VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - Sept. 8, 2011) - North American Nickel Inc. (TSX VENTURE:NAN)(OTCBB:WSCRF)(CUSIP:65704T 108) ("NAN") is pleased to announce it has accelerated plans for detailed exploration on its extensively mineralized, 100% owned, Bell Lake quartz diorite offset dyke property located on the Worthington Offset, southwest of Sudbury, Ontario.
President and C.O.O. Mark Fedikow states, "We have decided to accelerate our ground work at Bell Lake. New geophysical and geological data, combined with historic information, has convinced us that there is a significant near surface opportunity and, of course, we are aware of the rich deep deposits that are situated along the prolifically mineralized Worthington Offset. Examples of the deep deposits along Worthington include Vale's Totten Mine (10.1 Mt grading 1.5% nickel, 1.97% copper, 4.8 g/t platinum and palladium) and Quadra/FNX's Victoria Mine with 12.5 Mt of 2.3% copper, 2.2% nickel, 8.5 g/t total precious metals (platinum+palladium+gold). Victoria Mine is projected to contain 3.4 billion tons of contained copper equivalent. We believe today's new geophysical technology combined with our new geological information and interpretations will provide new insights and new opportunities at Bell Lake."
Detailed Exploration on the Bell Lake Property
Disseminated to solid sulphide mineralization consisting of pentlandite and chalcopyrite in pyrrhotite-dominant sulphide mineralization will be assessed with ground EM geophysical surveys constrained by a new grid to be cut over the entire 1.1 km of the dyke. The line cutting will begin shortly.
These EM surveys will examine the potential for additional mineralization in the area between surface and 250 m, as well as the potential for deep nickel-copper-PGM mineralization below this level. High-grade mineralization in Nipissing diabase on the property will also be assessed. The EM surveys are expected to begin in early October.
A total of 17 holes with a maximum depth of 583 m were drilled on the Bell Lake property. These holes were mainly focused in areas of strong surface mineralization within the dyke. Drill holes intersected mineralized zones up to 2.5 m wide grading up to 1.26% nickel, 0.45% copper, and 13.43 g/t combined platinum group metals plus gold. Surface channel sampling tested mineralized zones at surface and values of up to 1.92% nickel, 1.01% copper, 0.165% cobalt, 0.909 g/t palladium and 0.99 g/t platinum over widths of up to 5.0 m were documented.
North American Nickel plans to combine the results of its new ground geophysical surveys with new geophysical data to be acquired by re-opening historic drill holes on the property and utilizing down-hole geophysical surveys to assist in its modeling work.
A three-dimensional geologic model of the Bell Lake offset dyke will be constructed using drill logs from previous drilling on the property. This information will be supplemented with data from the re-logging of historic drill core and will be combined with all geophysical data to deduce drill targets. The geologic model is currently under construction and line cutting and geophysical surveys are being contracted. The near surface interpretation will guide the Company regarding the potential value of a formal resource calculation.
The 100% owned Bell Lake property is on the southwest corner of the Sudbury Intrusive Complex close to the town of Nairn Centre. Access to the property is excellent via the Trans-Canada Highway and a system of gravel and bush roads approximately 50 km from Sudbury.
Qualified Person
All technical information in this release has been reviewed by Dr. Mark Fedikow , P.Geo., who is the Qualified Person for the Company and President and Chief Operating Officer, North American Nickel Inc.
About North American Nickel
North American Nickel is a mineral exploration company with 100% owned properties in Sudbury, Ontario, Maniitsoq, Greenland and the Thompson, Manitoba mining camp. The Company's initial focus is on two Sudbury, Ontario properties and its Greenland project.
The Post Creek/Halycon property in Sudbury is strategically located adjacent to the producing Podolsky copper-nickel-platinum group metal deposit of Quadra FNX Mining. The property lies along the extension of the Whistle Offset dyke structure, which is a major geological control for Ni-Cu-PGM mineralization.
The Bell Lake property in Sudbury is a 256-acre property that covers approximately one kilometre of the Mystery Offset dyke or MOD. The MOD is interpreted to be an extension of the Worthington Offset dyke which is a 10 to 11 kilometre-long mineralized structure that extends from the southwest margin of the Sudbury igneous complex.
North American Nickel also controls a 4,841 square km Mineral Exploration Licence in southwest Greenland with exclusive mineral exploration rights. The principal target is high-grade nickel-copper occurrences associated with norite and other mafic and ultramafic intrusions.
The Company has acquired 100% ownership in the high-grade Ni-Cu-PGE South Bay property near Thompson, Manitoba and the large grassroots Thompson North and Cedar Lake properties, which are part of the world-class Thompson Nickel Belt in Manitoba. North American Nickel Inc. is a member of the North Shore Mining Group.
Statements about the Company's future expectations and all other statements in this press release other than historical facts are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and as that term defined in the Private Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The Company intends that such forward-looking statements be subject to the safe harbours created thereby. Since these statements involve risks and uncertainties and are subject to change at any time, the Company's actual results may differ materially from the expected results.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
North American Nickel Inc.
Rick Mark
CEO and Chair
604-986-2020 or Toll free: 1-866-816-0118
nan2015.q4web.com
