James Bay Minerals (ASX: JBY) has commenced drilling at the Independence gold project, located in Lander County, Nevada, USA, an exciting step in advancing the Company's strategic growth plan.
Following a comprehensive review of previous drill data, the initial phase of drilling plans to deliver the maximum value to the Project. A mix of RC and Diamond drilling will be completed as part of an initial programme of approximately 2,000m drilled.
“We are thrilled to advise that drilling has commenced at the Independence project with a carefully thought-out plan that prioritises key targets designed to deliver immediate value," Executive Director, Andrew Dornan, commented.
"The focus on both central and southern areas, combined with our strategic approach to drilling, will provide vital geological data and help confirm the prospectivity of the project. With both RC and diamond drilling underway, we are optimistic about the potential to expand on historical results and uncover new, high-grade mineralisation. We look forward to updating the market as drilling progresses and results come in."
Drilling Overview
The first phase of drilling will focus on the central part of the Independence project. This phase will include a combination of diamond and reverse circulation (RC) drilling designed to test the extension of mineralisation both at depth below the current Mineral Resource and to the east, an area that has never previously been drill tested.
Diamond drilling aims to provide a clearer understanding of the structural controls on high-grade mineralisation related to the intersection of the northwest-striking ‘Sunshine System’ with the south-striking breccia trends.
The company is targeting several key extensions to enhance the prospectivity of the Project and gather critical geological information that will lead into the development of a substantial expansional drilling programme across all prospects throughout 2025.
Sunshine System
Recent rock chip sampling and mapping has successfully delineated two major northwest-striking faults, termed Sunshine and Moonlight. These faults are distinct from the Independence Breccia Trends, that were the sole focus of all historic drilling, as they typically exhibit porphyry dykes intruding along their strike length.
These NW faults are traceable to the Sunshine Pit that was previously mined for gold and base metals, leading to the collection of faults being called the ‘Sunshine System’. Critically, the highest-grade rock chips and historic drill intercepts are located where the Sunshine System intercepts the Breccia Trends.
Following a comprehensive review of historic data and drill chips, a third northwest fault, termed ‘Daylight’, is interpreted to dissect the central portion of the project. The planned diamond drill holes will aim to confirm the presence of high-grade mineralisation related to the Daylight Fault and test below the current Mineral Resource extent.
Two RC holes are planned in the east of the project. The first will target the intersection of the Moonlight Fault with a chert-breccia mineralised trend that was recently discovered through rock chip sampling. The second RC hole will target the Sunshine Fault, where rock chip sampling has returned exceptional results, including 16.6g/t Au, 14.5g/t Au and 11.7g/t Au (I-243).
