American Bonanza Project Development and Drill Results at Copperstone.VANCOUVER, British Columbia British Columbia, province (2001 pop. 3,907,738), 366,255 sq mi (948,600 sq km), including 6,976 sq mi (18,068 sq km) of water surface, W Canada. Geography -- American Bonanza Bonanza saga of the Cartwright family. [TV: Terrace, I, 111–112] See : Wild West Gold Mining Corp. (TSX TSX Toronto Stock Exchange (TSE before April, 2002) TSX Transfer from Stack Pointer to Index TSX True Space Extension VENTURE:BZA BZA Board of Zoning Appeals BZA Board of Zoning Adjustment BZA Benzoic Acid BZA Beach Zone Array BZA Brandeis Zionist Association ) ("Bonanza") announces that at the 100% owned high-grade Copperstone gold project significant underground and surface drilling work continues with 17,000 metres of a 40,000 metre drilling program completed to date; 97 drill holes have been completed. The program is designed to convert resources into measured resources or reserves in the D and C zones while testing additional exploration targets down dip and along strike. On a parallel path, Bonanza has initiated both metallurgical met·al·lur·gy n. 1. The science that deals with procedures used in extracting metals from their ores, purifying and alloying metals, and creating useful objects from metals. 2. and environmental baseline programs to support the pre-feasibility study planned for next year, and permitting of the project in the future. Pre-feasibility and Environmental Baseline Copperstone was successfully operated as an open pit mine by Cyprus Minerals between 1987 and 1992 producing approximately 500,000 ounces of gold, as previously announced. Gold recoveries utilizing whole ore cyanidization consistently exceeded 90 percent. Following completion of the current Copperstone drilling program, Bonanza intends to commission a pre-feasibility study with an economic analysis scheduled for the first half of 2005. Positive existing attributes for future mine development at Copperstone consist of: fully developed power and water services, surface and underground access, an oxide deposit minimizing environmental risk, a clean environmental record from previous mine operations and a pre-disturbed land footprint. Bonanza has retained certain specialized firms to assist it with collecting environmental, geotechnical, hydrological hy·drol·o·gy n. The scientific study of the properties, distribution, and effects of water on the earth's surface, in the soil and underlying rocks, and in the atmosphere. and metallurgical baseline data including: Golder Associates Inc. to review geotechnical data; Water Management Consultants to assess hydrological characteristics and The Mine's Group to provide input with overall project permitting of the Copperstone site. "We have assembled an outstanding team of professionals to assist us with moving Copperstone closer to a production reality; all of these firms come with best in class qualifications in their respective fields, complemented with Arizona State specific expertise" remarked Bonanza's Vice President of Operations, Joe Kircher. Bonanza has also begun drilling dedicated metallurgical core holes to provide information for process flowsheet optimization, environmental design and specific gravities specific gravity, ratio of the weight of a given volume of a substance to the weight of an equal volume of some reference substance, or, equivalently, the ratio of the masses of equal volumes of the two substances. for mineralized min·er·al·ize v. min·er·al·ized, min·er·al·iz·ing, min·er·al·iz·es v.tr. 1. To convert to a mineral substance; petrify. 2. To transform a metal into a mineral by oxidation. 3. material. D-Zone Underground Core Drilling Underground core drilling continues at the D-Zone. Objectives of the program are conversion of known indicated and inferred resources into measured resources and reserves, and mine planning. A total of 42 holes have been drilled with a combined length of 4,318 metres. Approximately 3,000 metres in 34 planned holes remain to be drilled in the program, which is about 60% complete and has a budget for the entire program of approximately US$1 million. The most significant intercepts in the new assay results include a 22 metre zone grading 9.3 g/t gold, including 1.1 metres grading 39.1 g/t gold in drill hole number DU4-39, a 3.0 metre zone grading 21.4 g/t gold in drill hole number DU4-40, and a 10.1 metre zone grading 13.5 g/t gold, including 2.1 metres grading 34.7 g/t gold in drill hole number DU4-41. DU4-39 was drilled for geotechnical and metallurgical purposes. As previously reported, these D-Zone drill intercepts are oblique o·blique adj. Situated in a slanting position; not transverse or longitudinal. oblique slanting; inclined. to the mineralized Copperstone fault; true thicknesses of the D-Zone range up to 7 metres thick. The following table is a summary of assay results for this group of underground holes from the D-Zone drilling program; all drill fans were drilled to the East and Northeast into the Copperstone Fault zone on approximately fifty-foot centres: ---------------------------------------------------------- Hole From - To Intercept Gold Gold Copper ID (ft) (m) (g/t) (opt) (%) ---------------------------------------------------------- DU4-38 no significant