Northgate hits porphyry at Brenda

Vancouver Results from the 2002 regional exploration has Northgate Exploration (NGX-T) up beat on the gold-copper potential of British Columbia’s Toodoggone region.

The company discovered a gold-copper bearing porphyry system on the Brenda claims some 25-km northwest of the Kemess South mine.

"This discovery greatly expands the boundaries of the Kemess camp," says Northgate’s President, Ken Stowe, "giving us new confidence in the exploration potential of the under-explored Toodoggone region of British Columbia that surrounds the Kemess South mine."

The Brenda property lies 450-km northwest of Prince George and was the subject of a 4-hole drill program this year.

The 1,650 metre program targeted untested geophysical and geochemical anomalies located at lower elevations allowing the company to try to intersect mineralization below the Toodoggone volcanic rocks. Gold-copper mineralization has cut in all the holes and is associated with potassic and magnetite-silica altered Takla volcanic rocks, adjacent to monzonite sills and hydrothermal breccia zones. Highlights from the drilling includes:

• Hole 1 14.2 metres grading 0.43 gram gold and 0.03% copper from 106.8 metres downhole,
• Hole 2 25.7 metres grading 0.42 gram gold and 0.03% copper from 296.1 metres downhole,
• Hole 3 25.5 metres grading 0.13 gram gold and 0.05% copper from 230.6 metres downhole,
• Hole 4 9.6 metres grading 0.41 gram gold and 0.24% copper from 352 metres downhole.

Previous exploration on the property outlined a 900-by-400 metres coincidental gold geochemical and induced polarization geophysical anomaly. Subsequent, diamond drilling in this zone intersected pyrite, copper sulphides and gold confirming the potential for a large gold-copper porphyry system.

Northgate can earn a 60% interest in the 44 sq km property by spending $2 million and paying owner Canasil Resources (CLZ-V) $140,000 over 4-years.

Moving 22 km southwest of Stewart, Northgate also drill tested the Praxis property. The company punched five holes into the Section Ridge area of the claim during 2002 with the best results coming in hole 2, which returned 0.67% lead, 0.39% zinc, plus 0.27 gram gold and 13.8 grams silver.

Northgate can earn a 51% interest in the 75-sq.-km property by spending $3.3 million over 4-years.

"In 2003, armed with the results of several recently completed airborne surveys of the region, Northgate looks forward to undertaking exploration work on several new targets in addition to continuing work at the Brenda property,” adds Stowe.