Blackrock Gold kicks off fully funded drill program at Silver Cloud

Blackrock Gold Corp (CVE:BRC) revealed that a fully funded 2,000 metre (m) drill program has started at the Silver Cloud project in Nevada, USA. 

Initial work consists of core drilling, with four holes planned to follow up on past high-grade intercepts reported by Teck Resources Limited (NYSE:TECK), including 158g/t gold over 1.5m, and by Placer Dome, which found 5.5g/t of the yellow metal over 12m, the firm said in a statement.

Modelling by the firm suggests historic high-grade intercepts may be associated with an east-west vein system rather than the north-south system that guided previous interpretations, it added.

READ: Blackrock Gold uncovers eight new veins on Silver Cloud property in Nevada

“Our geologic interpretation suggests that a low sulphidation epithermal, east-west oriented, precious metal vein system runs between the Silver Cloud mercury mine and Northwest Canyon, located 2km directly to the west,” said Andrew Pollard.

“The initial drilling program is designed to target precisely where Teck and Placer Dome intersected high-grade gold. With the availability of new data, we are re-orienting the drills, turning them by 90 degrees, which will allow us to test the east-west extent of the vein system.”

Pollard said that if Blackrock is correct, the company should hit the Main vein and a sub-parallel hanging wall at both ends, which would represent around 2km of strike on one of the “highest-grade gold belts on the planet”.

Silver Cloud lays directly adjacent to Hecla Mining Company‘s (NYSE:HL) Hollister mine and is a former Teck and Placer Dome project where limited drilling between 2000 and 2003 yielded multiple high-grade intercepts at both the Silver Cloud mine and Northwest Canyon targets.

Potential for five veins

Modelling shows potential for five veins within the Silver Cloud vein zone, said the firm.

Past drill intercepts within 200 metres of the 1,500m elevation reported by previous operators have gold values ranging between 3 g/t gold and 158 g/t gold and, as such, Blackrock has designed its drill program around that preferred elevation.

The firm said that up to 10,000m of drilling among five sites throughout the Silver Cloud vein zone had been permitted and bonded, which would allow Blackrock to expand the initial drill campaign if results warrant.

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Story by ProactiveInvestors