Apr 24 2013
Expedition Mining Inc. (the "Company") is pleased to provide this update on their four properties within the Walker Lane Mineral Belt, Nevada. These properties are Long Canyon, Black Hills and Jenny Hill, all located in Mineral County and Slate Mountain located in Churchill County.
LONG CANYON PROPERTY
This property is located 200 kms southeast of Reno and 16 kms southeast of the historic mining community of Mina, Nevada. Rock sampling has returned gold values up to 1.7 g/t over 3 m chip samples and up to 9.7 g/t gold and 529 g/t silver in grab samples. The property hosts an extensive siliceous zone containing strongly anomalous mercury (to 155,000 ppm), antimony (to 987 ppm) and arsenic (to 2790 ppm) values. The exploration target on the Long Canyon project is high grade, structurally controlled, precious metal mineralization. Long Canyon has never been drill tested.
Work carried out by Expedition has identified several structural trends associated with multi-element soil anomalies, and surface gold assays to 9.7 g/t. These structural zones trend dominantly north-northeast and northwest, and intersect beneath the extensive siliceous zone which occupies the central portion of the property. This siliceous cap contains generally low gold values, and is believed to represent the uppermost level of the hydrothermal system, indicating that the entire system may be present. The gold bearing veins are only exposed at lower stratigraphic levels which occur in the drainages.
Geophysical surveys carried out by previous operators have identified northeasterly trending chargeability anomalies associated with the surface gold bearing zones. As expected, the siliceous cap manifests as a Resistivity High overlying the chargeability anomaly. The northwesterly trending zone of veining identified during the mapping and soil sampling program of 2012/2013 correlates very well with a northwest chargeability and resistivity anomaly across the southern portion of the property. This trend correlates with the overall orientation of the Walker Lane and may represent dykes associated with the volcanic sequences in the area. A magnetic survey carried out in 2007 also shows a strong Magnetic High underlying the northeasterly trending silicified zone.
The north-northeast trend is characterized by swarms of narrow quartz veins with a general northerly orientation and sub-vertical dip. These veins range from less than 1 cm to greater than 1 m in thickness. At least two of these NNE zones have been identified to date, which can be up to 250 m wide. Veins within the NW trending zone show a greater variation in dip attitude from -45 to vertical, and are generally oriented sub-parallel to the overall Walker Lane Belt. The vein widths within the northwest trend are similar to those in the NNE set.
Structurally the Long Canyon project area is dominated by strands of the northwest trending Walker Lane Fault Zone. Walker Lane structures, and arcuate splays from the main faults, trend across the property and are exposed in many of the drainages. The northerly trending structures extend through the Pilot Mountains to the north, and are covered by pediment fans to the south. The intersections of these structural zones are believed to be important localizing features for the mineralization encountered at the nearby Belleville Mine and the deposits of the Douglas Camp to the west.
The soil geochemical survey was carried out at 20 m sample intervals along lines spaced 100 m apart. The sample lines were oriented east west to be perpendicular to the dominant structures. Gold values of up to 1.53 g/t were received from the soil sampling program, which showed the anomalous gold values generally flanking the Resistivity High. The 1.5 g/t gold in soil sample was collected from an area which is projected to be the intersection of an easterly trending structure and a series of northerly trending veins, and is coincident with an IP target. Rock sampling from the 2013 program has confirmed the values reported by earlier sampling and includes up to 1.16 g/t gold over 5 m within a shear zone. The highest value rock samples were also located within or adjacent to the IP target.
Compilation of the mapping, geophysical data and rock sampling information, is expected to provide targets for the next phase of work which will require mechanical trenching to expose the anomalous zones for systematic channel sampling. This trenching program will commence early Summer.
BLACK HILLS, JENNY HILL and SLATE MOUNTAIN
A total of 2041 samples were collected during the recently completed soil geochemical survey on Black Hills. The Jenny Hill soil grid is located 2 kms to the northeast of the Black Hills project and consisted of 478 soil samples. The Slate Mountain soil grid consisted of 705 samples on the east flank of Slate Mountain, approximately 10 kms north of Black Hills. These projects are all located within the Walker Lane Belt and in proximity to the operating Rawhide Mine. Compilation of the geochemical surveys with the historical data is underway and results will be released as soon as completed.
"The Company continues to be encouraged by the results we are receiving from our four Nevada gold properties. We look forward to the completion of our mapping, rock and soil sampling programs and moving forward with further exploration to bring one or more of these properties to the drill-ready stage in the very near future. The Company is sufficiently funded for further 2013 exploration and a phase one drill program, should the Company deem it prudent", states Ron Atlas, President and Chief Executive Officer.
Expedition's disclosure of a technical or scientific nature in this press release has been reviewed and approved by James Chapman, P.Geo, who serves as a qualified person under the definition of National Instrument 43-101.