Reviewed by Alex SmithMay 10 2022
American Pacific Mining Corp. (“American Pacific” or the “Company”) is delighted to share an update on its Tuscarora Gold Project in Nevada (the “Project”), which includes drill program progress and the staking of new claims to expand the land package.
American Pacific Mining Corp. –Satellite Base. Image Credit: American Pacific Mining Corp.
At the Project, the Company has completed 13 holes of a targeted 17,000 m (up to 70 holes) drill program. The results of the initial assays are expected in the following weeks.
Drilling has thus far concentrated on the Modoc Target’s south and central areas, where the Company reported high-grade rock chip and capture samples containing up to 2,850 grams per ton (“g/t”) gold (“Au”) and 1,460 g/t silver (“Ag”) in 2021. The land surrounding Modoc, which American Pacific purchased in 2021, has never been drilled before.
The Company has also staked additional 53 claims totaling 1,095 acres slightly north of the Modoc veins, which extend onto Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land. Tuscarora is presently a 5,370-acre project with 268 claims.
Drilling continues along the Modoc vein set on the western portion of our property. Last week we acted swiftly and staked an additional 53 claims north of the current Modoc drilling after observing evidence that the Modoc structure continued north of our previous property boundary.
Eric Saderholm, President, American Pacific Mining Corp.
Saderholm also added, “Our plans have been modified to drill in this area as we move north along the Modoc veins acquired last year. Modoc is one of several priority targets at Tuscarora and drilling will shift to the silver/gold veins associated with the Grand Prize area in the coming weeks.”
In numerous holes, the Company has discovered visible gold in reverse circulation drill cuttings and extensive sluice box samples, as well as some assay discrepancies in reproducibility. It indicates that some of the coarse gold and silver found in the Tuscarora District may have escaped detection during standard assaying procedures.
Most assay lab processes are designed to define smaller grained or microscopic gold, and they typically work well for deposits holding gold in the finer fractions.
In collaboration with the Reno-based lab, American Pacific has implemented new sample and assaying techniques, including finer grinding and specialized assaying protocols, to help produce more representative gold and silver readings. Although the Company thinks that this change is crucial in providing correct assays, the implementation of these new methods has created a delay in receiving final results.
The Company plans to drill additional 50 holes in 2022, focusing on numerous high-priority targets, including Grand Prize Target, where bonanza grade surfaces rock samples contained up to 21,032 g/t Au and 38,820 g/t Ag, as reported by the Company in 2021.