Columbus Begins Permiting For Drilling At Two Nevada Gold Projects
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. April 20th, 2010. Columbus Gold Corporation (CGT: TSX-V) ("Columbus Gold" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has commenced the permitting process for drill programs at its Stevens Basin and Whitehorse Flats gold projects in Nevada.
Permitting is expected to take approximately 60 days and drilling is being planned to commence shortly thereafter, first at Stevens Basin and then at Whitehorse Flats.
Approximately 10,000 ft of drilling in 15 RC holes is planned at Stevens Basin and 5,000 ft of drilling in 10 RC holes is planned at Whitehorse Flats. Geophysical programs consisting of CSAMT and Mag are also planned at Stevens Basin to further define targets.
Stevens Basin is located on the Battle Mountain Gold Trend approximately 16 km (10 miles) west-southwest of Eureka and about 10 km (6 miles) east of Barrick Gold's Archimedes open pit gold mine. Whitehorse Flats is located 43 km (27 miles) south of Wendover. The property is 13 km (8 miles) east of the Kinsley Mine, which produced approximately 400,000 ounces of gold from a Carlin-type deposit mined by Cominco in the mid-1980's. Subject to net smelter returns royalties, Columbus Gold controls a 100% interest in the properties.
Stevens Basin
The claim block covers a 9 m by 30 m (30 ft by 100 ft) jasperoid (silicified limestone), which occurs at the base of a small hill of Devonian limestone, at the break in slope where bedrock passes under the gravel cover of Stevens Basin. Twelve samples of the jasperoid run from 1 to 2 g/t gold. Stevens Basin is an unusual semi-circular gravel basin surrounded by hills of Paleozoic sedimentary rocks, and is approximately 10-13 sq. km (4-5 sq. miles) in diameter. Columbus Gold's property is along the north margin of the basin. Mapping to date indicates the outcrop areas are mostly Devonian limestone, with areas of altered and mineralized intrusive and siltstone float.
Columbus has collected 100 grid geochemical samples in the covered areas adjoining the limestone hills or hill. Sampling was of the coarser chips screened from fine soil in areas of no outcrop. The sampling yielded a gold anomaly (all samples greater than 100 ppb, with a high of 1370 ppb and numerous samples exceeding 500 ppb) that arcs around the base of the hill for about 760 m (2,500 ft) in total length and 30-90 m (100-300 ft) in width. The gold anomaly coincides with significant anomalies of arsenic (from 100 to 1450 ppm), antimony (from 50 to 725 ppm), and mercury (from 1 to 70 ppm). The anomalous zone is still open in several areas. More sampling is necessary to define the overall shape and size of the anomaly, but drilling is clearly warranted by the results to date.
Whitehorse Flats
White Horse Flats covers three small hills and the surrounding pediment to the east. Exposures on the three hills are limestones and siltstones of Permian age, overlain by a cap of silicification. The silicification forms a discontinuous north to south belt approximately 2,130 meters long and up to 150 meters wide (7,000 ft long and up to 500 ft wide). Silicification varies from weak to strong with common liesegang banding and is almost everywhere anomalous in gold (from 30 to1,817 parts per billion gold), associated with anomalous arsenic, antimony, and mercury. The altered section is thought to dip east under shallow gravel cover and the property is positioned to cover this target. The mineralization is Carlin-type.
Detailed surface sampling by Columbus delineated a significant area approximately 165 m long and 60 m wide (550 ft long and 200 ft wide) yielding 16 samples ranging from 0.32 to 1.82 g/t gold. The zone which is covered with alluvium on its north and east sides presents an excellent target for drilling.
Andy Wallace is a Certified Professional Geologist (CPG) with the American Institute of Professional Geologists and is the Qualified Person under NI 43-101 who has reviewed and approved the technical contents of this news release. Mr. Wallace is a VP of Columbus Gold's wholly-owned US operating subsidiary, Columbus Gold (U.S.) Corporation and is the principal of Cordilleran Exploration Company ("Cordex"), which is conducting exploration and project generation activities for Columbus on an exclusive basis.
ABOUT COLUMBUS GOLD
Columbus Gold Corporation is a gold exploration and development company operating principally in Nevada. The Company has an experienced management group with a strong background in all aspects of the acquisition, exploration, development and financing of precious metal mining projects. Columbus Gold controls a 100% interest, subject to royalties, in 22 gold projects strategically located along or near Nevada's most productive gold trends. The Company also holds a significant equity interest in Columbus Silver Corporation, an exploration company with a growing portfolio of silver projects in the Western United States.
Columbus Gold's and Columbus Silver's project activities are managed on an exclusive basis by Cordilleran Exploration Company (Cordex), which has a long and successful history of gold discovery and mine development in the United States. Columbus Gold maintains active generative (prospecting) and evaluation programs and, as a key element of strategy, broadens exposure, minimizes risk and maintains focus on high priority prospects while seeking industry finance through joint ventures on selected projects. The Company currently has 8 of its projects joint ventured to major and junior mining companies, including Barrick Gold and Agnico-Eagle Mines.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD,
Robert F. Giustra
President & CEO, Director
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
For more information contact:
Ray Lagace
Investor Relations
604-638-3474 or
1-888-818-1364
This release contains forward-looking information and statements, as defined by law including without limitation Canadian securities laws and the "safe harbor" provisions of the US Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 ("forward-looking statements"), respecting the Company's exploration plans. Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including without limitation the ability to acquire necessary permits and other authorizations; environmental compliance; cost increases; availability of qualified workers; competition for mining properties; risks associated with exploration projects, mineral reserve and resource estimates (including the risk of assumption and methodology errors); dependence on third parties for services; non-performance by contractual counterparties; title risks; and general business and economic conditions. Forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions that may prove to be incorrect, including without limitation assumptions about: general business and economic conditions; the timing and receipt of required approvals; availability of financing; power prices; ability to procure equipment and supplies; and ongoing relations with employees, partners and joint venturers. The foregoing list is not exhaustive and we undertake no obligation to update any of the foregoing except as required by law.
