The Bursa Property is situated 120 km south of Istanbul in western Turkey and comprises exploration licenses within a trend of demonstrated copper, molybdenum and gold porphyry systems in Bursa and Kutahya provinces.

There are two principal porphyry target areas at the Bursa Project -- Karapinar and Demirtepe. Previous work at Karapinar intercepted thick intervals of copper mineralized porphyry with significant molybdenum and gold over a surface area of approximately 600 by 650 meters. Demirtepe is the second target to be drill tested by Empire at Bursa and lies about 6 km to the north of the Karapinar target.

The Discovery hole DTH-001 completed by Empire on the Demirtepe target was announced in January 2011 and intersected significant copper-gold-silver skarn mineralization including 2.02% copper, 0.96 g/t gold and 21.64 g/t silver over 47.35 m from 112.2 m to 159.55 m. Higher grade intercepts included 9.1% copper, 4.68 g/t gold and 95.3 g/t silver over a sampled width of 8.0 m from 140.3 m to 148.3 m. The hole was stopped at 202.10 m as a result of drilling difficulties before reaching target depth where geophysical surveys identified an anomaly that could be attributed to a blind porphyry system. Complete significant results for the hole include:

• from 112.2 m to 159.55 m: 2.02% copper, 0.96 g/t gold, 21.64 g/t silver over a sampled width of 47.35 m within which there are the following higher grade intercepts:



• from 112.2 m to 117.55 m: 2.09% copper, 0.72 g/t gold, 22.6 g/t silver over a sampled width of 5.35 m;



• from 127.4 m to 130.55 m: 0.78% copper, 0.26 g/t gold, 8.9 g/t silver over a sampled width of 3.15 m;



• from 140.3 m to 153.0 m: 6.29% copper, 3.1 g/t gold, 66.1 g/t silver over a sampled width of 12.7 m;



• the above zone includes, from 140.3 m to 148.3 m: 9.1% copper, 4.68 g/t gold, 95.3 g/t silver over a sampled width of 8.0 m;



• from 158.55 m to 159.55 m: 2.49% copper, 0.63 g/t gold, 25.2 g/t silver over a sampled width of 1.00 m.

Visible mineralization occurs in skarn, marble and wollastonite (a mineral used in ceramics) and consists of bornite, with subordinate chalcopyrite (both copper minerals) forming intergrowths with wollastonite. Wollastonite is present though an estimated 25% of the hole length and appears to be a receptive host for copper. Lower grades are scattered throughout the remainder of the hole, but individual assays are generally below 0.2% copper. The drill-hole appears to have intercepted the copper mineralization at an angle approximate to true widths.

The drilling program at Demirtepe has been expanded with an additional 10,000 meters of diamond drilling and will be accelerated by utilizing up to four drill rigs. The size of the mineralized system at Demirtepe, as indicated by the 1,000 by 500 meter soil geochemical anomalies, geophysical anomalies, and scattered old workings suggests that the skarn mineralization encountered in the first drill-hole, and probably the target of ancient miners, is driven by a deeper porphyry system. Drilling will focus on obtaining continuity within the skarns and drilling into the porphyry intrusion.

Skarn ore deposits are important contributors to enhanced grades in porphyry copper orebodies. Notable examples include Grasberg (Indonesia), Bingham Canyon, (USA) and, in the Tethyan Belt, Recsk (Hungary). They are formed by reaction between carbonate host and intrusive rocks accompanied by mineralizing fluids.

The Demirtepe target is characterised by a wollastonite skarn deposit with diopsite garnet skarn and disseminated copper mineralisation. Copper values from a cluster of scattered outcrop rock chip composite samples range from 0.28% to 1.06% from a number of locations over a 350 by 750 meter area. More scattered samples assayed 0.63 to 2.09 g/t gold. In addition, two samples from the bornite-bearing wollastonite skarn 500 meters south of this cluster assayed 3.88% and 9.26% copper and 2.41 g/t and 1.37 g/t gold respectively. The skarn at Demirtepe is attributed to a blind porphyry intrusive body that gives rise to the copper mineralisation.

