The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North
The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North
Plans to expand JT, follow up on bonanza gold discovery at DC North of 60 Mining News – June 3, 2022
A drill tests the gold-rich polymetallic mineralization at the JT deposit on HighGold Mining's Johnson Tract project in Alaska.
HighGold Mining Inc. May 31 announced plans for a US$9 million exploration program at Johnson Tract that will include at least 13,000 meters of drilling to expand upon known polymetallic gold deposits and targets, and test for new discoveries across the 20,942-acre property in Southcentral Alaska.
According to a calculation completed prior to the start of 2020 drilling, 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.
An updated and expanded mineral resource for JT that incorporates the 27,000 meters of drilling completed in and around the deposit during 2020 and 2021 is slated for completion by mid-year.
Approximately 35% of the 2022 drilling at Johnson Tract, or about 4,550 meters, will involve focused step-out and infill drilling on the mineral resource footprint at JT. This will include follow-up on successful down-plunge and on strike expansion drill holes completed in 2021, including the 4.3 meters averaging 13.1 g/t gold, 200 g/t silver, 4.92% zinc, 2.04% lead, and 0.35% copper encountered in hole JT21-123.
Another roughly 4,550 meters of this year's program will follow up on exceptionally high-grade gold-silver mineralization drilled late in the 2021 season at the DC discovery, which lies about 2.5 miles northeast of the JT deposit.
Hole DC21-010 cut 6.4 meters averaging 577.9 g/t (18.58 ounces per metric ton) gold, 2,023 g/t (65 oz/t) silver, 2.15% zinc, and 0.3% copper. This bonanza-grade intercept included an incredible 1.26-meter subsection averaging 2,860 g/t (91.95 oz/t) gold, 9,990 g/t (321.2 oz/t) silver, 5.04% zinc, and 0.88% copper.
"After drilling one of the best drill intersections globally in 2021, we are poised to have drills turning to follow-up on our exciting new high-grade discovery at the DC Prospect," said HighGold Mining President and CEO Darwin Green.
Approximately 20% of the 2022 drilling, or about 2,600 meters, will test Milkbone, a previously undrilled prospect that lies about 1,200 meters southeast of the DC prospects.
Rock and soil sampling completed at Milkbone turned up strong gold mineralization, including soil samples with as much as 8.38 g/t gold and a rock sample with 184 g/t gold.
Highlights from this sampling include: 7.85 g/t gold and 599 g/t silver in a rock grab sample; and an 8.38 g/t and 4.4 g/t gold-in-soil sample near a 184 g/t gold rock float sample collected in 2020.
The 2022 drilling will include testing the corridor between Milkbone and DC.
The year's program will also include about 1,200 meters of drilling at other discovery prospects such as Kona, Easy Creek and South Valley.
To improve assay lab turnaround times, HighGold will establish an onsite sample preparation facility for crushing and pulverizing drill core samples. The quicker return of assays will allow the company to more efficiently follow up on results from this year's drilling.
The 2022 program will also include geological mapping, prospecting, and sampling to expand on the positive results generated from the 2021 program and refine drill targets; drone-magnetic airborne surveying; and preliminary engineering and environmental baseline studies to support project planning.
"With C$19.5 million in working capital, HighGold is fully funded for the planned program," said Green.
HighGold plans to open the JT camp mid-June and begin drilling at Johnson Tract shortly thereafter.
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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