Viva Gold to drill Tonopah gold project, Nevada
Viva Gold Corp. [TSXV: VAU; OTCQB: VAUCF] has mobilized a reverse circulation drill rig to its Tonopah gold project in Nevada and work is expected to commence in the coming days.
The immediate work program will include completing approximately 15 to 20 drill holes before year-end. The United States Bureau of Land Management has approved the construction of 25 new drill pad locations for current and future use. Of these 25, approximately 21 are focused on infill and step-out drilling within the immediate 2022 PEA mineral resource area and four are focused on exploration targets within the company’s larger claim block.
The exploration drill hole locations were defined using geophysical data and the presence of favourable lithology and structure. As part of this program, the company anticipates permanently placing at least three to five piezometers in drill holes as they are completed and abandoned to capture data for use in groundwater modelling. Groundwater water baseline study is key part of Viva’s continuing work program with the goal of ensuring a smooth and efficient permitting process.
“We believe that we have developed a strong series of drill targets for this program to follow up on our very successful program that was executed earlier this year. We are targeting areas of inferred mineralization where additional drill confirmation is needed, as well as poorly drilled, undefined areas of potential mineralization within the resource pit boundary. We also anticipate completing some limited exploration drilling outside the primary resource area to help determine the larger potential of this project. Additional work includes the placement of groundwater data measurement infrastructure as part of our commitment to moving this project forward to feasibility study and permitting,” stated James Hesketh, president and CEO.
The Tonopah project sits in the middle of gold mining country about a half-hour drive south of the Round Mountain mine owned by Kinross Gold and controls a major land position on the prolific Walker Lane trend in Western Nevada. Viva has consistently grown its resources since 2018. The company plans additional drilling and to update the resource model for use in completing an updated preliminary economic assessment of the project.