Soil geochemistry shows widespread copper-gold-molybdenum anomalies over a 1,000 by 500 meter area with copper ranging from 124 ppm to 12,050 ppm and gold from 10 ppb to 1.24 g/t. An IP/Resistivity survey shows an anomaly at about 100 to 150 meters depth lying between the geochemistry clusters that could be attributed to a blind porphyry system. In addition, a 13.6 line kilometer magnetic survey has identified two magnetic highs that coincide with the copper-molybdenum soil anomaly. The relationship between copper-gold and copper-molybdenum soil anomalies and the separate magnetic highs could be interpreted as representing more than one porphyry-related mineralising event.

The licenses forming the Bursa Property cover a portion of a Palaeozoic sedimentary-metamorphic-intrusive complex inlier punctuated by Tertiary intrusions, mainly granodiorite, with associated porphyry-style hydrothermal alteration and mineralisation. The inlier is partially faulted and its northern margin is delineated by the major west-northwest trending Eskişihir Fault. The area is comparable in many ways with other porphyry-bearing areas within the Tethyan Belt.

Empire Mining is earning a 65% interest in the Bursa Project from Alacer Gold (formerly Anatolia Minerals Development Limited).

Empire's Qualified Person, David C. Cliff, BSc (Hons), MIMMM, C Eng, FGS, also Empire's President & CEO, has reviewed and approved the content of this project description.

 

 

Turkey is a Eurasian country straddling the southeastern Balkan region of Europe and the Anatolian peninsula in western Asia.

Turkey's government is a secular democracy that has become increasingly integrated with the West while maintaining relations with the East. The country is an associate member of the European Community and the government has made Turkey's acceptance into the European Union a top priority. It is a member of the United Nations and of NATO and has been a long-time, staunch, strategic ally of the United States. It is also a founding member of the OECD and the G20 industrial nations.

Turkey has a long mining history going back at least 9,000 years; copper, gold, iron, lead, mercury, silver, tin, and other metals have been mined since ancient times. Archaeologists believe bronze, an alloy of copper and tin, was first made in Turkey. The first iron was refined there. The fabled wealth of Croesus, the king of Lydia in 6th century, B.C., came from the placer mining of gold in western Turkey. The island of Cyprus, from which the word "cupros" or copper is derived, lies 32 km south of Turkey and was the source of copper for many Mediterranean cultures. The historic name of Turkey and the peninsula that forms the Asian part of Turkey is known as Anatolia, "Anadolu" in Turkish, which means several things including "the mother lode."

Today more than 50 different minerals are produced in Turkey including copper, gold, zinc, iron and chromite which is its most abundant metal product. It's a prolific producer of industrial minerals accounting for 2.5% of global production, and is one of the world's major producers of boron, barite, celestite, emery, feldspar, limestone, marble, magnesite, perlite and pumice. The country's iron and steel industries are the most integrated, focusing on an export market.

The continents of Africa, Asia and Europe all meet under Turkey. The African and Arabian plates join there. With two subduction zones and three crunching plates, Turkey is mineral-rich and the potential for new base and precious metals discoveries using modern exploration techniques is considerable, however, few of the mineralized areas of Turkey's mining districts have been adequately explored.

Strong commodity prices, favourable changes in the country's investment regime, and, new mining laws enacted in 2005, have resulted in an increase in mining and in mineral exploration activity in the country with a particular emphasis on copper, gold, nickel and zinc exploration. Regulations and procedures have been streamlined and laws governing the economics of mining joint ventures with foreigners have been improved. There are no limits on repatriation of profits in hard currency or gold, no import duty for new mining and processing equipment, nor any limits or tax on exported mineral products.

Infrastructure, communications, roads and electricity are well-developed throughout Turkey and capable of supporting major development in most regions.

Links:
- Turkey (CIA World Factbook)
- General Directorate of Mineral Research and Exploration
- General Directorate of Mining Affairs
- Turkish Mining Law

 

The Bursa Property is situated 120 km south of Istanbul in western Turkey and comprises exploration licenses within a trend of demonstrated copper, molybdenum and gold porphyry systems in Bursa and Kutahya provinces.

