Assays finally in on Miramar’s Bruner play

In Nevada, drilling on the Bruner property, owned by Miramar Mining (VSE), has returned encouraging intersections on the Duluth zone and on a previously identified zone southeast of the old Penelas mine.

Joint-venture partners Viceroy Resources (TSE) and Channel Resources (VSE) can earn a 50% interest in the property by spending US$1 million over two years, with an option to increase the interest to 60% by spending an additional US$1 million.

The drilling occurred last August and September, but assaying was delayed to allow the two companies to have the results assayed at an independent lab of their choice.

Previous drilling on the Duluth zone outlined a preliminary resource of about 15 million tons grading 0.026 oz. gold per ton.

Among the best results of the 1992 drilling, in and around the Duluth resource, are: an 80-ft. intersection from five to 85 ft. grading 0.039 in Hole B92-5; a 15-ft. intersection from surface grading 0.075 oz. gold in Hole B92-6; and a 95-ft. intersection from surface grading 0.027 oz. gold in Hole B92-7.

Three holes drilled on a previous discovery, southeast of the Penelas mine, returned mixed results.

Hole B92-16 was drilled updip from an old Newmont hole (95 ft. grading 0.052 oz. gold) and intersected 30 ft. grading 0.29 oz. gold. Hole B92-15 intersected lower-grade mineralized sections while the third hole returned no significant results.

Channel, operator under the current option, recently completed the first phase of a 13-hole program totaling almost 5,000 ft., in the pediment to the east of the Bruner patented claims. The company was trying to locate the source of highly mineralized surface float.

The drilling returned no significant results, however, leading Channel and Viceroy to reduce the option area to cover only the main workings in the southern portion of the project area.

The partners also completed two holes on strike from Penelas to test for a possible extension of mineralization. Results from the two holes were inconclusive and more drilling is planned to further test the area. An old, underground gold producer, Penelas dates back to the late 1930s and early 1940s. It is about 1,800 ft. southeast of the Duluth zone.