Hinterland Mobilizes Exploration Crew to Ballarat Property, White River Gold Play, Yukon
Hinterland Metals Inc. announce that it has mobilized an exploration crew onto the Ballarat property located approximately 15km south of the Golden Saddle zone where Underworld Resources Inc. recently reported an outstanding gold discovery (UW: TSX-V Press Release May 26, 2009). Hinterland also reports that it has staked 14 additional claims bringing Ballarat up to 94 claims (1995ha) in size. The importance of Underworld’s discovery cannot be overstated. The hole announced on May 26th is perhaps the most significant gold intercept ever reported in the White River region. This area lies within an underexplored part of the Tintina Gold Belt and is underlain by rocks of the Yukon-Tanana geologic terrane. These same rocks host the Pogo and Ft. Knox gold mines in the Fairbanks gold district some 400km to the northwest. Underworld’s success relies heavily on the previous work, knowledge and experience of a local prospecting group. This group’s method of intensive soil sampling followed up by prospecting and mechanical trenching has not only shown to be effective on the White Gold property but has also developed drill targets on Underworld’s Black Fox property and Kaminak Gold Corp.’s Coffee, Cream and Kirkman properties.
Hinterland is following the same exploration strategy by partnering with a local prospector, acquiring a property where previous work has returned very prospective gold values and expanding the original property by staking. Ballarat also has a good road network that connects it to an airstrip 11km due south on the Yukon River where barges can deliver supplies and equipment. This makes Ballarat relatively economical to explore compared to other properties in the area held by competitors.
Over the next several weeks the exploration crew will complete an intensive soil geochemical survey in the northwestern third of the property. The goal of the work will be to better define and extend a 1.2km southeast-trending soil geochemical anomaly outlined in 1991 that showed maximum individual values of 811ppb (0.8g/t) Au (Yukon Geology AFR 092982). Quartz boulders in the same area were also reported to return values up to 32g/t Au (0.93opt). The soil survey data will be followed up by prospecting and trenching with the ultimate goal of generating drill targets. Contingent upon the results of the surface work, Hinterland expects to begin drilling as soon as September 15, 2009. Hinterland is currently seeking financing for this latter phase of exploration.
