The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North
Unexpected results may have led to new mineralized zone North of 60 Mining News – October 20, 2023
Snowline Gold Corp. Oct. 19 announced another incredible length of mineralized core from surface, extending over 400 meters, averaging 1.43 grams per metric ton gold from its latest batch of assays reported from drilling the Valley target on the company's Rogue project in Yukon, Canada.
While a short but sweet release of only two holes, these are adding to Snowline's entries into the Yukon gold intercept record books. Much like its earlier reported more than 500-meter interval that averaged 1.2 g/t gold in early October, its latest results have surprised Snowline once again.
"The current set of drill results includes yet another hole, in yet another part of the Valley intrusion, that expands the extent of known mineralization with an unusually high-grade intersection for a reduced intrusion-related gold system carried over hundreds of metres from surface," said Snowline Gold CEO Scott Berdahl. "We weren't expecting the length and intensity of gold mineralization encountered in V-23-054, nor to see it extend to depth in the southeastern part of the system, revealing a potential new zone of mineralization."
Collared in coarse-grained granodiorite within the Valley intrusion as an 84-meter step along strike to the southeast of the nearest hole, V-22-028, which cut 363.5 meters averaging 1.4 g/t gold from surface, V-23-054 was drilled to the northeast to efficiently test the near-surface southwestern margin of the intrusion.
From bedrock surface at 23.5 meters downhole, an interval of continuous mineralization averaging 1.43 g/t gold over the following 424 meters, with a zone of generally higher grades averaging 1.85 g/t gold over 186.5 meters from 66 meters downhole, this intercept has potentially introduced a new mineralized zone for Snowline.
Two notable higher-grade zones averaging 4.73 and 4.79 g/t gold over 7.5 and nine meters, respectively, from 202 and 305.5 meters downhole, express the significant gold mineralization.
A second mineralized interval, beginning at nine meters downhole from the end of the first and continuing to the end of the hole at 497 meters deep, averaged 0.54 g/t gold over 40.5 meters and still ended in mineralization. The final 30 meters of the hole averaged 0.7 g/t gold.
As with previous holes at Valley, mineralization within these intervals is consistent, remarkably so, the company adds. Even capping values at 10 g/t gold drops the overall grade of the first interval by 0.73%, from 1.43 g/t gold to 1.42 g/t gold, and has no effect on the grade of the second interval.
"Once again we are impressed by the scale and continuity of our Rogue project's Valley target, which remains open in multiple areas," added Berdahl.
The second of its reported holes, V-23-053, was collared in hornfels sedimentary rock west of Valley's intrusion, and was drilled to the northeast, roughly perpendicular to the general southwest orientation of most drill holes at Valley to date.
A mineralized interval began in the hornfels to the end of the hole, averaging 0.97 g/t gold over 424.5 meters from 58.5 meters downhole. Grades also increased when the drill trace crossed into coarse-grained granodiorite of the intrusion at 80.5 meters downhole, which averaged 1.04 g/t gold over 387 meters downhole.
Much like 054, the hole ended in mineralization, with the final 30 meters averaging 0.5 g/t gold. Further still, gold grades were not affected by grade capping at 10 g/t, demonstrating the consistent nature of mineralization across the broad mineralized interval.
"We are keen to see how our understanding of the system evolves with the large quantity of drill assays that are forthcoming for the target," finished Berdahl.
With more than half of its 2023 drilling results still pending (more than 11,400 meters from 31 holes across five targets), it remains to be seen if assays turn up any more Rogue surprises.
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