person (“IQP”).
Drilling results in this press release have been reviewed of Noront’s senior management including Neil Novak P.Geo., a director and Vice President-Exploration and John Harvey P.Eng., Executive Vice President of Noront, being Qualified Persons under Canadian Securities guidelines.