The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North
The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North
Step out holes tap gold-copper-zinc zones at Johnson Tract North of 60 Mining News – November 20, 2020
Johnson Tract Project Manager Brodie Sutherland and Chief Exploration Geologist Nathan Steeves inspect freshly drilled core at HighGold's Johnson Tract gold project in Alaska.
Geologists Jessica Roberts, Michael Hutchison, Jake Vanagel, and Conor Truskowski during the 2020 exploration program at at the Johnson Tract gold project in Alaska.
HighGold Mining Inc. Nov. 18 reports that the latest batch of assay results from the 2020 program at Johnson Tract continue to expand high-grade gold, copper, and zinc mineralization at the JT deposit on this project in Southcentral Alaska.
According to a calculation earlier this year, the JT deposit hosts 2.14 million metric tons of indicated resource averaging 6.07 grams per metric ton (417,000 ounces) gold, 5.8 g/t (397,000 oz) silver, 5.85% (275.3 million pounds) zinc, 0.57% (26.8 million lb) copper, and 0.71% (37.6 million lb) lead.
During the 2020 season, HighGold completed 16,240 meters of drilling in 33 holes focused on expansion of JT and testing targets surrounding the deposit.
The latest batch of results are from four holes that tested JT and the adjacent Footwall Copper zone, a recently discovered zone of copper-zinc-silver-rich mineralization that is structurally and stratigraphically below the main JT deposit mineralization.
One of these holes, JT20-106, cut three closely spaced mineralized intervals for a cumulative width of 40.4 meters:
• 22.8 meters averaging 3.2 g/t gold, 4 g/t silver, 0.4% copper, and 6% zinc from 249.4 meters.
• 10.1 meters averaging 3.7% zinc, 0.7% copper, 4 g/t silver, and 0.1 g/t gold from 278.3 meters.
• 7.5 meters averaging 2% copper, 0.8% zinc, 16 g/t silver, and 0.1 g/t gold from 294.5 meters.
JT20-106 is a 20-meter step-out from JT20-95, a hole reported earlier this year that cut 41 meters averaging 1.8 g/t gold, 4 g/t silver, 1% copper, and 3.1% zinc.
The latest batch of results also included JT20-100, a hole that cut 17.3 meters of zinc-rich mineralization in the main zone of mineralization at JT, as well as a nine-meter section of the deeper Footwall Copper zone:
• 17.3 meters averaging 6.1% zinc, 0.1% copper, 1 g/t silver, and 0.2 g/t gold from 199.2 meters.
• Nine meters averaging 1.4% copper, 2.8% zinc, 7 g/t silver, and 0.1 g/t gold from 285.5 meters.
JT20-100 was designed as a 20-meter step-out from hole JT20-96, which cut 20.1 meters averaging 11.5 g/t gold, 4 g/t silver, 0.5% copper, and 3.1% zinc.
"Today's results further extend mineralization to depth and down-plunge of the main JT deposit. The results also highlight the opportunity to add high-tonnage/high-value mineralization with each new step-out hole," said HighGold Mining President and CEO Darwin Green. "Observations of drill core from these and subsequent holes (for which assays are still pending) suggest the JT deposit remains open for continued expansion down-plunge and that not all of it is faulted-off at depth as was previously interpreted."
Of the 33 holes drilled at the now completed 2020 program at Johnson Tract, 16 tested the JT deposit and Footwall Copper zone; nine tested NE Offset target, an interpreted fault-displaced continuation of the JT deposit mineralization; four at the North Trend target, a more than 1,000-meter trend of mappable hydrothermal alteration with no previous drilling; and four at the DMZ target, which is located between the JT deposit and the NE Offset target.
Assay results are still pending for 23 drill holes and will be released in batches over the next few months as received.
"HighGold's exploration team is applauded for executing a large and successful program safely, efficiently and under budget during a challenging COVID-19 environment. Our first, full-scale exploration program has contributed significantly to the understanding of the Johnson Tract mineral system and the project's exceptional exploration potential," said Green. "With only a third of drill holes reported so far, we are looking forward to receiving the balance of the drill hole assay data along with the results from over 1,800 soil and rock samples collected as part of the concurrent regional field program."
Over his more than 16 years of covering mining and mineral exploration, Shane has become renowned for his ability to report on the sector in a way that is technically sound enough to inform industry insiders while being easy to understand by a wider audience.
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