CHAMPION MINERALS INC. ("Champion" or the "Company") (TSX
VENTURE:CHM)(FRANKFURT:P02) is pleased to announce the first Iron assay results
from diamond drill holes FL10-01 and FL10-06 of the 11 drill hole winter 2010
drill program on the Fire Lake North Claim Block ("Fire Lake North") of the
Fermont Iron Property (the "Property"). The Property is located 250 km north of
the St. Lawrence River port town of Port-Cartier in the Fermont Iron Ore
District ("FIOD") of northeastern Quebec.


Assay results are from the East Limb target located in the south central portion
of Fire Lake North and 750m north of the ArcelorMittal Fire Lake Mine claim
boundary. The Fire Lake Mine (341 million tonnes grading 33.4% Iron) is a
seasonal operation that supplies ore to the ArcelorMittal Mont Wright Mine and
Concentrator Complex located 50km to the north. The 11 drill holes were
completed over a 3km strike length on the East Limb target area totaling 1,989m.


The East Limb target is comprised of two parallel northward trending iron
formations approximately 300m apart that extend for several kilometres. Holes
FL10-01 and FL10-06 were drilled on the furthest section to the south and each
tested one of the two parallel iron formations (refer to the appended location
map). The most significant Iron assay intervals are provided from holes FL10-01
and FL10-06 and are summarized in the following table:




----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                         CORE          IRON
                              FROM            TO     LENGTH(1)        ASSAY
DDH #                           (m)           (m)          (m)  (% Total Fe)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
FL10-01                       70.4          87.0         16.6          33.2
                             -----------------------------------------------
                             158.6         237.7         79.1          30.2
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
FL10-06                       55.9         189.8        133.9          38.3
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
including                     67.0         186.5        119.5          40.2
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
including                    115.0         155.0         40.0          50.4
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
including                    143.4         155.0         11.6          59.6
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) Core length is approximately equal to true width.                       
Note - refer to the Champion website at www.championminerals.com for a 
complete listing of the individual sample assay results.



Jean Lafleur, P. Geo., Fermont Iron Property Project Manager and a Director of
Champion, stated, "Assay results highlight the quality of the Iron
mineralization at Fire Lake North. Higher Iron grades are associated with zones
of coarse-grained specularite within quartz-specularite and
quartz-magnetite-specularite iron formations. The coarse grained characteristic
is due to heating and re-crystallization of the iron formation. Drill hole
FL-10-06 even contained an individual assay of 65.1% Iron over a 4m interval.
All of these intersections will be submitted expediently for metallurgical
testing to quantify the benefits of this style of iron mineralization."


Thomas Larsen, President and CEO of Champion, added "The higher Iron grades at
Fire Lake North are significant due to its location adjacent to ArcelorMittal's
Fire Lake Mine. Champion will continue drilling at Fire Lake North after spring
breakup as part of the planned 15,000m diamond drilling program in this area,
including the Harvey-Tuttle claim block. With $17 million in working capital,
Champion is now in a position to rapidly advance its objective of defining the
full iron potential at the Fermont Iron Property. The exploratory focus is on
the highly prospective Harvey-Tuttle, Fire Lake North, Bellechasse and other
surrounding claim blocks. The recent hiring of the engineering firm BBA Inc.
will be instrumental in the assessment of these iron resources."


To date a total of 4,142m has been drilled in 24 holes during the 2010 winter
drilling campaign on Fire Lake North (refer to the appended location map). Fire
Lake North is located 45km south of the town of Fermont (Quebec) and is centered
7km east of Highway #389 linking the port community of Baie-Comeau to Fermont,
and is underlain by iron formation that is similar to those which host the iron
deposits of the FIOD, such as the Bloom Lake Deposit (827 million tonnes @ 29.3%
Iron) (refer to the Consolidated Thompson Iron Mines website).


Quality Assurance and Quality Control

All drill core logging and sample preparation was conducted by qualified Company
personnel under National Instrument ("NI") NI 43-101 standards at the Company's
core logging facilities in Wabush (Newfoundland). The NQ-sized drill core was
split in half. One-half of the drill core was kept in the core tray for
reference purposes and the other half core was individually bagged, tagged,
sealed and packed in large nylon bags which were then securely closed and sent
by commercial ground transportation for analysis to COREM laboratories in Quebec
City (Quebec). Quality Assurance samples including standards of certified
reference material, field duplicates, pulp duplicates and blank samples were
inserted every 5 samples. COREM also inserted blank samples, standards and
duplicates for Quality Control purposes.