mineralization ---------------------------------------------------------- DU4-39 64.6-74 2.9 21.5 0.63 pending ---------------------------------------------------------- and 89-92 0.9 4.6 0.13 pending ---------------------------------------------------------- and 119-191.2 22.0 9.3 0.27 pending ---------------------------------------------------------- including 131.5-135.1 1.1 39.1 1.14 pending ---------------------------------------------------------- including 149-156 2.1 17.3 0.51 pending ---------------------------------------------------------- including 158.6-164 1.6 26.6 0.78 pending ---------------------------------------------------------- DU4-40 84-98 4.3 12.4 0.36 0.3 ---------------------------------------------------------- and 114-124 3.0 21.4 0.62 0.5 ---------------------------------------------------------- DU4-41 109.3-114 1.4 11.0 0.32 0.3 ---------------------------------------------------------- and 356-361.8 1.8 17.3 0.51 0.3 ---------------------------------------------------------- and 375.9-409.2 10.1 13.5 0.39 0.3 ---------------------------------------------------------- including 379-386 2.1 34.7 1.01 1.1 ---------------------------------------------------------- including 401.6-409.2 2.3 17.6 0.51 TR ---------------------------------------------------------- DU4-42 809-814 1.5 2.0 0.06 TR ---------------------------------------------------------- Highwall Core Drilling Program The High Wall drilling program is immediately to the north of the open pit, to the Southeast of the C-Zone and the D-Zone. Objectives of the program are confirmation of known indicated and inferred resources, conversion of those resources to measured resources and reserves, and expansion of the resource base north of the open pit. The program is approximately 33% complete with 33 drill holes drilled with a combined length of 8,800 metres. The target of this drilling is high-grade gold mineralization Mineralization The process by which the body uses minerals to build bone structure. Mentioned in: Rickets mineralization, n the bioprecipitation of an inorganic substance. known to exist in the base of the high wall of the open pit and extending to the north along strike of the Copperstone Fault. Notable new results include 4.1 metres grading 14.9 g/t gold in drill hole number H4-16 and 5.8 metres grading 9.7 g/t gold in drill hole number H4-26. The table below shows the new assay results from the Highwall core drilling program:
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Hole ID From - To Intercept Gold Gold Copper
(ft) (m) (g/t) (opt) (%)
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H4-16 835-848.5 4.1 14.9 0.44 0.4
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H4-17 no significant mineralization
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H4-21 704-708 1.2 9.9 0.29 0.4
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H4-22 699-703 1.2 7.3 0.21 TR
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and 948-952 1.2 13.2 0.39 TR
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H4-23 470-475 1.5 9.3 0.27 TR
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H4-24 728-732 1.2 1.8 0.05 TR
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H4-25 760-768 2.4 3.8 0.11 1.6
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and 772-776 1.2 0.4 0.01 2.4
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H4-26 620.5-623.5 0.9 6.4 0.19 TR
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and 645-664 5.8 9.7 0.28 0.8
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including 649-652 0.9 21.9 0.64 2.2
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H4-27 485-505 6.1 0.5 0.02 2.0
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and 655-660 1.5 3.5 0.1 TR
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H4-28 assays pending
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H4-29 681-684 0.9 12.8 0.37 TR
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and 687-689.5 0.8 3.5 0.10 0.6
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H4-30 700-704 1.2 4.7 0.14 TR
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and 788-792 1.2 5.4 0.16 TR
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and 910-912 0.6 3.3 0.10 2.8
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H4-31 744-748 1.2 11.8 0.35 TR
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and 877-881 1.2 9.0 0.26 TR
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and 905-910 1.5 8.4 0.24 TR
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H4-32 956-960 1.2 0.9 0.03 TR
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H4-33 no significant mineralization
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H4-34 no significant mineralization