There are two principal porphyry target areas at the Bursa Project, about 6 km apart - Karapinar and Demirtepe. Previous work at Karapinar intercepted thick intervals of copper mineralized porphyry with significant molybdenum and gold over a surface area of approximately 600 by 650 meters.

Work conducted at Karapinar by Rio Tinto included stream sediment geochemistry, geological mapping, prospecting, soil and rock chip sampling, ground magnetics and an IP/resistivity survey which outlined several areas with porphyry-style Cu-Mo mineralization. Drill holes K-1 and K-2 by Rio Tinto, located 200 meters apart, intercepted long intervals of mineralized porphyry including 221 meters (from surface) grading 0.36% copper, 51 ppm molybdenum, and 0.1 ppm gold, and 54 meters (from 273 m) grading 0.31% copper, 152 ppm molybdenum, and 0.07 ppm gold in K-1.

In 2008, Empire completed a Phase I initial drilling program at Karapinar consisting of six diamond core holes totalling 1,601 meters. The program was designed to confirm and expand the zone of porphyry copper mineralization indicated in the three earlier holes by Rio Tinto at the Karapinar deposit. Five of the six holes, results of which are summarized below, intercepted thick intervals of copper mineralized porphyry with significant molybdenum and gold over a surface area approximately 600 X 650 meters.

Drill Hole KDH-006 intersected 99.7 meters averaging 0.50% copper, 0.007% molybdenum and 0.10 g/t gold, from surface. Drill holes KDH-008 and KDH-011, located at the southwest margin of the drill pattern, intercepted zones of supergene enrichment in heavily fractured porphyry containing native copper and other secondary copper minerals from surface to depths up to 100 meters. The enriched section of the Karapinar deposit, containing higher grade intervals up to 25 meters averaging 1.01% copper in KDH-008, is being further evaluated for potential copper recovery by leaching. The mineralized porphyry is open in all directions laterally and at depth.

Empire Phase I Significant Drilling Results:

Hole No.	Total Depth (m)	From (m)	To (m)	Intercept (m)	Cu (%)	Mo (%)	Au (g/t)
KDH-006	363.00	0.00	99.70	99.70	0.50	0.0071	0.10
		138.70	227.00	88.30	0.23	0.0022	0.06
KDH-007	380.50	5.50	133.20	127.70	0.31	0.0133	0.11
		363.00	380.50	17.50	0.49	0.0112	0.07
KDH-008	323.00	0.00	224.00	224.00	0.36	0.0110	0.08
Including		20.00	141.00	121.00	0.47	0.0153	0.12
Including		43.00	86.00	43.00	0.72	0.0114	0.18
Including		43.00	68.00	25.00	1.01	0.0118	0.21
Including		202.00	218.40	16.40	0.62	0.0056	NS
KDH-009	278.00	19.00	206.60	187.60	0.34	0.0110	NS
Including		75.00	113.60	38.60	0.57	0.0190	NS
Including		97.90	113.60	15.70	0.77	0.0333	NS
KDH-010	101.00	No Significant Results
KDH-011	155.50	0.00	155.5	155.6	0.25	0.0148	NS
Including		60.00	84.00	24.00	0.46	0.0314	NS
total	1601.00

NS = no significant values

The licenses forming the property cover a portion of a Palaeozoic sedimentary-metamorphic-intrusive complex inlier punctuated by Tertiary intrusions, mainly granodiorite, with associated porphyry-style hydrothermal alteration and mineralisation. The inlier is partially faulted and its northern margin is delineated by the major west-northwest trending Eskişihir Fault. The area is comparable in many ways with other porphyry-bearing areas within the Tethyan Belt.

Additional drilling is planned at Karapinar in 2011 to further define and expand the porphyry copper deposit.

Empire Mining is earning a 65% interest in the Bursa Project from Alacer Gold (formerly Anatolia Minerals Development Limited).

Empire's Qualified Person, David C. Cliff, BSc (Hons), MIMMM, C Eng, FGS, also Empire's President & CEO, has reviewed and approved the content of this project description.