American Pacific Mining Corp (CSE: USGD) (OTCQX: USGDF) dug up rock samples during its fall exploration program that significantly exceeded the company’s expectations.
The company announced last week that one of the 218 samples collected contained over 100 g/t gold. The sampling program was conducted at the Danny Boy claims acquired through the acquisition of Clearview Gold in May and the western side of the company’s Tuscarora project. Some of them also had high quantities of silver, with up to 1,305 g/t Ag.
“The consistent multi-gram gold assays and significant silver values exceeded our expectations and drill targets are emerging from our field programs,” Warwick Smith, CEO of American Pacific, said. However, rock samples unearthed by the company at Elko County’s Tuscarora operation last year contained more than twice as much gold, with up to 205 g/t Au.
The project yielded some decent drill results last fall, but nothing extraordinary. They most notably included 2.48 g/t Au over 13.7 metres with a 1.5 metre interval containing 12.1 g/t Au.
The company now aims to conduct additional sampling to identify high-priority drill targets to pursue at Danny Boy and Tuscarora next year.
American Pacific will be drilling the Ziggurat project acquired from Clearview in 2024 as well. It is located near mines run by the two majors Newmont Corporation (NYSE: NEM) (TSX: NGT) and Kinross Gold Corporation (TSX: K) (NYSE: KGC).
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Elko County produces superior drill results elsewhere
Nevada is a top mining jurisdiction overall and other mining operations in Elko County have had significant success in recent days.
Last month, the junior explorer CopAur Minerals Inc. (TSX-V: CPAU) (OTCQX: COPAF) reported its best drill result to date at the county’s Kinsley Mountain gold project. The company intercepted 15.3 g/t gold over 32 metres, including 10.7 metres grading at 24.1 g/t Au.
Other companies like Ridgeline Minerals Corp. (TSX-V: RDG) (OTCQB: RDGMF) have been active in the state’s northeast corner in recent days too. The company expanded its Big Blue project in Elko County by over 2,900 acres this September by staking 141 United States Bureau of Land Management claims.
Central and northern Nevada have attracted significant interest from mining companies as well. The mid-tier miner Calibre Mining Corp. (TSX: CXB) (OTCQX: CXBMF) is currently in the midst of developing a major open-pit operation in the state’s centre. Production from the Gold Rock project will commence next year and in 2025.
The state’s top gold producer, Nevada Gold Mines, primarily operates in the north section of the state.
The government of Nevada’s Commission on Mineral Resources says only China, Australia, Canada and Russia produced more gold than the state did in 2021. Nevada produces about three quarters of all American gold.
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rowan@mugglehead.com
