Deep drilling adds to 3 Aces gold potential

Golden Predator Mining Corp. Jan. 21 reported that its 2018 drill program in the central core area of the 3 Aces Project in southeast Yukon confirm that the high-grade gold structures outcropping at Hearts Zone extend to depth.

All seven holes drilled at Hearts Zone cut the structures where they were expected – 200 and 500 meters down-dip from the discovery outcrop – intersecting localized high-grade gold mineralization within larger lower grade envelopes. The company said this drilling confirms that the mineralized structures within the 13.5-sqare-kilometer (5.2 square miles) central core area at 3 Aces have persistent lateral and vertical continuity and likely account for other high-grade surface outcrops exposed along a 4,500-meter-long corridor that hosts both the Hearts and Clubs zones.

• Hole 3A18-351 cut 28.5 meters averaging 0.93 grams per metric ton gold from a depth of 175 meters, including 0.55 meters of 6.35 g/t gold;

• 3A 18-352 cut 30.15 meters of 0.83 g/t gold from a depth of 115.35 meters, including one meter of 11.55 g/t gold, and 13.4 meters of 2.88 g/t gold from 203 meters, including 0.85 meters of 31.52 g/t gold; and

• 3A 18-153 cut 23.67 meters of 1.06 g/t gold from a depth of 272.65 meters, including 1.13 meters of 13.05 g/t gold.

This was the deepest drilling so far within the 3 Aces core area. Golden Predator said the structures in Hearts zone continue to be open in all directions along strike and at depth.

"Confirming the continuity and mineralization of the structures down-dip and on strike, right where we projected them to be, is a game-changer in terms of demonstrating the size potential of the 3 Aces project," said Golden Predator Mining Executive Chairman William Sheriff. "It is now clear that the high-grade surface outcrops previously discovered in the central core area are not isolated occurrences but rather expressions of a much larger system, which significantly expands the potential at 3 Aces."

Designed as a first pass drill program to test Hearts zone expansion area, both along strike and at depth, Golden Predator used relatively small HQ (58.5 millimeters) drill core, considering the high grades typical at 3 Aces.

At surface, the Hearts discovery outcrop assays above 30 g/t gold and samples contain abundant coarse gold.

From past experience, such as the bulk sampling and drilling at the Spades zone, Golden Predator has found that the larger the sample, the more precise the grade estimate. Assay results from larger diameter PQ core, reverse circulation drilling and bulk sampling generate considerably larger sample volumes and produce more reliable grade estimates than split HQ drill core used as an initial assessment of Hearts Zone expansion areas. The company plans to continue to use HQ core to explore for and confirm continuity of mineralized structures at depth and along strike but will rely on larger diameter PQ core and reverse circulation in-fill drilling for grade determination within the structures.

–SHANE LASLEY