Ophir drills 1.68 g/t gold, 5 g/t silver over 22.8 metres at Breccia, Idaho
Ophir Gold Corp. [OPHR-TSXV; KPZIF-OTCQB; 80M-FSE] reported assay results for the final five holes of the 2021 drill program at the company’s flagship past-producing Breccia gold property located in Lemhi County, 40 km southwest of Salmon, Idaho. The company has an option to earn a 100% interest in the property over three years from Canagold Resources Ltd. [CCM-TSX; CRCUF-OTCQB; CAN-FSE], formerly Canarc Resource Corp., and DG Resource Management Ltd.
The drill program targeted the Breccia Gold Zone, which is situated within the larger Meadows Fault Zone. A total of 2,063.2 mETRES (~6,769 ft) over 10 holes were completed as part of the program, with results for the first set of drill holes announced December 1, 2021, highlighted by drill hole BG21-004 which returned 13.02 g/t gold and 46.6 g/t silver over 7.4 metrres. Core sample assays for the remaining five holes (BG21-005 through 009) of the 2021 drill program are reported in the company’s press release.
Highlights include hole BG21-06 that returned 1.68 g/t gold and 5.6 g/t silver over 22.8 metres, including 3.05 g/t gold and 10.4 g/t silver over 11.8 metres. Hole BG21-05 returned 0.02 g/t gold and 6,940 g/t siver over 9.5 metres. The bottom 9.5 metres of hole 005 returned very poor core recoveries and the grade may not be representative of the interval.
Company CEO Shawn Wescott commented: “We are pleased to report additional intervals of strong gold-silver mineralization in this final series of holes from our 2021 drill program at the Property. These results are very encouraging and build upon our first set of results that returned numerous gold-silver intervals, including BG21-004 that returned 7.4 metres of 13.02 g/t gold and 46.6 g/t silver. Our inaugural drill program at the Breccia Gold Zone has confirmed a much larger breccia system than was previously understood as well as demonstrated its potential for precious metal mineralization. We look forward to following up these results with additional drilling in the spring/summer 2022.”
A Controlled Source Audio-frequency Magnetotelluric (CSAMT) survey over the property was completed late last fall with the final dataset recently received. Ophir is currently incorporating the geophysical data into its geological model and will provide an update on the survey’s results shortly.
The company has submitted a five-year Plan of Operations to the United States Forestry Service for extended exploration of the Breccia Gold Property. The permit, once received, will allow the company to explore the property for five consecutive years, under the same authorization, providing significant advantages and flexibility for follow-up aggressive and expanded diamond drilling on the property in 2022. Coupled with the CSMAT data, the company intends to continue delineating the near-surface mineralized breccia unit with significantly more flexibility on pad locations, as well as guidance from the results of the 2021 drill program and the recently completed CSAMT survey.
The property is accessible by paved highway and a network of well-maintained gravel roads and is host to the historical Gahsmith Gold Mine.