Drilling Commences At Mineral Ridge Gold Project
VANCOUVER, BC - Scorpio Gold Corporation has commenced its 2011 drilling program on the Mineral Ridge gold project in Esmeralda County, Nevada. This drilling represents the start of a budgeted 43,200 feet aggressive three-phase drill program for the year.
Phase I drilling is designed to expand and upgrade the existing mineral resource estimate in the vicinity of the existing pits scheduled for mining this year. Phase II is designed to further expand the resource base and define additional open pits. Phase III is focused on a property-wide exploration scale to target numerous gold-bearing mineralized zones/structures discovered during the Company's surface exploration program. Phase I drilling is budgeted for 10,800 feet (3,292 metres) and is planned for completion in advance of commencement of open pit mining, scheduled for March 2011 subject to finalization of permitting. Phase I will include: Drilling along the north edge of the planned Mary North open pit, targeting the down dip extension of the 314 and Cord mineralized zones. Recent pit designs based on US$1,300 per ounce gold indicate additional drilling has the potential to extend the pit downward and merge two small subpits within the Mary North pit. Drilling of the Cord zone between the Mary North pit and the deeper Mary LC deposit along strike and to the southeast. Drilling between the Drinkwater and Mary North pits along the projected northwest strike of the mineralized body. Previous drilling indicates a large area of gold mineralization that is open in two directions. Deep drilling to the northwest of the Drinkwater pit in an area previously mined and drilled by underground methods. Limited surface drilling in this area indicates that the underground drilling may have missed significant mineralization. Drilling of potential open pit mineralization along strike and to the northwest of the existing Drinkwater pit. Phase II drilling is budgeted for 25,000 feet and is scheduled to begin in late March of this year. Phase II will include: Drilling of the Wedge B open pit area (1,000 feet) southwest from the Drinkwater pit. Drilling of the south Chieftain area (1,500 feet) west of the Drinkwater pit, to follow-up on historical drilling that intersected a significant gold-bearing quartz body. Drilling of the north Chieftain area, (1,500 feet) west of the Drinkwater pit, where gold bearing quartz veins outcrop. Drilling of the Solberry deposit, (3,000 feet) west of the Drinkwater pit, where previous shallow reverse circulation (RC) drilling has defined a small, near surface deposit. Numerous gold bearing, shallow quartz "ledges" outcrop over this area. Drilling of the Bluelite deposit (3,500 feet) west-southwest of the Drinkwater pit, where previous shallow RC drilling has defined a near surface gold deposit of unknown extent. Drilling of the Custer zone (3,500 feet), which is the southeast strike projection of the Mary LC pit mineralization. Historical drilling indicates widespread gold mineralization in this area. Phase III drilling is budgeted for 7,400 feet and is scheduled to begin in April of this year. The company's address is 511-475 Howe Street, Vancouver, BC V6C 2B3, (604) 678-9639, fax: (604) 602-9640, email: [email protected].