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This exciting project is adjacent to the Barrick/Kennecott Cortez J.V. in north central Nevada:
- Adjoins southern end of Cortez Joint Venture which contains an estimated 20 million ounces of gold
- Recent reports show Cortez Hills area resources/reserves in the order of 10 million ounces of gold
- The Trend Project lies approximately 8 kilometers south southeast of Cortez Hills and is on strike with the lineation of known deposits within the district
- Drilling by previous joint venture partner shows strong evidence of a large hydrothermal system
Location
The Trend Project consists of a large land position that abuts the southern end of the Cortez Joint Venture in north central Nevada. This Barrick-Kennecott joint venture controls over 20 million ounces of gold in reserves/resources and has made a significant discovery at Cortez Hills, which stands in the order of 10 million ounces of gold and is reported to be expanding. The Trend Project lies approximately 8 kilometers south southeast of Cortez Hills and on strike with the lineation of known deposits within the district.
Overview
The Company acquired the Trend Project in July 2003 on the basis of its favorable proximity adjoining the south end of the Cortez Joint Venture (Cortez JV), in north central Nevada. The Cortez JV, which is currently made up of Barrick Gold (60%) and Kennecott (40%), controls a large land position (Cortez District) that covers a 35 kilometer segment of the northwest striking Battle Mountain-Eureka mineral belt (The Trend). The belt is host to several "Carlin Type" occurrences with reported reserves and resources totaling over 20 million ounces of gold. The most recent discovery in the district, Cortez Hills, is one of the southern most known deposits. Barrick has reported over 10 million ounces of gold at Cortez Hills. The Trend Project is situated only 8 kilometers SSE of the Cortez Hills discovery and on strike with the lineation of known deposits within the Cortez JV.
During much of 2005 and 2006 the Trend Project was held through a joint venture agreement with Agnico Eagle (USA) Ltd. who completed significant work on the property. Their initial efforts included a combination of geochemistry and geologic work along with interpretations of detailed aeromagnetic and ground-based gravity. Four main target areas were identified with three of the areas associated with south-southeast trending splays of the Cortez fault system as they project southerly along the trace of the Battle Mountain-Eureka mineral belt. A fourth target was identified within the eastern portion of the property where geophysics predicted a possible horst block with bounding fault structures offering potential host environments for mineralization. In 2005, as a preliminary test of these target areas, four reverse circulation drill holes were completed. The holes ranged from 549 meters (1800 ft.) to 652 meters (2140 ft.) in depth with one testing a bounding fault of the horst block and three positioned to evaluate predicted splays of the Cortez fault system. Overall results were encouraging as the more westerly three holes (#1, #2 and #3) providing strong indications of a mineralized hydrothermal system. All showed broad zones of silica flooding, quartz veining, strong alteration, disseminated and vein related sulfides and significant thicknesses of anomalous gold. The eastern most hole was not mineralized but did intercept favorable lower plate rocks.
The Trend Project remains a quality exploration opportunity within a world class mineral belt. Over the western portion of the claims there is significant evidence of a large mineralized hydrothermal system within upper-plate rocks. This system remains open to the east in the direction of known favorable lower-plate stratigraphy. There is a near two mile wide untested zone between Agnico's two eastern-most drill holes. Within this swath of ground the contact between upper plate and lower plate rocks likely exists at drillable depths as do potentially important fault structures. In 2006, Agnico terminated its option on the Company's Trend Project and NDR is actively pursuing other joint venture partners.
Work Performed
In the early 1990's a small group called Trend Resources conducted Landsat interpretations over the project area that defined subtle structural zones in a pediment area along The Trend and a number of northwest and northeast structural intersections were located. This approximately 10 square-mile, structurally permissive area, was then tested by an extensive enzyme leach soil sampling program. The results of this study were interpreted by Dr. J. Robert Clark of Enzyme-ACTLABS, LLC who felt there was a strong likelihood that structurally controlled epithermal systems exist at depth. Further, gravity data of the area suggests that the geochemical anomalies lie at reasonable depths to support exploration drilling for deposits similar to those being discovered by the Cortez JV to the north and northeast.
From 2004-2006, Agnico Eagle (USA) Ltd. completed two field seasons of investigations that included the acquisition of detailed aeromagnetic data and achievement of a ground-based gravity survey over the project area and surrounding ground. This work, combined with past and recent geochemistry and geologic data, prioritized potentially mineralized fault structures associated with the southerly extension of the Cortez fault system. From this information Agnico prioritized four target areas for drill testing.
Agnico permitted eight drill sites over the property and in 2005 drilled one hole in each of the four main targets. The drilling was by reverse circulation and was sampled on 10 foot intervals. The holes ranged from 1800 feet to 2140 feet in depth. Drill holes #1 through #3 were entirely drilled in upper plate, siliceous-assemblage sedimentary rocks. Drill hole #4, the eastern most hole, intersected lower plate, carbonate assemblage stratigraphy.
At the conclusion of their 2005 field season Agnico was optimistic that lower-plate targets could be identified between hole #1 and #4, and, in the hopes of narrowing this down, Agnico conducted 14 line kilometers of magnetotellurics (MT) on two lines within the Trend Project area. Agnico concluded that hole #1 was drilled west of an important north-south trending splay of the Cortez fault system that down drops upper plate rocks on its west side relatively to lower plate rocks to the east. Their work prioritized an area where lower plate rocks likely occurred in proximity to potentially important structures related to The Trend.
Geology
The majority of known economic gold mineralization along the Battle Mountain-Eureka Trend is hosted by "lower plate" silty carbonaceous sedimentary rocks in conjunction with important structural zones. The preferred target in the district is, therefore, where both structure and favorable stratigraphy cross paths.
Planned Exploration
The Company is currently pursuing joint venture partners.
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