Three drills now testing Granges’ B.C. gold bet

Probably better than most companies, Granges Exploration recognizes the importance of a drill hole. That fact alone best explains why the company will complete 15,000 to 20,000 ft of drilling this year on Windflower Mining’s Goldfinch property near Revelstoke, B.C. At this early stage, the property has the earmarks of at least a small producer, a hypothesis that could be proven out by year-end.

Granges originally planned 3,500 ft of drilling this season but results have been so encouraging that it has added another two drills. The three drill rigs are testing a major shear-fault structure that runs for at least 1,650 ft along strike and hosts gold in at least three separate lenses. Two of these zones are approximately 325 ft apart and drilling recently picked up a third and deeper zone.

The latest results included final assay confirmations on hole WIN-42 which returned 33.5 ft grading 0.73 oz gold including 5 ft of 4.3 oz. Hole WIN-49 returned 25.8 ft grading 0.22 oz gold including 12.3 ft averaging 0.3 oz. A 15-ft intercept in WIN-41 averaged 0.2 oz which included 3 ft of 0.48 oz and WIN-44 gave 18 ft grading 0.18 oz including 5 ft averaging 0.38 oz. All these are core lengths because it’s difficult to accurately determine true widths on a consistent basis owing to the changing dip of the vein structures. They dip from 50 degrees to vertical and occasionally reverse dip and pinch and swell along strike, notes Granges.

Generally widths vary from 6-10 ft and sometimes from 20-33 ft, according to George Zbitnoff, Granges’ vice-president exploration. Vein material is generally gold- bearing but higher grade values occur in shoots which is typical for this type environment. There is a tremendous amount of silicification in the area, notes Windflower President Gerald Ryznar, so the potential for expanding reserves is substantial.

Gold values have been found in 80% of the holes and the structure has been tested across 1,000 ft of strike and to a depth of approximately 500 ft. Hole spacing has been 100 ft but Granges has been “filling in the gaps” with close- spaced holes in order to assess tonnage and grade more accurately.

Some metallurgical test work is planned this winter and initial indications show the gold is associated with sulphides (pyrite, chalcopyrite) although some of it occurs in the free state. There is no arsenopyrite, so flow sheet design would be fairly straight-forward.

The geological staff have not found any large intrusive in the region which could be the source of the gold but they haven’t ruled out finding one eventually. The prospect is located on a major regional break and Granges points out that geophysics has not been much help as an exploration tool because of graphite in the host rock, so drilling has really told the story.

Mr Zbitnoff feels the project has a better-than-50-50 chance of being a producer and he argues they have “barely scratched the surface” of the project area. There is good road access right to the drill site and property elevation is approximately 3,500 ft. The company will keep drilling until weather conditions drive them out which should be by year-end.