American Pacific Mining Corp. reported that drilling has started at its Nevada Gooseberry Silver Project.
Gooseberry CSAMT with Vein Interpretations and Proposed Phase II Drilling. Image Credit: American Pacific Mining Corp.
The planned 15-hole, up to 3048 m (10,000 feet) Phase II drill program will concentrate on testing the extension of the Gooseberry Vein and the Elderberry and Strawberry Zones—new targets that were created in 2022 through analysis of soil geochemistry, clay spectral imagery, mapping, and integrated controlled source audio-frequency magnetotellurics (CSAMT) geophysics that was wrapped up in 2022.
Exploration data that we compiled, including CSAMT geophysics, soil geochemistry, and newly received spectral imagery, has helped us home in on the Elderberry and Strawberry Veins as key priority targets for this Phase II drill program. A past criticism of Gooseberry was that it was a single vein mine; however, exploration work completed in 2022 revealed there are at least three additional vein showings at Gooseberry and we are excited to drill these emerging targets and better understand the extent of mineralization at the project.
Eric Saderholm, President, American Pacific Mining Corp.
About The Gooseberry Project
The Ramsey Mining District’s historical investigation in this area was mainly limited to the existing Gooseberry Vein’s potential expansions to the east and west and projections. The parallel or cross-cutting veins and structures received minimal effort. There has not been any recorded past property-wide geochemical or geophysical study.
American Pacific is dedicated to executing a thorough investigation and assessment of the entire property and believes that this strategy could provide substantial exploration benefits that go well beyond the region that held past production.
This comprehensive method makes use of established techniques, such as mapping, rock sampling, soil geochemistry, and structural work using an air-photo stereoscope. This extensive endeavor also makes use of more recent exploration techniques, such as satellite images, CSAMT geophysics, and clay species spectral analysis.
When mining and development operations were being conducted in the past, these specialized exploration methods were either underdeveloped or nonexistent.
High-level epithermal quartz/carbonate veins with silver and gold content comprise the mineralization at the property. These veins were emplaced in the Miocene Alta and Kate Peak Formations as intermediate volcanic lavas and tuffs.
The substantial, historic Comstock Lode districts, situated 17 km southwest of the property, were formed within rocks of similar age and composition.
In the late 1800s, the Comstock Mines generated 8 million ounces of gold and 270 million ounces of silver. In 1906, the Gooseberry Vein was discovered. On the property, larger-scale mining operations started in 1975 and concluded in early 1992. In 2021, American Pacific restarted the exploration once again.
Technical Summary
The CSAMT data were gathered in the summer of 2022 by Zonge Engineering technicians in Reno, and they were then analyzed by a licensed geophysicist in Elko, Nevada. Technicians from American Pacific gathered soil samples in H2/2022.
Samples were sent to Paragon Laboratories in Sparks, Nevada, where they were examined using the assay code “50AR-MS” for the presence of silver, gold, and trace elements. By the end of 2022, American Pacific had collected all the sampling results.