News

Akie Property - Cardiac Creek Zn-Pb-Ag Deposit: Updated Resource Estimate

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada - Wednesday, March 14, 2012 - Canada Zinc Metals Corp. (TSX Venture Exchange: CZX) is pleased to announce the results of an updated National Instrument 43-101-compliant resource estimate for its 100% owned Akie property, host to the Cardiac Creek SEDEX Zn-Pb-Ag deposit, located approximately 260 kilometers north-northwest of the town of Mackenzie, in northeastern British Columbia, Canada.

Highlights of the updated mineral resource are as follows:

• Indicated resource of 12.7 million tonnes of 8.38 % Zn, 1.68% Pb & 13.7 g/t Ag at 5% Zn cut-off
• Inferred resource of 16.3 million tonnes of 7.38% Zn, 1.34% Pb & 11.6 g/t Ag at 5% Zn cut-off
• 23% increase in overall tonnage compared to the previous (2008) estimate
• Upgrade of 44% of the total resource into the indicated category

The updated resource adds drilling conducted since 2008, including over 6,000 meters drilled in 2011. There are now a total of 108 drill holes on the Akie property with a total core length of 46,043 metres.  Of these, 78 holes, totalling 36,021 metres, are within the proximity of the block model and contribute to the estimation of the mineral resource.  The remaining 30 drill holes test the zone over a total strike length of almost 7 kilometres, or test other exploration targets on the property.

The previous resource estimate was described in a Technical Report dated May 28, 2008 (available on www.sedar.com) and outlined a NI 43-101 compliant inferred resource of 23.6 million tonnes grading 7.6% zinc, 1.5% lead and 13.0 g/t silver (at a 5% zinc cut-off grade). There have been three drilling campaigns completed on the property since the May 2008 report that have added considerably to the understanding of the deposit.

The Cardiac Creek deposit exhibits properties typical of a sedimentary exhalative (Sedex) deposit, common in this area of BC.  The deposit occurs as a planar sheet-like zone of semi-massive to massive sulphides comprised of varying amounts of pyrite, sphalerite and galena (+/- barite) which has been traced over a strike length of at least 7 kilometers and to a depth of 1,300 metres below surface.  The mineralized zone averages about 20 metres (true) thickness in the area of potential economic interest.

The Cardiac Creek deposit mineral resources are summarized at a series of zinc cut-off grades for comparison purposes in the table below.  Highlighted in the table is the “base case” cut-off grade of 5% Zn which is considered reasonable based on assumptions derived from operations with similar characteristics, scale and location. Note that the resource, at the 5% Zn base case cut-off, occurs as a continuous zone, which is favourable with respect to selectivity and other factors, when considering possible mining options.  The current resource extends to a maximum depth of 800 metres below surface. 

The updated resource is tabulated below.

Cardiac Creek Deposit: Mineral Resource Summary

(1)       “Base case” cut-off grade of 5% Zn highlighted in table

(2)        Mineral resources are not mineral reserves as the economic viability has not been demonstrated

Additional drilling since 2008 has added over 5.4 million tonnes of resources at the base case cut-off grade of 5% zinc. Infill drilling has also improved the confidence in the resource and allowed the reclassification of 12.7 million tonnes of inferred material at a 5% Zn cut-off to the indicated category. A significant reason for the increase of the resource and reclassification of the resource to the indicated category is a result of recent drilling that has expanded the resource at depth and to the southeast.

The deposit remains open at depth, up-dip and along strike.  Further delineation and exploration drilling is being considered using underground drilling stations located in the footwall of the deposit on the 950m elevation. All permitting and engineering designs are complete and in hand in order to commence the underground drill program.

“We are very pleased with the progress made over the previous drill campaigns,” commented Mr. Ken MacDonald, Vice President of Exploration for Canada Zinc Metals Corp. “This resource update confirms our belief that the Cardiac Creek deposit holds significant potential for expansion. We have now upgraded more than half of the original inferred resource into the indicated category and drilling at closer spacing yields an improvement in tonnage and similar grades over the previous model estimate.

We believe that Cardiac Creek is one of the largest independent zinc development projects in the world, and we are committed to advancing the orderly development of the project through to final feasibility. We plan to continue aggressive drilling to expand the existing resource, beginning in the spring of 2012.”

About the Akie Property:

The Akie zinc-lead property is situated within the southernmost area (Kechika Trough) of the regionally extensive Paleozoic Selwyn Basin, one of the most prolific sedimentary basins in the world for the occurrence of SEDEX zinc-lead-silver and stratiform barite deposits.

Drilling on the Akie property by Inmet Mining Corporation during the period 1994 to 1996 and by Canada Zinc Metals since 2005 has identified a significant body of baritic-zinc-lead SEDEX mineralization (Cardiac Creek deposit).  The deposit is hosted by siliceous, carbonaceous, fine-grained clastic rocks of the Middle to Late Devonian Gunsteel Formation.

Two similar deposits, Cirque and Cirque South Cirque, located some 20 kilometers northwest of Akie and owned under a joint venture by Teck Resources and Korea Zinc, are also hosted by Gunsteel Formation rocks and have a combined geologic inventory in excess of 50 million tonnes (not 43-101 compliant) grading approximately 10% combined Zn+Pb.

In addition to the Akie property, Canada Zinc Metals Corp. controls a large contiguous group of claims which comprise the Kechika Regional project. These claims are underlain by geology identical to that on the Akie property (Cardiac Creek deposit) and Cirque. This project includes the 100% owned Mt. Alcock property, which has yielded a historic drill intercept of 8.8 metres grading 9.3% Zn+Pb, numerous zinc-lead-barite occurrences, and several regional base metal anomalies.

The mineral resource estimate was prepared under the direction of Robert Sim, P.Geo with the assistance of Bruce Davis, FAusIMM.  Mr. Sim is the independent Qualified Person within the meaning of NI 43-101 for the purposes of mineral resource estimates contained in this release. The resources have been classified and are reported, as required by NI43-101, according to the CIM standards on Mineral Resources and Reserves. The company is currently revising their 43-101 compliant Technical Report and will file within the mandated 45 -day period.

Ken MacDonald P.Geo., Vice President of Exploration, is the designated Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and is responsible for the technical information contained in this release.

The TSX Venture Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

CANADA ZINC METALS CORP.

“PEEYUSH VARSHNEY”
                                                           
PEEYUSH VARSHNEY, LL.B
CEO & CHAIRMAN