Partners turn up low grades in Kirkland Lake

Five holes drilled in the South Break and 180 Splay structures in Lebel and Gauthier twps., near Kirkland Lake, Ont., have intersected long intervals of low-grade gold mineralization.

Partners Queenston Mining (QMI-T) and Franco-Nevada Mining (FN-T) discovered the structures last year while exploring along the regional Larder Lake Break structure (LLB). All three run parallel or sub-parallel to one another.

At 180 Splay, hole 12 was drilled 168 metres north of the discovery hole, 11, whereas hole 16 was collared 240 metres along strike, east of hole 11. Both passed through the same zone of alteration and mineralization intersected in hole 11 (0.53 gram per tonne over 66.4 metres of a 346-metre-wide zone of alteration).

Hole 12 yielded 20.2 metres (starting at a down-hole depth of 165 metres) grading 0.53 gram gold per tonne, including 1.04 metres of 1.84 grams and 0.6 metre grading 7.27 grams. Hole 16 returned 70.6 metres (starting at 266 metres) averaging 0.52 gram, including 0.93 gram over 7.5 metres and 3.88 grams over 1.6 metres.

Based on new and historic results, the 180 Splay would seem to be part of a larger system that includes the nearby 180 East (327,273 tonnes grading 4.1 grams) and Biroco zones. The system measures at least 1,500 metres long, 600 metres wide and 20-70 metres thick, and has yielded the best grades at 180 East, where 11.59 grams over 1.8 metres was intersected by an old Inco (N-T) drill hole.

Holes 13-15 were collared at South Break, which is 700 metres of the LLB and runs sub-parallel to it. Geophysical work has traced the structure for 12 km, though much of this remains untested.

Holes 13 and 14 tested a strong induced-polarization (IP) anomaly that brackets a wide zone of deformation and alteration intersected in hole 9. The new holes also intersected strong alteration, carrying up to 5% pyrite over 18.2 metres, but little gold. Zones of silicification in the hangingwall and footwall basalts returned anomalous gold values over as much as 17.4 metres.

Gold values in hole 15, which tested a weak IP anomaly roughly 750 metres east of hole 14, were negligible. Small amounts of pyrite were noted.

Queenston and Franco-Nevada each own half-interests in 25 properties spanning 721 contiguous claims along the LLB. The properties host five deposits with combined measured and indicated resources of 4.1 million tonnes averaging 5.6 grams gold. An additional 3.6 million tonnes averaging 6 grams are classified as inferred.

The partners plan to spend the remainder of the year re-logging historic holes drilled in Lebel and Gauthier twps. Drilling may follow.