There first deep hole was a failure, despite the attempt to spin it. GBG doesn't have the cash to keep trying:
  Great Basin Gold Ltd.  1020-800 W Pender St.  Vancouver, BC  Canada V6C 2V6  Tel 604 684·6365  Fax 604 684·8092  Toll Free 1 800 667·2114  hdgold.com  GREAT BASIN CUTS MINERALIZED LOWER PLATE  CARBONATES IN DEEP HOLE  August 2, 2001, Vancouver, BC – Ronald W. Thiessen, President and CEO of Great Basin Gold Ltd.  (CDNX-GBG; OTC.BB-GBGLF) is pleased to announce positive results from the completion of the  Company’s first ever, deep hole drilled beneath the Hollister Deposit. The deep hole was drilled to test  for lower plate Devonian carbonate rocks (Rodeo Creek and Robert’s Mountain Formations) which host  the majority of the large scale gold deposits on the Carlin Trend (Carlin, Post, Deep Post, Betze, Rodeo,  Griffin, Meikle, etc.).  The drill-search for these lower plate carbonates, host to large tonnage high-grade deposits, has been  attempted by many mining companies in the northern region of the Carlin Trend. Great Basin has  succeeded.  Hole 214 was completed at 6,946 feet and successfully cut a 74 foot mineralized interval immediately  above the Robert’s Mountain Formation. While not economic this intersection is strongly altered and is  characterized by brecciation, veining and pervasive silicification with 2 to 7% pyrite throughout. The  intercept is highly significant in that it opens up for the first time the entire Ivanhoe property for  exploration for lower plate, carbonate-hosted Carlin Trend deposits. This exciting target type is in  addition to the nearer surface high grade epithermal gold veins being delineated by Great Basin Gold in  the upper plate Valmy Formation.  With a strong treasury, the Company is in a position to undertake work on near term opportunities for  further development of the high-grade Hollister gold vein structures whic h remain open to depth and  along strike, additional exploration of the newly discovered north-northwest vein system in the Velvet  area and the follow-up exploration of this exciting new intercept at other portions of the extensive  Ivanhoe property. In addition, the presence of the Hatter intrusive stock within the upper plate Valmy  Formation (host to the epithermal veins,) has most likely intruded the lower plate carbonates as well.  These intrusive stocks (ideal deposit catalysts) are associated with large-scale deposits in other regions of  the Carlin Trend.  In conclusion, this drill test was successful on these counts:  i) Successful interception of lower plate Devonian rocks.  ii) Significant mineralization present.  iii) These results greatly enhance prospectivity for large-scale Carlin type deposits at the Ivanhoe  Project. 
  -2-  A summary log of Hole 214 is as follows:  From  (feet)  To  (feet) Unit, Lithological Unit  0 270 Tertiary, volcanic rocks  - unconformity  270 900 Valmy Formation quartzites and argillites  - Robert’s Mountain Thrust Upper Plate  900-1605-Rodeo Creek sequence, variably calcareous argillites  1605-2614-Rodeo Creek sequence, quartzite and minor argillite  2614-3659-Rodeo Creek sequence, rhythmically bedded argillite  3659 4646 Rodeo Creek sequence, interbedded quartzite and argillite  4646 6473 Rodeo Creek rhythmic argillite and siliceous argillite  6473 6641 Robert’s Mountain Formation, thin bedded limestones  6641 6946 Hanson Creek Formation, dolomite  Lower Plate 
  For further details on Great Basin Gold Ltd. please visit the Great Basin website at www.hdgold.com or  contact Investor Services at (604)684-6365 or within North America at 1-800-667-2114.  ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD  Ronald W. Thiessen  President and CEO  No regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained in this news release. |