Golden Hope Mines Limited (TSX VENTURE:GNH)(OTCQX:GOLHF) has announced its bulk sample results on the Bellechasse-Timmins mineralized zones.
During the Fall/Winter 2010/11 exploration campaign, Golden Hope Mines Limited carried out a trenching and sampling program on the T1 Zone, T2 B Zone, Ascot/Road Zone, and the 88 Zones. A total of 280 metres of trenching was completed in 16 individual trenches: 5 trenches (84 metres) on the T1 Zone; 2 trenches (18 metres) on the Ascot/Road Zone; and 9 trenches (178 metres) on the 88 Zones.
The purpose for the 2010/11 bulk-sampling program of the Bellechasse-Timmins mineralized zones was threefold;
- to explore the 88 zones to determine where the mineralization comes to surface.
- to broaden the sampling of the T1 Zone which was established at surface in the 2009/10 campaign.
- to further investigate the nature of the distribution of gold in the Bellechasse-Timmins mineralized zones that the Company believes sampling of diamond drill core alone considerably underestimate the average grade of the mineralised zones.
The company successfully delineated the 88E Zone at surface, with two trenches completed across the strike of the mineralization. Through this, the company was able to obtain important information on the grade potential in the area of the 88 zones where the company has identified a number of mineralized structures.
The company was also successful in broadening the surface area of the T1 Zone, which had already been identified through several historical bulk-sampling campaigns.
The company was also successful in demonstrating that in both the T1 Zone and the 88E Zone yield significantly higher average gold grades than indicated by assaying diamond drill cores. The mineralized surface exposure indicates that larger bulk samples from the same mineralized zones are required to establish a higher confidence level in the indicated grade than can be achieved from drill core assays alone.
Individual bulk samples were 2 to 3 metres in length and taken across the strike of the structures at surface. The sampling procedure was effectively the same as the 2009/10 bulk-sampling program which was reported on March 1, 2010. During the current program, the screen size for the mobile crusher was changed from the two-inch screen used in 2009/10 to a 0.75-inch screen. The finer crushing was undertaken to provide a higher level of confidence in the sampling.
Samples from Trenches 09A1, AR10A and AR10B were processed using the coarser (2 inch) screen size prior to successful equipment modification.
Selected samples from the 2009/10 program were also re-crushed at the finer screen size (0.75-inch). The following ten samples were reprocessed: R09D1-1, R09D1-2, R09B-1, R09B-2, R09B-3, R09B-4, R09C-2, R09C-3, R09C-4 and R09C-5 (R prefix indicates repeat sampling).
A total of 1586 individual sub-samples were sent to Activation Laboratories in Ancaster, Ontario for total pulp metallics assaying, a procedure which requires crushing, pulverizing and sieving the entire sample of one to two kilograms, and then fire assaying the entire oversize fraction and portions of the undersize. Total pulp metallics is used when assaying material suspected of containing coarse gold.
A summary and interpretation of the 2010/11 bulk-sampling results as well as a summary and interpretation of the combined historical bulk sampling results appears immediately below.
The T1 Zone and the 88E Zone outcrop and provide valuable data on the average grade of the mineralization. The T2A Zone and the balance of the 88 zones do not have strong surface expression. The bulk sampling results show low values that appear to correspond to mineralization indicated by diamond drilling.
T1 Zone:
A total of 39 bulk samples were collected from the T1 Zone. The additional 2010/11 trenches provided a more complete coverage of the T1 Zone. The combined average of samples with a cut-off grade grater than 0.5 grams per tonne (g/t) gold (Au) taken by Golden Hope Mines Limited in the 2009/10 and 2010/11 bulk sampling campaigns is 2.50 g/t Au.
When compiled with the previous bulk sampling completed in 2009/10 by Golden Hope Mines Limited as well as by previous companies (Blackhawk Mining Ltd. and Privex Mines Ltd.) historically, an area of approximately 4120 square metres is defined at surface by 80 samples (>0.5 g/t Au) that have an average of 2.8 g/t Au.
Diamond drilling currently shows the T1 Zone has a strike length of approximately 130 metres and is up to 65 metres wide.
T1 and T2 Zones:
In general, the results from the finer crushing (0.75 inch screen) are higher than the results from 2009/10 (2 inch screen). When all of the 100 individual samples are examined, the distribution of results for the finer crushing appears smoother with a lower frequency of low values (sampling zeros) than the coarser crushing (see attached chart). The results from finer crushing also returned three values greater than 10 g/t Au versus zero greater than 10 g/t Au in the coarser crushing which appears to indicate that the gold-rich clots are being broken and better distributed throughout the large sample. This suggests finer crushing is providing a more representative and consistant sample.
88 Zones:
A total of 87 bulk samples from 9 trenches were taken from the 88 zones. The highest concentrations of gold were obtained from trenches 8810 B and 8810 C, which were completed across the strike of the 88E Zone.
Trench 8810 B returned an average grade of 1.85 g/t Au over the entire length of the trench (14.0 metres) with the interval between 6.0 and 12.0 metres averaging 3.37 g/t Au.
Trench 8810 C returned an average grade of 2.89 g/t Au over the entire length of the trench (15.0 metres) with the interval between 0.0 and 6.0 metres averaging 6.49 g/t Au. Anomalous gold results were returned from the other trenches.
Ascot / Road Zone:
Two trenches were completed on the Ascot/Road Zone and returned anomalous gold results up to 0.8 g/t Au over a length of 3.0 metres in Trench AR10A from the bulk samples.
"Once again, the bulk sample results provide us with valuable information that suggests that where we are able to find and define the zone at surface, the results indicate a substantial increase in indicated grades of the zones when compared to analysis of drill core alone. We have currently 12 indicated mineralized zones within the Bellechasse-Timmins area and the tonnage potential continues to grow.
"The bulk sampling data provides our company, its technical team, and our shareholders with much encouragement in a very cost effective manner. It supports earlier work and historical results suggesting reliability of grade estimators improves significantly with sample size. These results help to define the limits of mineralization at surface and give valuable information to assist in the correlation of gold values from existing diamond drilling and down-hole hammer work," stated Frank Candido, President of Golden Hope Mines Limited.
James E. Tilsley, P.Eng. is acting as the qualified person (QP) for Golden Hope Mines in compliance with National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed the technical contents of this release. Mr. Tilsley is a consultant to Golden Hope Mines.
Source: Golden Hope Mines Limited