Great Western Mining reports 'compelling evidence' from Rock House sampling

Great Western Mining Corporation announced the results of its recently-completed soil sampling survey at the Rock House area on its properties in Mineral County, Nevada on Friday.

The AIM-traded firm reported that the soil survey delivered “compelling evidence” for mineralisation in the previously-unexplored and unmined area of the properties.

It said the survey had clearly identified three separate highly-prospective zones of mineralisation, which would be followed up as shortly with further exploration work.

The three zones identified were designated the ‘Eastern Shear Zone’, the ‘Southern Alteration Zone’ and the ‘Northern Slate Zone’.

At the Eastern Sheer Zone, Great Western said the soil sampling had identified an area of around 35,000 square metres enriched in gold, copper, lead, and antimony.

The sampling reportedly verified the positive results of rock sampling carried out during a field campaign earlier in 2019, the best sample results of which were 0.24 grams of gold per tonne and 0.13% copper.

It said the Eastern Shear Zone was an “intensely deformed” zone of argillised and hematised limestone and siltstone, which could be traced for 200 metres along strike.

The company said it would now apply to the US Federal Bureau of Land Management for a surface disturbance exemption permit, to facilitate the testing of the shear zone with shallow percussion drilling.

At the Northern Slate Zone, analysis of soil samples taken within a defined area of 700,000 square metres indicated areas of gold enrichment, together with the presence of copper and nickel.

The slate zone was situated along the northern contact of the Golconda-Candelaria thrust fault, which the board described as a regional controlling feature playing a “prominent role” in the nearby Candelaria silver deposits which had been commercially mined on a large scale.

With the soil samples now analysed, a further and closer-spaced soil programme focussed on specific zones of the most interest would be carried out when ground conditions permitted, after the winter break-up.

Depending on the results, that could be followed by a geophysical survey, targeting potential buried ore zones similar to those found in the Candelaria silver district.

At the Southern Alteration Zone, sampling in that area revealed moderate gold and silver signatures, together with “very strong” antimony, arsenic and tungsten elements, which were commonly associated with gold and silver deposits.

The zone was said to be “clearly visible” from satellite imagery, appearing as a bright white zone of intense alteration within a dark sedimentary package.

Geological mapping had revealed strong phyllic and silica alteration signatures in the vicinity, Great Western reported.

It said the alteration zone was exposed at surface for more than 300 metres, before becoming buried under more recent volcanic tuffs in the west and alluvium in the east.

To date, no surface rock sampling had been conducted in the zone, which would form part of the next stage of exploration work.

Provided that surface results met expectations, a round of shallow drilling or trenching would then be carried out.

“The results of this soil sampling exercise show the Rock House group of claims to be an exciting target with high potential for precious metals and analogous to the nearby prolific Candelaria silver mines,” said chairman Brian Hall.

“Unlike the Mineral Jackpot area in the Black Mountain group to the west, for which soil sampling also produced positive results for precious metals, the Rock House group has never previously been mined and its potential was initially identified through very clear satellite imagery, now supported and verified by sampling on the ground.”

“The terrain at the Rock House group is easily accessible, which will make further exploration work relatively straightforward to accomplish.”

At 1327 GMT, shares in Great Western Mining were down 9.8% at 0.12p.