Vancouver, BC - Nevsun Resources Ltd. (TSX:NSU / NYSE MKT:NSU) (Nevsun or the Company) is pleased to announce further assay results from exploration drilling completed on the Harena Mining License located 10 kilometers south of the Bisha Mine and processing plant. The drilling is part of the 2014 Bisha Regional Exploration program.
Nevsun CEO Cliff Davis commented, “Our exploration program at Harena continues to demonstrate the growth potential of our known resources. Harena and Bisha are both still open at depth and the greater Bisha area remains under-explored. We will continue to further assess Harena and the greater potential of the Bisha VMS district over the remainder of 2014 and into 2015.”
2014 Regional Exploration Program Update
To date, Bisha Mining Share Company (BMSC) has completed approximately 24,000 meters of a 27,000 meter planned diamond drilling program. Diamond drilling is in progress at Harena with two diamond drills operating and is scheduled to resume on the Mogoraib River Exploration License later in November once crops have been harvested following a healthy rainy season. Geophysical surveys are also in progress and consist of ground and borehole Transient Electromagnetic (BHTEM) surveys. These surveys have been instrumental in guiding the drilling at Harena.
Harena Drill Results
The 2014 Harena exploration results reported today, are part of an on-going program designed to expand the deposit beyond the known resource (see also press releases dated August 18 and September 23, 2014). Drilling is being guided by BHTEM surveys as the massive sulphides give strong electromagnetic responses. Numerous in-hole, edge and off-hole responses have been detected and the drilling of these targets has been successful. A plan map of the drilling and representative sections are attached at the end of this release.
Thick intervals of massive, semi-massive and stringer sulphides have now been encountered down to a depth of 400 meters below surface and 350 meters down plunge and to the south of the resource as reported in the December 31, 2013, NI43-101 Mineral Resource and Reserve Statement. Hole HX-023 is the deepest hole drilled to-date at Harena and intersected 38.0 meters of massive sulphide grading 1.04% Cu, 3.82% Zn, 1.05 g/t Au and 28.5 g/t Ag. Intensely sericite and chlorite altered felsic volcanic rocks with associated sulphide stringer zones continue to be intersected in the footwall and immediately along strike of the massive sulphides. These stringer zones often have high precious metal values such as in hole HX-025 which returned 3.13 g/t Au and 85.5 g/t Ag over 17.9 meters including 6.5 meters grading 6.59g/t Au and 184.6 g/t Ag.
The Harena mineralization is open at depth and down plunge. The massive sulphide zone is thick and the host felsic volcanic unit continues to be highly altered, suggesting that the deposit is robust and likely to continue at depth. Future drilling will assess this potential.
Quality Assurance
A Quality Assurance/Quality Control program was part of the sampling program for the Harena work. This program includes chain of custody protocols as well as systematic use of standards, duplicates and blank samples into the flow of samples produced by the sampling. Samples were prepared at African Horn Testing Services (Eritrea) and analyzed at Genalysis Laboratories (a NATA registered laboratory) in Perth, Western Australia. Drilling intercept lengths only are reported in the tables and text below.
Mr. Robert Foy P.Geo., BMSC’s Exploration Manager, has been overseeing the drilling at Harena and is a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101. Mr. Foy has reviewed the technical content of this press release and approved its dissemination.
About Nevsun Resources Ltd.
Nevsun Resources Ltd. is a Vancouver-based mining company with an operating mine in Eritrea. Nevsun’s 60%-owned Bisha Mine commenced commercial copper concentrate production in December 2013 and ranks as one of the highest grade open pit copper mines in the world. Nevsun has a strong balance sheet and future cash flows to grow shareholder value through exploration at Bisha and acquisition of additional mining assets.
