Rise Gold (TSX-V:RISE) has begun a tungsten and gold drilling program at the Idaho-Maryland Gold Project in California, US.
The company plans to drill eight core holes totalling approximately 11,400 feet from two locations, targeting the Union Hill and Brunswick areas of the historic mine for both tungsten and gold mineralisation.
Targets in the Union Hill workings include the Lucky-Cambridge, Greek-Tungsten, Union Hill, Georgia and Gold Blossom veins. The Brunswick workings will target the 19, 45, 46, and 47 veins.
The Idaho-Maryland mine operated nearly continuously from 1862 to 1957, producing an estimated 2.4 million ounces of gold at an average mill head grade of 17.1 grams per tonne. By the early 1940s, the mine ranked as the second-largest gold producer in the US.
In 1954, the mine operator began exploring for tungsten under a program sponsored by the US Department of Defence. The discovery led the company to modify one of its mills to produce a tungsten trioxide concentrate from scheelite.
Tungsten is listed as a critical mineral in the United States and is used in defence applications.
The company notes China currently accounts for about 84% of global tungsten production.
CEO David Watkinson says the exploration program focuses on testing areas of the historic mine where tungsten is known to occur and was produced.
“While the Idaho-Maryland mine is one of the richest gold mines historically in the United States, it may also be important as a potential source of tungsten, a critical metal for the US military,” Watkinson says.
Rise Gold is a mineral exploration company that acquired the Idaho-Maryland mineral estate and surface properties in 2017.
Write to France Pinzon at Mining.com.au
Images: Rise Gold
