Significant New Gold/Silver Zone At Wind Mountain
VANCOUVER - Fortune River Resource Corp. reported that a significant new zone of gold and silver mineralization has been intersected at the Wind Mountain Au-Ag project in the Walker Lane gold trend in western Nevada . Four holes were completed for a total of 1,390 meters during a recent reverse circulation drilling program: three holes penetrated their intended targets and one hole was lost short due to drilling problems.
Hole WM08016 is located immediately west of the historic Wind Pit and intersected 20m averaging 1.2 g/t Au and 30.0 g/t Ag within a broader zone of 56m averaging 0.71 g/t Au and 20.7 g/t Ag, with true thicknesses estimated to be 15.3m and 34.6m, respectively. This new mineralized zone lies along the Wind Mountain fault at an elevation that is approximately 150m below the base of the Wind Pit, which is consistent with the Company's interpretation that the fault is an important "feeder" structure for the large halo of relatively low-grade gold and silver mineralization that was historically mined. Alteration in the new mineral zone includes strong silicification, with the strongest mineralization within and immediately above a hydrothermal breccia. A second hydrothermal breccia lies along the lower portion of the mineralized zone, but it contains lower grade than the upper hydrothermal breccia at that elevation.
The company plans to resume drilling to offset holes down dip and along strike of WM08016. The new program will include 2500m in 6-8 reverse-circulation drill holes.
President Joe Kizis commented, "We believe the thick mineralized intercept in WM08016 confirms our interpretation that the Wind Mountain fault zone was a major feeder, or channelway, for gold mineralization. The grade of the 20m intercept in WM08016 is nearly twice the average grade of the previously mined (heap leach) deposit, which was 0.685 g/t Au. Mineral and precious metal zoning within the fault changes from barren calcite near surface to calcite + quartz with weakly anomalous Au and Ag at intermediate depths, to Au + Ag mineralized quartz with hydrothermal breccias at recently tested depths (see longitudinal section). Our next round of drilling will test deeper levels of the fault, where bonanza grades may occur. Our recent drilling is the deepest test of the Wind Mountain fault to date, which is only 275 m down dip of the surface exposure of the fault. The fault can be traced on surface for at least 3,400 m, so there is potential for significant tonnage both down dip and along strike."
The company recently received a NI43-101 compliant resource estimate that includes a total Measured plus Indicated Resource for the project as 33.7 million tons above a cutoff grade of 0.0075 opt Au (0.257 g/t Au), with an average grade of 0.012 opt gold (0.411 g/t Au), containing 406,000 ounces of gold. The report also estimates an Inferred Resource of 9.8 million tons above a cutoff grade of 0.0075 opt Au, with an average grade of 0.009 opt Au (0.308 g/t Au), containing 92,000 ounces of gold. The report further states, "the inferred resource is enveloped by over 74 million tons of material averaging 0.006 opt Au (0.205 g/t Au for 444,000 ounces gold) that is not regarded as potentially economic at this time, but may become so in the future."
Wind Mountain is being acquired via an earn-in agreement with Agnico-Eagle (USA) Limited , a subsidiary of Agnico-Eagle Mines, Limited, and is one of the Fortune River 's five low-sulfidation gold/silver properties being explored in the highly prospective Walker Lane Gold trend in northwestern Nevada .
The company's address is Suite 1100, 1199 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 3T5, (604) 684-9384, fax: (604) 688-4670.