Gitennes drills Virgen for bulk-Tonnage potential

Though bad ground hindered the first phase of drilling on the Virgen gold property in north-Central Peru, assay results reveal potential for a low-grade, bulk-Tonnage deposit.

Gitennes Exploration (GIT-A) tested the Rio Surh zone with 13 diamond drill holes. Drilling proved to be difficult, and the highly fractured, oxidized and porous nature of the quartzite host rock resulted in poor core recovery.

Several of the holes were abandoned short of their targeted depth, owing to stuck drill rods.

The first five holes, previously reported in T.N.M., March 31/97, were drilled from the same setup on the northern section of the zone, though at different orientations.

Assay values were recently reported for the final eight holes, of which holes 6, 11A, 11B, 12 and 13 recovered little or no core.

Holes 6 and 7 were drilled 135 metres north of holes 1 to 5. Hole 7 was drilled in a west-northwesterly direction and returned 7.6 metres averaging 4.55 grams gold per tonne from a depth of between 27.7 and 35.6 metres.

Holes 8 through 13 were drilled in the southern portion of the zone, up to 340 metres south of holes 1 to 5.

Hole 9, which was collared 270 metres south of holes 1 to 5, encountered 153 metres averaging 0.46 gram from a depth of 4.57 to 157.58 metres (including 21.31 metres of 1.23 grams from 11 to 32.31 metres).

Stepping out 30 metres farther to the south, hole 10 intersected 192.47 metres averaging 3.3 grams from a depth of 6.1 to 198.57 metres (including 41.14 metres averaging 14.57 grams from 6.1 to 47.24 metres).

Hole 8 stepped out an additional 30 metres to the south and hit 149.34 metres averaging 1.52 grams from a depth of 3.05 to 152.39 metres (including 15.95 metres averaging 7.49 grams from 3.05 to 19 metres). All three holes were drilled to the west.

Farther to the south, holes 12 and 13 returned anomalous values. However, Gitennes believes the results are suspect because only a small amount of core was recovered in each of the holes. Core recoveries averaged 25% for hole 12 and 35% for hole 13.

The Rio Suro zone is a north-Trending body of highly fractured and brecciated quartzite, partially exposed over a length of 600 metres, a width of up to 280 metres (averaging 150 metres) and a vertical component of 90 metres.

Surface sampling shows the western half of the zone represents a 0.3-To-1-gram target, but the eastern half runs much higher, in the range of 1.5 to 3 grams and highlighted by high-grade areas returning 21.01 grams over 25.1 metres and 19.22 grams over 20.6 metres. Gitennes can acquire the property by spending US$1.5 million and paying US$800,000 over four years.