Ximen Mining updates Brett Epithermal Gold Project, British Columbia
Ximen Mining Corp. [TSXV: XIM; FSE: 1XM; OTC: XXMMF] provided an update on hole 2 of its current drill program at its 100%-owned Brett epithermal gold project near Vernon, southern British Columbia.
Hole B24-02 has now been drilled from the same site as hole 1 just north of the Bonanza Zone. It was designed to test down dip of an intercept in hole 04-06, reported as 11.35 g/t over a core length of 1.3 metres, hosted by volcanic tuff containing amethyst-bearing quartz calcite veinlets.
Hole B24-02 encountered alternating units of volcanic flow and volcanic breccia to 74.67 metres, then bedded tuff to 115.3 metres, followed by volcanic flow with minor intervals of volcanic breccia to the end of the hole at 190.5 metres. No porphyry dike was intersected, indicating that the hole may have passed just east of or beneath the Main Zone.
Several intensely clay-silica altered zones with abundant pyrite mineralization and fault gouge were intersected between 37.46 and 155.12 metres. The total length of these altered intervals is 18.34 metres, amounting to 16%. Abundant pyrite (10%) occurs from 115.3 to 116.4 metres and grey quartz fragments occur in the altered zone at 117.0 to 118.5 metres. These altered zones are related to the Main Zone. Minor amethystine quartz occurs in the last meter of the hole in chlorite-epidote altered volcanic rock. This zone correlates with the target intercept in Hole B04-06.
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 1990’s that averaged 27.74 g/t gold and 63.7 g/t silver (Brett 2017 NI 43-101 report).
Multiple zones of mineralization occur over a 2 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.
The overall 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).