Bighorn Metals Corp. (CSE: HRNY) is advancing preparations for its initial exploration program at the Marietta Project in Nevada, the company announced, highlighting extensive historical mine workings and reported multi-metal occurrences across patented ground covering the historic Marietta Mines.
The project is located near several historical mine areas, including Endowment, Black Hawk, Silver Gulch, Birdsong and Badger. Historical records relating to the project report gold, silver and base-metal mineralization, providing multiple areas for systematic follow-up as part of the proposed exploration activities. As part of a broader geological review, the company also intends to evaluate whether the project warrants exploration for rare earth elements, though no mineral resource containing rare earth elements has been established and further geological assessment and analytical testing would be required to determine whether such exploration is warranted.
Historical records describe a network of mine workings across the project, including shafts, adits, declines, prospect pits and associated surface workings. These are expected to provide starting points for geological mapping, sampling and evaluation of geological controls on reported mineralization. Among the historical records reviewed is an unpublished 2008 report prepared by McMaster that reports a sample from the Black Hawk area assaying 186.59 ounces per ton silver. The company has not independently verified the location of the sample, the sampling methodology, analytical procedures or quality assurance/quality control procedures associated with this historical result, and the result should not be relied upon as being representative of mineralization on the project.
Historical sampling conducted on the project in April 2005 reportedly returned values of up to 66.1 g/t gold, 169 g/t silver and 4.3% copper, with samples reportedly analyzed by ALS Chemex under certificate RE05029674. Other reported results included values of up to 0.38% antimony, 0.15% bismuth and greater than 0.05% tellurium. These results are historical in nature and have not yet been independently verified by the company and its Qualified Person, and the company intends to further investigate them through its proposed exploration activities.
The proposed Phase I exploration program is expected to focus on the compilation and assessment of historical geological and exploration records, relocating and mapping historical workings, geological reconnaissance and targeted sampling of rock exposures, mine dumps and historical workings where access and safety conditions permit. Soil sampling and other surface exploration methods may also be undertaken to assist in identifying and prioritizing areas for further exploration. The program is intended to provide modern geological and analytical information to evaluate the historical information and assist in identifying and prioritizing potential exploration targets.
The scope, timing and completion of the proposed field activities remain subject to applicable permitting and access requirements, the availability of financing, personnel and contractors, weather and seasonal conditions, and other operating considerations. There can be no assurance that the proposed exploration activities will be completed as currently contemplated or at all.
The company has engaged Gregory C. Ferdock, M.Sc., C.P.G., to prepare an independent technical report in accordance with National Instrument 43-101. Ferdock, a consultant to the company and an independent Qualified Person, has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information in the announcement but has not yet completed a current personal inspection of the project or independently verified the historical sampling results. The full release is available through www.newmediawire.com.
The Marietta Project is in the Silver Star Mining District in the Excelsior Mountains, Mineral County, Nevada, and comprises 12 patented lode mining claims and an adjoining townsite parcel. Bighorn holds an exploration lease with an option to acquire a 100% undivided interest in the project. The company’s other property interest is the Loljuh porphyry copper-gold project in central British Columbia.
For investors, the announcement positions Bighorn at the start of a systematic, modern evaluation of a historically mined district, but the company’s repeated cautions that historical results are unverified and that field work depends on permits, access and financing mean the program’s outcomes remain uncertain. The potential addition of rare earth elements to the exploration thesis could broaden the project’s appeal, though the company has not established any rare earth resource and says further assessment and testing would be needed to determine whether exploration is warranted.
