Giga Metals Stakes Exploration Permits in Brazil
Feb. 01, 2021 5:15 PM ETNewsfileGiga Metals Corporation (HNCKF)
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Identifies New Greenfields Sediment-Hosted Copper Prospects Piaui State, Nordeste, Brazil
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 1, 2021) - Mark Jarvis, CEO of Giga Metals Corp. (TSXV: GIGA) announced today that Giga has acquired exploration permits covering significant new regional sediment-hosted copper anomalies along the southern perimeter of the Parnaíba Sedimentary Basin in southern Piauí State, Northeast Region, Brazil. The Company has staked 24 exploration permits totaling 40,722 hectares in four properties along 80 kilometers of strike length in an area with known "Kupferschiefer-style" sediment hosted copper mineralization.
"Acquisition of this land package is the culmination of two years of research into the Sao Francisco Basin, thought to be a continuation of the African copper belt in the DRC," said Mr. Jarvis. "We started by sorting through a massive regional data set using the services of Vancouver based AI firm Minerva Intelligence Inc., then engaged Jon Hill and his team at Exploration Outcomes, based in Belo Horizonte, to manage Giga's operations and exploration in this underexplored area of Brazil."
The land package contains multiple, contiguous drainage basins highlighted by copper and other stream sediment geochemical anomalies including silver, barium, bismuth, cobalt, indium, antimony and thallium associated with sedimentary and carbonate rocks of the Neoproterozoic/Cambrian Aracá Basin exposed along the southern fringes of the flat lying Parnaiba Basin.
Oxide and sulphide copper mineralization has been identified in groundwater well hole drill cuttings obtained from throughout the region. Analytical results from grab samples of groundwater well cuttings on Giga's Corrente Property range from anomalous to 3,110 ppm Cu and 5,790 ppm Cu (samples RK-106A and RK121A, respectively).
After initial identification of the region as a prospective area for sediment-hosted copper mineralization by Minerva's AI analysis, the Exploration Outcomes geological team supplied additional personal knowledge of previously observed copper occurrences in the region, leading to the identification of the Aracá Basin as a target. A reconnaissance field visit to the region in October 2019 confirmed the presence of sediment hosted copper mineralization, including in the chips from three recently excavated water wells observed across 20 kilometres. GIGA then contracted JAW Consulting of Colorado to model available geophysical data sets (magnetics, gravity and radiometrics) to help delineate and prioritize target areas based on interpreted structural setting and depth to prospective target stratigraphy.
The new year brought multiple restrictions for fieldwork, including shut-downs due to the COVID-19 outbreak, but also 100-year flood events throughout southern Piauí State. Crews were only able to return safely to the area in the late fall of 2020.
The preliminary work program completed late in 2020 included the collection of 102 stream sediment samples and 24 rock grab samples in the Corrente and Parnaguá permits blocks. Although stream sediment sampling was completed roughly at 1 sample per square kilometre and results are subdued, a broad cluster of the 67 samples collected in the Corrente Permit Block were anomalous in copper (8 samples; 12.5 - 48 ppm Cu), cobalt (4 samples: 11 - 17 ppm Co); barium (4 samples; 500 - 800 ppm Ba) thallium (4 samples; 0.5 - 1.0 ppm Tl). Sampling on the Parnaguá Permit Block produced similar results, although at a lower density due to access problems and lack of time.
Nest steps for GIGA include increased density stream sediment sampling, follow-up prospecting and possible testing for copper mineralization using a water well drill. Geological mapping is required to fully identify the extent of the likely stratigraphic host rocks within the Aracá basin, notably where they are exposed by structural windows associated with graben faults.
About Giga Metals (HNCKF)
Giga Metals Corporation is focused on metals critical to modern batteries, especially those used in Electric Vehicles and Energy Storage. The Company's core asset is the Turnagain Project, located in northern British Columbia, which contains one of the few significant undeveloped sulphide nickel and cobalt resources in the world.
Giga is also exploring for copper, another critical battery metal, in Brazil.
Scientific and technical information disclosed in this document has been reviewed and approved by David Tupper, P. Geo., a Qualified Person consistent with NI 43-101.
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