Amador County – Sutter Gold Mining Incorporated recently announced commencement of the first phase of an exploration drilling program at its Lincoln Project in Sutter Creek.

Sutter Gold Mining CEO and Director Dr. Leanne M. Baker said “drilling will focus on near-surface extensions of gold mineralization and the under-explored region between the Comet and Lincoln segments” of the property. “The goal of the drilling program is to expand gold resources and to explore regions where drilling density is sparse.”

Sutter Gold’s “exploration team is focused on supporting the efforts to bring into production the first commercial-scale gold mine in the Mother Lode in more than 50 years,” Baker said. She said “we are drilling in areas where resource additions could become part of the current gold resource envelope that we intend to mine in the first five years of our current development plan.” December and January, Sutter Gold completed most of the site work required to construct the new mill and other facilities over the winter and spring period.

Baker said “with favorable weather in December and receipt of the grading permit, Sutter Gold completed road-building from the mine to the mill pad and sand plant sites higher on the hill, as well as to the waste rock pile area.” The site was winterized in preparation for the rainy season: Disturbed areas were hydro-seeded; roads were rocked and bermed; the waste rock pile area was temporarily lined; and storm water management features were installed.

Baker said Sutter Gold completed pre-qualification of potential underground mine contractors, with four companies eligible to continue in the bidding process. The final mine level designs were completed in December. Mill equipment purchases were being evaluated and prepared for delivery.

Drilling contractor Ruen Drilling Incorporated of Clark Fork, Idaho, moved on-site and started drilling Jan. 16 at the south end of the Lincoln site and will progress northward.

Drilling was divided into two segments to accommodate construction. The initial phase drills the unexplored interval between Lincoln and Comet gold zones. Baker said the drilling program is anticipated to be completed in 60 work days, averaging 100 feet per day including rig moves from site to site.

The second phase of drilling will concentrate on the north end, or Comet segment. “Past core holes there were inclined to the southwest in anticipation of gold-bearing structures dipping northeasterly, the predominant dip or inclination of the Mother Lode vein system,” she said.

Stephen Zahony, Vice President of Exploration, said “underground exploration of the Lincoln-Comet vein system by a previous company in 1989-1990 found, to its surprise, that the vein system was southwest dipping.”

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.