North Bay Resources (OTC:NBRI) has announced it has achieved continuous operation at its Bishop, California, gold mill after completing upgrades in April and May. The upgrades allowed the facility to operate for up to nine hours per day. North Bay Resources is focused on acquiring, exploring, and developing gold and precious metals deposits. The company is dedicated to increasing shareholder value by developing quality mining assets.
The company has processed its remaining stockpiled gold ore, resulting in a 543-pound shipment of gold concentrate sent to its refinery partner. Final assays are currently pending from ALS Geochemical in Reno, Nevada. North Bay Resources also completed development work at its Fran Gold Project, a resource estimated to contain 470,000 ounces of gold.
Further development work was completed on the initial mining zone, located between B and C trenches, where a consistent grade of 0.5 ounces per tonne has been sampled. The company noted the area demonstrates potential for a massive sulphide intrusion grading more than 1 ounce per tonne, which is a primary target in the area. Additional samples were taken along and near trench B and the massive sulphide ore body in preparation for mining.
The company is proceeding with developing the bulk tonnage deposit and has started consulting with mine engineering firms regarding detailed economics, a mine plan, and development. The Bishop Gold Mill has a processing capacity of up to 100 tonnes of gold ore per day. Fran is a 34,360-acre project located near Centerra Gold’s Mt Milligan Copper Gold Mine.