The Fermont Iron Property

Champion previously announced an initial Mineral Resources Estimate ("MRE") on
the Company's Bellechasse and Fire Lake North Claim Blocks ("Bellechasse" and
"Fire Lake North") under NI 43-101 guidelines (refer to the Company news release
dated November 18, 2009). The MRE totals 503.3 million tonnes grading 28.0% Iron
in the Inferred Mineral Resources(i) category. Bellechasse hosts 215.1 million
tonnes grading 28.7% Iron; whereas Fire Lake North hosts 288.2 million tonnes
grading 27.5% Iron (all at a 15% Iron cut-off grade). (i)Inferred Mineral
Resources are that part of a Mineral Resource for which quantity and grade or
quality can be estimated on the basis of geological evidence and limited
sampling gathered through appropriate techniques from drill holes and outcrops,
and reasonably assumed, but not verified, geological and grade continuity. There
has been insufficient exploration to define any of the resources as Indicated or
Measured Mineral Resources and there is no guarantee that further exploration
will upgrade the Inferred Mineral Resources to Indicated or Measured Mineral
Resources.


Champion has under option a land package of 384.6 km2 in 16 strategic claim
blocks grouped into 3 clusters comprising the Property. Champion had previously
announced 8 claim blocks with historical Mineral Resources of 694 million tonnes
grading 30.4% Iron, but now after 2 of the 8 claim blocks (Bellechasse and Fire
Lake North) host a current MRE, there are 6 remaining claim blocks that host
historical Mineral Resources of 578 million tonnes grading 30.4% Iron (Paquet,
1963; Ministere des ressources naturelles et de la faune Quebec Assessment File
GM 13035). The Mineral Resources are strictly historical in nature and are
non-compliant to NI 43-101 Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves standards, and
should therefore not be relied upon. A Qualified Person has not done sufficient
work to upgrade or classify these historical Mineral Resources as current NI
43-101 compliant.


The Company is currently in the second year of an option agreement (the
"Agreement") with Fancamp Exploration Ltd. (TSX VENTURE:FNC) and the Sheridan
Platinum Group Ltd. (the "Vendors") on the Property.


Pursuant to the Agreement, Champion can earn a 65% interest in all 16 claim
blocks within the Property by expending C$6 million in staged exploration and
development work expenditures, making cash payments totalling C$1 million, and
issuing 2.9 million shares, all over a 4-year period, with the Vendors retaining
a 3% Net Smelter Returns royalty, one third of which may be purchased by
Champion for C$3 million. The Agreement also includes a right of first refusal
on the Lamelee Lake Claim Block. Once Champion has completed its earn-in, a
65-35 joint venture would be formed between Champion and the Vendors.


About Champion Minerals Inc.

Champion is an exploration Company focused on discovering and developing
significant metal resources in eastern Canada, particularly in the provinces of
Quebec and Newfoundland & Labrador. The Company's projects include the
Attikamagen Iron Property in northeastern Quebec and western Labrador, the
Fermont Iron Property in northeastern Quebec, and the Powderhorn/Gullbridge Base
Metal Projects in central Newfoundland. Please visit Champion's website at
www.championminerals.com.


The technical information in this news release was prepared, revised and
approved by Jeff Hussey, P. Geo., VP Exploration of the Company and Jean
Lafleur, P. Geo., the Fermont Iron Property Project Manager, Director and
Technical Advisor to the President and CEO of Champion. Both individuals are
Qualified Persons under NI 43-101 standards.


The statements made in this news release that are not historical facts are
"forward-looking statements" and readers are cautioned that any such statements
are not guarantees of future performance, and that actual developments or
results, may vary materially from those in these "forward-looking" statements.


To view the map associated with this release, please visit the following link:
http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/CHM1.pdf


Champion Minerals Inc. (TSXV:CHM)
Historical Stock Chart
From Nov 2024 to Dec 2024 Click Here for more Champion Minerals Inc. Charts.
Champion Minerals Inc. (TSXV:CHM)
Historical Stock Chart
From Dec 2023 to Dec 2024 Click Here for more Champion Minerals Inc. Charts.