Follow-up Drilling Campaign On West Oatman Trend Near Moss Mine
VANCOUVER - Northern Vertex Mining Corp. reported the initiation of a seven-hole drill program to follow up on and expand known mineralization on the regional West Oatman Trend. The West Oatman vein system runs parallel to the Moss vein and has similar characteristics. Previous drilling has defined mineralization along approximately one kilometer of strike. Mineralization remains open along strike and at depth. The drill program is designed to follow up on recent and historic drilling which returned multiple significant intercepts including hole AR20-259R: 53.34 meters grading 0.81 g/t gold and 14.77 g/t silver (1.01 g/t AuEq), including 18.29 meters grading 1.55 g/t gold and 35.19 g/t silver (2.02 g/t AuEq), where AuEq = Au + Ag/75.
The West Oatman drill program is expected to run in parallel with ongoing brownfields exploration in and around the Moss Mine, including the high-grade Ruth Vein. Key Points: The West Oatman target is located only 2.3 kilometers from the Moss Mine; West Oatman vein system appears to be analogous to the Moss Mine veins system; Moss and West Oatman are part of the historic Oatman mining district which is known to have produced more than two million ounces of gold; Initial follow up will be comprised of 800 meters of diamond core drilling in seven holes to test the system along strike and at depth; and Previous drilling indicates that the West Oatman vein system contains gold and silver mineralization along a strike length of at least 1,000 meters, and that mineralization appears to increase in both grade and thickness with depth.
President, Michael G. Allen, said, "Central to our objective of creating value for Northern Vertex shareholders is articulating the regional upside of the Moss Property, which is in an area that has historically produced more than two million ounces of gold. After consolidating multiple historical databases, we are pleased to present recent and previously unreleased drill results from one of our most high priority targets, West Oatman. By following up with core drilling, our goal is to rapidly determine the geometry and controls of the gold and silver mineralization at a target where we see significant potential for expansion."
The West Oatman Target is a bulk tonnage exploration target located on the south side of Silver Creek, approximately 2.3 kilometers to the south of the Moss Mine. Exploration is currently focused on the fault-hosted West Oatman vein system, which is exposed on surface as a large area of well-developed epithermal quartz-calcite veins, breccia, and stockwork. The host fault has been mapped for over 4.5 kilometers and is interpreted to be an extension of the Gold Road structure to the southeast. The West Oatman vein system is similar to the Moss vein system that is currently being mined.
Mapping, surface sampling, and previous drilling on the West Oatman Target have indicated that the West Oatman vein system is potentially mineralized over a strike length of at least one kilometer, with the host structure striking 290 degrees and dipping approximately 65 degrees to the northeast. Vein, stockwork, and breccia widths vary from less than a meter to approximately 30 to 50 meters in width in breccia-filled dilation zones. Limited drilling of the West Oatman vein system at depth indicates that mineralized intersections appear to increase in both grade and thickness with depth.
Northern Vertex in 2014 collected 267 surface rock chip and channel samples from along a one-kilometer strike length of the West Oatman vein system. The sampling yielded average values of 0.50 g/t Au and 3.72 g/t Ag, with individual samples ranging from below detection to 8.19 g/t Au and 51.50 g/t Ag.
The West Oatman vein system is open along strike to the east and west, and at depth.
Northern Vertex drilled 894.2 m in 13 HQ diameter diamond core drillholes (2017) and 121.1 m in a single Reverse Circulation (RC) drillhole (2020) at the West Oatman Target. Drill results for Northern Vertex's 2017 drilling on the West Oatman Target were not previously released. Results from drillhole AR20-259R (see News Release dated August 12, 2020), which tested the structure at depth, support the apparent increase in mineralization intersection grade and thickness with depth indicated by the historic Reynolds Metals drilling.