Ximen Mining updates Brett epithermal gold project, British Columbia

Ximen Mining Corp. [TSXV-XIM; FSE-1XMA; OTC-XXMMF] reported that it has completed its first hole of the 2024 drill program at its Brett epithermal gold project near Vernon, southern British Columbia.

The objective of the drill program is to extend the Main Zone to the southeast and at depth, and to test for extensions to the New Discovery Zone (located east of the Main Zone).

Hole B24-01 targeted the Main Zone and intersected a hydrothermally altered and faulted zone in the hanging wall (from 38.43 to 42 m) and footwall (51.84 to 58.66 m) of an altered and amethyst-bearing feldspar porphyry dike. This is the Main zone, which consists of clay alteration and fault gouge containing fragments of vein quartz with disseminated pyrite.

Outside of the zone, rock types include light green basalt (weakly altered with calcite, hematite, jasper and 2-5% disseminated pyrite), mafic volcanic breccia (locally clay altered clast with disseminated pyrite), and dark green basalt that is locally calcite altered with disseminated pyrite 2-4%.

This hole confirmed that the Main Zone consists of a fault zone that cuts hydrothermally altered and veined rocks intruded by a porphyry dike. A western zone of anomalous gold may correlate with altered volcanic rocks containing disseminated pyrite.

A second drill hole is being drilled from the same site, which is designed to go through the Main Zone and test down dip of an intercept in hole 04-06, reported as 11.35 grams per tonne over a core length of 1.3 meters. This intercept is hosted by volcanic tuff containing amethyst-bearing quartz calcite veinlets.

The Brett project (20,043 hectares) covers low-sulfidation epithermal-style gold mineralization hosted in Eocene Penticton Group volcanic rocks. Epithermal-style gold mineralization was discovered in 1983, and a 291 tonne surface bulk sample was shipped to the smelter at Trail, BC in the 1990s that averaged 27.74 g/t gold and 63.7 g/t silver.

Multiple zones of mineralization occur over a two-km strike, including both bulk-mineable and bonanza high grade styles. Ximen conducted LiDAR and airborne magnetic surveys over parts of the Brett property in 2022. Interpretation, 3D modeling and target refinement were then completed in preparation for the 2024 drilling program.