Brimstone Gold cuts high grades at Mayflower mine in Montana

Junior Brimstone Gold (BSC-V) has intercepted bonanza-grade gold from underground drilling below known reserves at the Mayflower mine in south-central Montana.

The company encountered high-grade mineralization from two core holes that cut the Mayflower vein at a high angle.

Hole 38 intercepted 5.5 ft. of intensely sheared and brecciated mineralization grading 9.6 oz. gold and 28.2 oz. silver per ton from an eastern shoot of the main Mayflower fault zone. Visible gold occurs with dark gray quartz veinlets in a highly silicified and altered limestone host.

Vanadium-rich mica is also associated with gold mineralization. The drill hole cut the fault zone at a steep angle greater than 220 ft. below the lowest (1300) level in the mine. The true width of the structure is only 1.8 ft.

Hole 37 encountered 22.5 ft. (true width 7 ft.) averaging 2.8 oz. gold and 8.4 oz. silver per ton, 440 ft. below the 1300 level.

These holes, combined with three previous core holes, demonstrate the continuity of ore-grade values below the known mineralization. Anaconda mined the Mayflower 40 years ago, before transferring control to a private company. The mine, then known as the highest-grade operation in the state, produced 225,000 oz. gold and 875,000 silver from 143,700 tons of material, with grades averaging 1.5 oz. gold and 6.1 oz. silver per ton.

Brimstone is in the middle of a 15,000-ft. drilling program at the Mayflower, which began in December last year. The program completed 8,000 ft. on the western shoot of the Mayflower vein, and only just moved over to the eastern side in late May.

Allan Kirk, spokesman for Brimstone, says the drilling was generally not successful above the 1000 level. The company plans to drift over towards the vein at the 1200 level for access to several high-grade intercepts.

On the eastern side, five holes have been completed at the 1300 level, including holes 37 and 38. Brimstone’s next hole, which was collared recently, will test the vein 550 ft. below the 1300 level. Another hole is expected to evaluate the vein at shallower levels.

Brimstone expects to be finished with this round of drilling by the end of July, and, depending on the results, more drilling will follow. The purpose of the exploration is to outline a reserve of at least 50,000 oz. gold, says Kirk.

The company operates the Mayflower project under a small miner’s exclusion permit from the state of Montana and, because of its size, will not proceed with a formal feasibility study.

Brimstone anticipates mining 100 tons of material per day, and, because of the nature of the high-grade mineralization, the ore will be shipped directly to a mill in Helena. The company has already sent

700 tons for test purposes, with positive results.

Annual production is anticipated to approach 50,000 oz. gold plus as much as 200,000 oz. silver.

As part of the pre-development work, the company installed a new headframe, drained the mine below the 600 level, and rehabilitated the shaft. The headframe has the capacity to reach depths of 2,500 ft. below surface, or about 1,000 ft. below the present bottom.