High Desert Gold Corporation (TSX VENTURE:HDG)(PINK SHEETS:HDGCF) announces the results from the continuing field activities from the summer work program at the Gold Springs Project in Nevada and Utah.
Of particular interest are the results obtained from surface chip samples in the target area called "Silica Hill," one of 14 target zones at Gold Springs. The Company has followed outcrops of the Silica Hill vein system over a length of approximately one kilometre before it disappears under surface gravels. Visible gold was panned from crushed rock along this one-kilometre length. Rock chip sample assays as high as 99.5 g/t gold have been collected along this trend.
Ralph Fitch, President and CEO, stated, "Silica Hill is extraordinarily rich in gold. Remarkably, it has never been drilled, nor received extensive mining even though it is situated in an old mining district. The summer work program has succeeded in defining numerous drill targets and exceptionally high-grade gold values. The Phase Two drill program, which is in the permitting phase, has the potential to add significant value to the property and to the Company."
The ongoing exploration program has focused on mapping and sampling of the numerous target areas within the large land position. To date, four distinct styles of mineralization have been identified, all of which display visible gold and have returned high-grade gold values from rock chip samples.
The predominant style of mineralization is in the form of banded quartz-adularia+/-calcite veins which can be traced for distances of over 2 kilometres along strike. This type of mineralization is seen at the Jumbo target which was the focus of HDG's Phase One drill program and which was previously reported (see PR10-14, August 19, 2010), and on the Silica Hill target area. This style of mineralization was the target of most of the historic production in the district.
Field work on the Silica Hill target has identified and traced a series of parallel quartz-adularia veins for a distance of 1 kilometre. Work continues to extend the veins to the north while the southern extension is obscured by post-mineral cover. This target has seen only limited historic mining in the form of small pits and cuts and has not been the subject of drilling.
A second, and newly discovered, style of mineralization is characterized by quartz-adularia breccias which crumble easily forming recessive outcrops. Thus far, HDG has found two occurrences of this style of mineralization with rock chip results being 126.5 g/t and 32.7 g/t gold. Samples from these outcrops have been crushed and panned in the field producing visible gold in the concentrates. The focus will be to expand efforts to identify areas of quartz-adularia breccias and determine controlling factors for developing these breccias.
A third style of mineralization is found around the historic Pope mine where thin quartz veins cut a tuffaceous unit. This style of mineralization is similar to that found at the Round Mountain mine in Nevada. When samples of vein material are crushed and panned they produce visible gold in the concentrate. Assay results from this mineralized style range up to 14.4 g/t Au from selected vein material.
The final style of mineralization is exposed within the margins of the caldera in an historic mine working. Mineralization is associated with fluorite-quartz-hematite and is exposed only in a small window in a post-mineralization tuff. Samples from the old workings have been washed and panned to produce tails of visible gold in the concentrates. Rock chip samples from the mine dump consistently return high-grade gold values with results ranging up to 13.5 g/t.
The Company is currently permitting the planned drill programs with the BLM in preparation for the Phase Two drill program.
HDG controls approximately 6,300 acres (9.8 square miles) or 5,550 hectares and has now completed detailed sampling of a number of the target areas which were identified through the initial regional work. A total of 430 surface rock samples have been collected thus far of which 52 have returned gold grades of greater than 1 g/t (12.09%). HDG has obtained results from past work in the district by Cambior Exploration and Astral Mining. These companies collected a total of 740 rock samples of which 89 exceed 1 g/t (12.03%).
The Gold Springs property is under option from Fronteer Gold Inc. ("Fronteer"). High Desert Gold Corporation can earn a 60% interest over a five-year period by spending US$1 million on exploration and paying Fronteer US$160,000.
Assays were performed in Reno, Nevada by Inspectorate Laboratories, an ISO 9001:2000 Certified laboratory. Gold was analyzed by fire assay of a 30 g sample with an AA finish.
The Qualified Person on the Gold Springs project is Randall Moore, EVP Exploration and a certified professional geologist. He has reviewed the content of this press release.
Source: High Desert Gold Corporation