Although small, program confirmed model and sets groundwork for 2023 exploration program.

Seabridge Gold Inc. Jan. 17 announced that its drilling has concluded, and assay results from the limited 2022 program have been received from the company's 3 Aces project in Yukon, Canada, which established the target parameters for the major drill program this year.

Agreeing to purchase the 3 Aces project in southeastern Yukon from Golden Predator Mining Corp. in 2020, Seabridge has continued to explore one of the most prospective, if not the potentially richest, recent gold discoveries in the Yukon.

Lying alongside the Nahanni Range Road, 3 Aces is an easily accessible project that covers 357 square kilometers (138 square miles) of high-grade gold discoveries and targets.

The target concept for 3 Aces has been consistent with some of the largest and richest gold districts in the world, including the California Mother Lode Belt, Juneau Gold Belt in Alaska, Murentau in Uzbekistan, and Obuasi in Ghana.

After obtaining the permitting necessary to begin drilling at 3 Aces in September, Seabridge squeezed in a limited drill program before the year was out.

You can read about Seabridge's exploration permitting at Seabridge permitted for 3 Aces exploration in the September 16, 2022 edition of North of 60 Mining News.

Nevertheless, the short window proved too short, and Seabridge says it hoped to accomplish more but is ultimately happy with the initial results from the four holes drilled into the Hearts Main and Hearts West zones at 3 Aces.

"We were hoping to accomplish more in 2022, but the late start and challenging conditions slowed progress," said Seabridge Gold CEO Rudi Fronk. "Initial results indicate that our new model, with further modifications, should resolve many of the continuity questions at 3 Aces."

Designed to test its 3-dimensional model around the Hearts zone and to determine which structural settings would enable the company to begin establishing an initial resource, Seabridge conducted a quick drill program with only four holes being drilled.

The first hole of the 2022 program, 3A22-355, was drilled to confirm that gold-bearing structures are hosted within secondary anticlinal folds and thrust faults as predicted by the company's model.

Seabridge is encouraged by this hole, which cut 22.5 meters averaging 3.53 grams per metric ton gold at Hearts Main.

The three additional holes were used to test for controls on down-dip extensions to the high grade. These holes determined that the gold-bearing structures are pronounced as they continue down plunge but only carry coherent high grades where they exhibit flexures that enhance permeability.

"Although only limited data acquisition was accomplished in this program we are confident we have moved closer to our goal of defining a large resource in coming seasons," said Fronk.

In addition to the drilling, upgrades needed for the exploration camp and environmental monitoring programs were started, as well as ongoing rehabilitation and reclamation work has begun.

Supported by First Nation contractors from Watson Lake and Ross River, this work was undertaken despite the difficult weather conditions and time constraints in the hopes of preparing better for a much larger program later this year.

Aside from exploring one of the most prospective land packages in the Yukon, Seabridge continues to advance the world-class KSM project in British Columbia.

According to the most recent calculation, KSM hosts 5.4 billion metric tons of measured and indicated resources averaging 0.51 g/t (88.3 million oz) gold, 0.16% (19.4 billion lb) copper, 2.4 g/t (414 million oz) silver, and 63 parts per million (742 million lb) molybdenum; plus 5.7 billion metric tons of inferred resource averaging 0.36 g/t (65.6 million oz) gold, 0.28% (35.1 billion lb) copper, 2.2 g/t (406 million oz) silver, and 33 ppm (415 million lb) molybdenum.