Benton Resources expands Great Burnt Main Zone, Newfoundland
Benton Resources Inc. [TSXV: BEX; OTC Pink: BNTRF] has successfully expanded the Great Burnt Main Zone (GBMZ), central Newfoundland, down plunge to 950 metres in strike length. Recent drilling confirms this expansion down plunge including drill hole GB-25-53, a 100 m step out from GB-23-45, that intersected 7.2 metres of heavy stringer and semi-massive copper mineralization.
Management believes the zone may be plunging slightly steeper than originally anticipated, so downhole geophysics will be completed to define the potential massive sulphide zone at depth for further drilling. Additionally, the company reports that infill hole GB-25-54, which targets a large gap in Benton’s 2023-24 drilling in the GBMZ, has successfully intersected 10.43 metres of stringer, semi-massive and massive sulphide mineralization reinforcing confidence in the continuity in the main deposit. GB-25-54 also intersected a second mineralized zone 8 m downhole from the above zone, which measures 10.76 m and consists of sulphide stringers and veins.
The current drill program, which totals 2,370 metres to date, has also targeted several new areas and zones, including the North Stringer/Footwall zones, various shallow magnetic and geophysical anomalies, and areas where highly anomalous Copper and Gold mineralization was discovered at surface. Most drill holes have intersected weak to strong mineralization that will be followed up after assays are received and compiled.
Stephen Stares, president and CEO, stated, “This project continues to show its amazing potential with every drill hole we complete. We’re rapidly putting a geological picture together with each successive work program that we complete. Our team has done a tremendous job and our modelling continues to improve for further understanding and targeting. I’m confident that many more discoveries will be made as we continue to explore our vast land package of 25 km in strike length.”
Benton has a 70% interest in the Great Burnt Copper-Gold Project with Homeland Nickel Inc. [TSXV: SHL] holding the remaining 30%, where they are funding their respective interest, with Benton as the project operator.
Benton is focused on advancing its high-grade Copper-Gold Great Burnt Project in central Newfoundland, which has a Mineral Resource estimate of 667,000 tonnes at 3.21% Cu Indicated and 482,000 at 2.35% Cu Inferred. The Project has an excellent geological setting covering 25 km of strike and boasts six known Cu-Au-Ag zones over 15 km that are all open for expansion. Further potential for discovery is excellent given the extensive number of untested geophysical targets and Cu-Au soil anomalies.
All drilling phases at Great Burnt to date have returned impressive results including: GB-23-02: 13.00 m of 8.31% Cu, including 3.00 m of 12.80% Cu. GB-23-04: 26.87 m of 7.18% Cu, including 11.16 m of 10.28% Cu.
Drilling at the South Pond Gold Zone, approximately 7.5 km north of the Great Burnt Copper-Gold Zone, has confirmed a robust gold-mineralized system over 2.5 km with robust results including SP-24-03 that returned 43.75 m of 1.62 g/t Au. SP-24-07: 74.20 m of 1.43 g/t Au.