Drilling aims to rouse Sleeper

Vancouver — Partners New Sleeper Gold (NWS-V) and X-Cal Resources (XCL-T) have launched another round of drilling at the Sleeper property in Nevada.

The companies plan to spend at least US$5 million this year exploring their jointly held, 30-sq.-mile gold property in Humboldt Cty. Two drills are already on site; initially, the joint venture will carry out 55,000 ft. of core and reverse-circulation (RC) work.

The companies note that half the program is “discretionary” and will be allocated as results determine, though the overall goal is to discover and outline sufficient reserves and resources to revive the dormant Sleeper gold mine. Known for its high-grade ores, Sleeper operated for about a decade until 1996 and produced 1.7 million oz.

Last year, the partners carried out geochemical and geophysical surveys, mapping and sampling, and 75,000 ft. of core and RC drilling to refine known targets and generate new ones.

Among the targets to be tested this year is the Range Front Fault target, east of the Sleeper pit. Other targets near the Sleeper pit will also be tested, along with extensions of mineralization known to exist elsewhere on the property.

Drilling is also planned for the Alma, Electrum and Mohawk targets, about 3 miles southwest of the Sleeper pit. Four holes will test high-grade mineralization encountered last year at the West Wood target, which is currently being modelled. Some of the better results from this advanced target include 179.3 ft. averaging 0.35 oz. gold and 6.9 oz. silver per ton, and 89.7 ft. averaging 0.3 oz. gold and 3.11 oz. silver.