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These intervals are drilled nearly perpendicular to the targeted structure; these intervals are all near true thickness intervals. This drilling will continue throughout the year and will move toward the B zone, the C zone and D zone as drilling progresses, and will approach 30,000 metres in about 100 drill holes at a total cost of US$4 million by completion of the program. Footwall foot·wall n. Geology 1. The mass of rock underlying a mineral deposit in a mine. 2. The underlying block of a fault having an inclined fault plane. Core Drilling Program The Footwall target is an exploration target located about 400 feet (122 metres) below the main Copperstone Fault in the central part of the open-pit. The fault hosting the Footwall mineralization appears roughly parallel to the Copperstone Fault. The objective of this drilling program is to expand the Copperstone resource by exploring for new gold zones not included in any current resource estimates. A total of 22 holes have been drilled, with a combined length of 4,140 metres; total budgeted costs for the entire drilling program are about USD USD In currencies, this is the abbreviation for the U.S. Dollar. Notes: The currency market, also known as the Foreign Exchange market, is the largest financial market in the world, with a daily average volume of over US $1 trillion. $400,000. Further drilling will be based on the findings of this drilling. As previously announced, a visibly altered fault was encountered by most of the previous drill holes, and most of the drill holes contained low to high grade gold mineralization. The best intercept from this drilling was encountered in drill hole CRD-03-10, a 1.5 metre (true thickness) intercept grading 47 g/t gold. Notable new results include F4-8 which contains 3 metres grading 5.9 g/t gold. The table below shows the new assay results from the Footwall core drilling program:
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Hole ID From - To Intercept Gold Gold Copper
(ft) (m) (g/t) (opt) (%)
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F4-5 601-602 0.3 7.6 0.22 0.9
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F4-6 649-667 5.5 2.4 0.07 1.1
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including 653-655 0.6 9.5 0.28 4.9
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F4-7 535-540 1.5 4.5 0.13 TR
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F4-8 379-382 0.9 8.0 0.23 TR
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and 545-555 3.0 5.9 0.17 0.4
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F4-9 assays pending
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Current work on the Footwall target will focus on completing the three dimensional model for further analysis prior to follow-up drilling. DETAILED INFORMATION The Copperstone gold mineralization occurs within a package of sedimentary sed·i·men·ta·ry also sed·i·men·tal adj. 1. Of, containing, resembling, or derived from sediment. 2. Geology Of or relating to rocks formed by the deposition of sediment. and volcanic rocks rocks which have been produced from the discharges of volcanic matter, as the various kinds of basalt, trachyte, scoria, obsidian, etc., whether compact, scoriaceous, or vitreous. See also: Volcanic , in northwest striking, moderate to shallow dipping fault zones, principally the Copperstone Fault. Intensely sheared sheared adj. Shaped or finished by shearing, especially cut or trimmed to a uniform length: a sheared fur coat. Adj. 1. , altered and replaced rock characterizes the Copperstone Fault in the vicinity of the D-Zone. Alteration consisting of intense hematite hematite (hĕm`ətīt), mineral, an oxide of iron, Fe2O3, containing about 70% metal, occurring in nature in red to reddish-brown earthy masses and in steel-gray to black crystalline forms. and magnetite magnetite (măg`nətīt), lustrous black, magnetic mineral, Fe3O4. It occurs in crystals of the cubic system, in masses, and as a loose sand. replacement, chloritization and silicification si·lic·i·fy v. si·lic·i·fied, si·lic·i·fy·ing, si·lic·i·fies v.tr. To convert into or impregnate with silica. v.intr. To become converted into or impregnated with silica. has been observed in the Copperstone Fault underground and is consistent with alteration visible in previous drilling and the current drilling from surface. Gold mineralization is restricted to these fault zones, with little to no gold mineralization present in the wallrocks. Future exploration and development efforts will target these mineralized faults to follow up along strike and dip Strike and dip refer to the orientation or attitude of a geologic feature. The strike of a stratum or planar feature is a line representing the intersection of that feature with the horizontal. from the current results and previously drilled mineralization. Drilling services are being provided by international drilling contractors: Layne Christensen Company of Chandler, Arizona Chandler is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA. Chandler is one of the major suburbs of Phoenix. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 176,582. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 234,939. , Ruen Drilling Inc. of Clark Fork, Idaho Clark Fork is a city in Bonner County, Idaho, United States. The population was 530 at the 2000 census. Geography Clark Fork is located at (48.147180, -116.178270)GR1. and Diversified Drilling LLC (Logical Link Control) See "LANs" under data link protocol. LLC - Logical Link Control of Missoula, Montana Missoula is a city in and the county seat of Missoula CountyGR6 in western Montana, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the population was 57,053, with more than 100,000 in the metropolitan area making it the second-largest city in . The drilling and assaying are conducted under the supervision of Gregory French, CPG CPG central pattern generators. #10708, a Qualified Person as defined in Canadian National Instrument 43-101. The surface program core is HQ size, equaling 2.625 inches in diameter and the underground core is NQ size, equaling 2 inches in diameter. The core samples are collected by Bonanza personnel at the drill for each drill hole. All of Bonanza's facilities are secure, inside the fenced compound. The core is transported to Bonanza's core processing facility on site at Copperstone by Bonanza personnel. All core is logged for recovery and other geotechnical features, prior to being sawed lengthwise length·wise adv. & adj. Of, along, or in reference to the direction of the length; longitudinally. Adj. 1. lengthwise in half by Bonanza personnel. Individual core samples are selected on a geological basis to characterize the gold mineralization associated with various rock types, alteration types and structural horizons. Subsequent to sawing and sampling, the remaining half core is geologically logged and stored on site as reference samples. Assay sample sizes average 7.8 pounds for the surface drilling, assay sample sizes average 6.4 pounds for the underground drilling. The core samples are bagged, labeled and tied at the Copperstone project site by Bonanza personnel. Geologic information is recorded on standardized standardized pertaining to data that have been submitted to standardization procedures. standardized morbidity rate see morbidity rate. standardized mortality rate see mortality rate. sample description forms which included color, rock type, alteration, mineral species and abundance. Samples are stored in a secure facility at the Copperstone project site. DATS DATS DISN Access Transport Services (US DOD) DATS Dental Assistant Training School DATS Dead At The Scene DATS Digital Audio Transmission Service DATS Data Automated Tower Simulator Trucking, Inc. collects samples from the secure facility at Copperstone and transports the samples to representatives of American Assay Laboratories (AAL (ATM Adaption Layer) The part of the ATM protocol that breaks up application packets into 48-byte payloads which become ATM cells when the 5-byte headers are attached. The AAL resides between the higher layer transport protocols and the ATM layer. ) in Sparks, Nevada Sparks is a city in Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The population was 66,346 at the 2000 census. Estimates in 2006 place the population at around 90,000 due to rapid growth in areas such as Spanish Springs, Wingfield Springs, and D'Andrea. . There, representatives of American Assay Laboratories (AAL) in Sparks, Nevada receive the samples and take custody of the samples. AAL is ISO (1) See ISO speed. (2) (International Organization for Standardization, Geneva, Switzerland, www.iso.ch) An organization that sets international standards, founded in 1946. The U.S. member body is ANSI. / IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission, Geneva, Switzerland, www.iec.ch) An organization that sets international electrical and electronics standards founded in 1906. It is made up of national committees from over 60 countries. IEC - International Electrotechnical Commission 17025 certified See certification. and has successfully completed Canadian proficiency testing proficiency test n → prueba de capacitación (CCRMP CCRMP Canadian Certified Reference Materials Project (MMS Canada) ). At the AAL laboratory, the core samples are dried, crushed to -10 mesh, pulverized pul·ver·ize v. pul·ver·ized, pul·ver·iz·ing, pul·ver·iz·es v.tr. 1. To pound, crush, or grind to a powder or dust. 2. To demolish. v.intr. to -150 mesh, split to 1,000 gram pulps, and fire assayed for gold two times using 2-assay ton fire assay charges with a gravimetric gravimetric /grav·i·met·ric/ (grav?i-me´trik) pertaining to measurement by weight; performed by weight, as a gravimetric method of drug assay. grav·i·met·ric adj. 1. finish. Reported gold grades are the average of these two assays for each sample. A total of 1,904 core samples and 1,297 reverse circulation samples from surface and 781 core samples from the underground drilling were assayed in duplicate. There is good correlation between the duplicate assays. All samples greater than 0.100 opt, standards, and blanks are routinely submitted to additional labs for verification. An additional 118 standards were inserted for assay for the drill holes announced here. Check assays are routinely submitted to BSI-Inspectorate, Sparks, NV 5-assay ton gold analysis. BSI-Inspectorate is ISO 9002 certified. Bonanza personnel deliver the samples to the check labs. Additional information about Bonanza can be obtained at: www.americanbonanza.com AMERICAN BONANZA GOLD MINING CORP. Brian Kirwin, President and Chief Executive Officer The TSX Venture Exchange TSX Venture Exchange Originally called the Canadian Venture Exchange (CDNX), this was a result of the merger of the Vancouver and Alberta stock exchanges. The goal of TSX Venture Exchange is to provide venture companies with effective access to capital while protecting investors. has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. |
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