Drilling at Deep Creek has been completed, as announced by Ashburton Ventures Inc. (TSXV:ABR,FWB:ARB). Thirty-two holes were drilled, for a total of 3,163.6 meters (11,855.5 feet), confirming the presence of a second vein east of the Upper Vein, and the northern extension of the Upper Vein at depth.

As quoted in the press release:

A major focus of the 2011 drilling program was the Upper Vein area, where outcrop surface grab samples had gold values >1 g/t, and float samples east of the Upper Vein indicated a potential second vein (see news release, January 20th, 2011). One meter of continuous veining and two meters of stockwork veining were exposed during pad preparation at the Upper Vein, providing a clearer picture of the vein such that holes could be positioned to determine its strike length and extent at depth. Of eleven holes drilled in the area, four intersected >1 g/t Au over intervals >1m in length. Hole DC-11-C-10 intersected 1.69 g/t Au at 22.9m, including a 30cm quartz vein with 4.47 g/t Au. Hole DC-11-C-13 intersected 6.94 g/t Au at 99.4m in a siliceous breccia with quartz veining.

Drilling in the Waterfall-Range Front area targeted a broad zone of structural disturbance identified as a potential disseminated gold deposit based on structural analysis (see news release January 18th, 2011). Holes DC-11-C-5 and DC-11-C-6 were drilled from the same collar westward into the Waterfall-Range Front area, and DC-11-C-28 was collared 1400m due north of these holes and drilled eastward into the Range Front structure. Significant intervals of anomalous gold were intersected in DC-11-C-5 with 73.7m of 0.46 g/t Au, DC-11-C-28 with 68.7m of 0.21 g/t Au, and DC-11-C-6 with 47.6m of 0.25 g/t Au.

Drilling of the Hobbit target, located two kilometers south of the Waterfall-Range Front area was also initiated to test argillically-altered outcrops east of a resistivity anomaly that were drill-tested in 1986 by Kennecott Exploration (see news release October 20th, 2011). Thirty-seven meters (120 feet) of drilling were completed before drilling was halted due to technical problems.

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