by Greg Klein | September 13, 2017

Demonstrating that a diverse portfolio doesn’t necessarily mean idle properties, Mountain Boy Minerals TSXV:MTB updated several projects in northwestern British Columbia’s Golden Triangle.

Drilling has just resumed at Silver Coin, held 20% by Mountain Boy and 80% by joint venture partner Jayden Resources TSXV:JDN. Acting as operator is Sprott Mining Inc on a campaign of about 6,000 metres mostly focusing on stepouts. The agenda also calls for regional exploration on the 1,470-hectare property.

Silver Coin hosts a 2013 43-101 resource that uses a 2 g/t gold cutoff to show a total for four zones:

• indicated: 702,000 tonnes averaging 4.46 g/t gold, 17.89 g/t silver, 0.88% zinc, 0.33% lead and 0.07% copper

• inferred: 967,000 tonnes averaging 4.39 g/t gold, 18.98 g/t silver, 0.64% zinc, 0.25% lead and 0.04% copper

Drilling continues at the Red Cliff property, where 25 holes have been completed so far with assays pending. In July Mountain Boy reported visible gold in the program’s first five holes. Red Cliff also has sampling underway at the Lower Montrose and Waterpump zones. The latter has drilling planned, once sampling assays arrive.

Mountain Boy has a 35% interest in Red Cliff, with JV partner Decade Resources TSXV:DEC holding the rest. The ownership gets more complicated, however, now that the two companies have teamed up on additional claims to the southeast. The acquisition gives the JV an earn-in total of up to 80% of the extension, with 28% to be held by Mountain Boy and 52% by Decade. The size of neither the original Red Cliff property nor the additional claims was reported. Mountain Boy and Decade share overlapping management and directors.

TSXV approval came through earlier this month for Mountain Boy’s 100% options on the Surprise Creek and BA properties, both formerly 50/50 JVs with Great Bear Resources TSXV:GBR. Over $12 million of exploration has gone into the nearby projects over the last 10 years, revealing zones of high-grade zinc, lead and silver, as well as zinc, copper and silver.

Prior to a drill program expected later this month, the 7,472-hectare Surprise Creek has sampling underway on a large barite zone and on areas of VMS mineralization revealed by historic sampling. In July the company announced successful production of a barite concentrate that surpassed American Petroleum Institute standards. The mineral is considered essential to oil and gas exploration.

Additional sampling has taken place on the 9,489-hectare BA VMS project, just north of a 2016 channel sample result that returned 3.84% zinc, 1.25% lead and 108 g/t silver over 15 metres. That included a sub-interval of 5.31% zinc, 1.97% lead and 132 g/t silver over 7.5 metres.

Mountain Boy also optioned 60% of West George, a 288-hectare copper property adjacent to the company’s George copper project that the company now holds 100%. The original George has non-43-101 copper-silver-gold estimates. West George has sampling underway.

Meanwhile assays are pending for recent sampling from MB Silver, a project with historic, non-43-101 polymetallic estimates. In southern B.C., Mountain Boy plans to begin PEA studies on its 100%-held Manuel Creek zeolite project.

The company expects to soon close a private placement of up to $1 million.

Read Isabel Belger’s interview with Mountain Boy Minerals chairperson René Bernard.

See an infographic about B.C.’s Golden Triangle.