North Bay Resources Inc. reports that 2014 underground drilling program at the Ruby Mine in Sierra County, California, has concluded, and the discovery of the new South Terrace has been confirmed. Over the course of the month-long program, twenty two vertical rotary-percussion drill holes were completed, for a total footage of 2,430 feet. The shortest hole was 68 feet and the longest 140 feet.

The majority of holes terminated in volcanic tuff that was deposited directly on basement rocks. Three holes successfully penetrated Eocene-age, white gravel river deposits that are associated with placer gold elsewhere on the property. The three successful drill holes penetrated gravels located immediately south and within a hundred feet of the White Channel gravels presently being mined through the White Channel crosscut.

The elevation of the basement upon which the gravels rest is approximately 25 feet higher than the White Channel gravels, indicating they are located on a previously unknown terrace that appears to wrap around the south and east rim of the White Channel. The terrace deposits gravels were deposited at the same time early in the geological history of the Deep Rock Creek Channel, before the river level dropped and a deeper channel was developed. The fact that the terrace gravels on the north side of the channel were productive strongly suggests that the gravels on the newly discovered South Terrace will be gold-bearing.

The South Terrace is confirmed to be a new discovery, and as such was never previously explored. Thus it is inaccessible until a new raise is driven directly above the Ruby Adit at the drill hole location that penetrated the gravels at the lowest point. Construction of the South Terrace raise is scheduled to begin tomorrow, July 18, 2014.

The raise will be approximately 61 feet high above track level and is designed to test the terrace deposits on the floor of the terrace where gravels can be expected to be coarsest.