Ogee returns more high-grade

Underground drilling by Atna Resources (ATN-T) continues to yield high-grade gold values from the Ogee zone at the past-producing Pinson mine project in northeastern Nevada.

The latest batch of results is highlighted by hole no. 17, which yielded an 81.5-ft. core interval running 0.899 oz. gold per ton. The intersection is about 193 ft. from hole no. 4 — the first underground hole to test the structure late last year — which returned a 147.5-ft. intersection grading 0.97 oz. gold, including 54.6 ft. of 1.29 oz. gold and a 37.3-ft. interval of 1.32 oz.

The recent hole extends the Ogee mineralization to a depth of at least 420 ft. below the 4800-level adit and some 250 ft. along strike to the north.

Infill drilling on the zone is highlighted by:

• Hole 13 which cut multiple mineralized intervals, including 20.7 ft. grading 0.454 oz. per ton gold;
• Hole 15 — 61.5 ft. of 0.505 oz. per ton; and
• Hole 18 12.4 ft. of 0.451 oz. gold, and 22.3 ft. of 0.428 oz.

Hole no. 19 cut 27.5 ft. running 1.24 oz. gold; it twinned a previous hole that encountered 25.2 ft. of 1.17 oz.

Assays are pending from several other holes.

Atna has suspended drilling on Ogee until underground access is established; drilling continues on the Range Front zone.

The Ogee structure lies between the Range Front and CX zones, and Atna believes it may provide an early mining opportunity owing to its high grades and ready access from the existing adit.

The Ogee zone occurs in a decalcified limestone-siltstone collapse breccia within the lower member of the Ordovician-age Comus Formation, which is the principal host rock for mineralization at Pinson. Mineralization appears best developed near the intersection of the Ogee structure and the CX-West fault within the limy sequence below the capping shale.

Existing measured and indicated resources in the parallel Range Front and CX zones at Pinson total 1.75 million tons grading 0.3 oz. gold per ton, using a 0.15 oz. cutoff, while inferred resources add another 4.2 million tons of 0.32 oz. gold. At a cutoff of 0.25 oz., measured and indicated resources shrink to around 1.1 million tons averaging 0.35 oz., with another 3.05 tons of inferred material running 0.36 oz.

The estimates do not include the Ogee zone mineralization.

Atna can earn a 70% stake in Pinson from Barrick Gold (ABX-T, ABX-N). Atna says completion of the ongoing underground exploration and development program should meet its US$12-million earn-in requirement.