Drills New Wide, High-Grade Gold Intersections
Kirkland Lake Gold Ltd (TSX:KL) (ASX:KLA) has identified significant potential for mineral resource growth between the existing Main Pit and the planned West Pit Location at the Detour Lake property in Ontario, Canada.
The company has received assay results from 38 holes and two wedge holes (23,911 m) of drilling along the Detour Mine Trend (DMT) at the Detour Lake property.
The new holes are the fifth batch of results from the recently announced 270,000 m exploration programme, which the company is targeting for completion by the end of 2021. The programme is being undertaken to collect information for an updated, and potentially expanded, Mineral Reserve and to support the completion of a new production plan, expected to be released in early 2022.
President and CEO, Tony Makuch, said most of the new holes announced are from drilling in the Saddle Zone, located between the existing Main Pit and planned West Pit locations, which has been underexplored and has no Mineral Reserves and only limited Mineral Resources. Several new holes are also being announced from the area west of the West Pit Mineral Reserves, which also contains limited past drilling.
“We continue to have a great deal of success drilling along the DMT. New wide, high-grade intersections continue to confirm the continuity of the mineralised corridor connecting the Main Pit and planned West Pit,” Mr Makuch said.
We are also having success intersecting high-grade mineralisation near the bottom of the Mineral Resource pit shell in the Saddle Zone, which highlights the potential to add significant new open-pit, and possibly underground, Mineral Resources.
“We also continue to expand mineralisation to the west of the planned West Pit, indicating that we have yet to determine the full expanse of the deposit running along the DMT. We are continuing our extensive drill programme at Detour Lake, following up on each of the key targets, with 12 drills currently working and plans to complete 270,000 m of drilling during 2021.
“When we issued the new technical report for Detour Lake at the end of March, we described it as an important milestone for the project that included expanded production, low unit costs, a long mine life and attractive economics.
“We also indicated that it was very much an interim report, that we fully expect to improve upon when we factor the substantial exploration success we are achieving into a new technical report and life-of-mine plan next year.
“The drilling results we have announced today provide us with even greater confidence that the 2022 technical report will clearly establish Detour Lake as one of the world’s premier gold mines.”
Drilling in the central portion of the Saddle Zone included nine holes and one wedge hole (6,445 m) and targeted the DMT approximately midway between the existing Main Pit and Mineral Reserves in the planned West Pit.
Significant results from the drilling include: 1.13 gpt over 155.1 m, 1.90 gpt over 32.7 m, incl. 15.07 gpt over 2.1 m, 3.98 gpt over 9.3 m, 1.0 gpt over 29.2 m, 18.87 gpt over 2.6 m and 2.0 gpt over 10.0 m from hole DLM-21-103; 9.02 gpt over 13.0 m, 2.21 gpt over 26.0 m, incl. 5.15 gpt over 8.0 m, 1.84 gpt over 11.0 m and 9.99 gpt over 2.0 m from hole DLM-20-079BW; 1.56 gpt over 70.2 m, 31.91 gpt over 5.0 m, 3.18 gpt over 10.0 m, 18.45 gpt over 2.3 m, 17.40 gpt over 3.2 m 15.10 gpt over 2.0 m and 3.35 gpt over 9.0 m from hole DLM-20-092; 1.37 gpt over 43.1 m, incl. 12.17 gpt over 3.0 m, 1.37 gpt over 19.2 m, 1.33 gpt over 11.0 m, 0.71 gpt 67.2 m and 9.28 gpt over 2.0 m from hole DLM-20-078 and 1.10 gpt over 42.6 m from hole DM-21-144 which targeted the DMT between 200 and 400 m below surface as well as at depth.
Additional significant results include: 1.08 gpt over 56.0 m, incl. 13.01 gpt over 2.0 m and 3.38 gpt over 10.0 m, incl. 14.76 gpt over 2.0 m from hole DLM-20-79B, 1.34 gpt over 40.0 m, 0.71 gpt over 81.6 m and 0.86 gpt over 37.2 mfrom hole DLM-21-098A; 0.94 gpt over 56.2 m and 0.99 gpt 18.1 m from hole DLM-20-085A and 1.42 gpt over 19.9 m and 0.73 gpt over 15.0 m from hole DLM-21-106 which targeted the DMT between 100 and 200 m below surface.
Mr Makuch said results from all new holes in this area are considered extremely encouraging as they continue to confirm the presence of a broad corridor of mineralization extending between the Main Pit and Mineral Reserve in the planned West Pit (a distance of over 800 m) with the overall style of mineralisation and gold tenor being very similar to that found in existing Mineral Reserves.
Particularly encouraging is the identification of wide, high-grade mineralization near the lower limits of the current Mineral Resource pit shell, which indicates that a potential exists to expand the pit shell to depth and to add significant new open-pit Mineral Resources as well as to define underground Mineral Resources below the pit.
East Portion of Saddle Zone
Drilling in the east portion of the Saddle Zone included 14 holes (8,703 m) and targeted areas along the DMT directly below and to the west of the Main Pit Mineral Reserve shell.
Significant results from the drilling including: 1.96 gpt over 60.4 m and 2.12 gpt over 36.3 m, incl. 21.45 gpt over 2.0 m from hole DLM-21-111; 0.90 gpt over 103.0 m and 90.03 gpt over 2.5 m from hole DLM-20-099; 0.81 gpt over 131.0m from hole DLM-21-151; 1.49 gpt over 64.8 m, including 23.95 gpt over 2.0 m and 2.54 gpt over 35.1 m, incl. 27.77 gpt over 2.0 m from hole DLM-21-126, 1.08 gpt over 75.0 and 1.04 gpt over 33.8 m from hole DLM-21-090 and 3.91 gpt over 23.0 m, including 35.66 gpt over 2.0 m from hole DLM-21-127.
All of these new holes were designed to intersect the DMT between 150 and 250 m below surface and continue to confirm the continuation of this structure to the west of the current Main Pit Mineral Reserve and Mineral Resource pit shells.
Drilling below the planned west pit included nine holes and one wedge hole (6,294 m) which targeted the DMT in the central part of the planned West Pit between 350 and 400 m below surface.
Significant results from the drilling include: 2.94 gpt over 51.9 m, including 29.37 gpt over 4.0 m, 1.41 gpt over 47.2 m and 0.92 gpt over 46.2 from DLM-21-122; 2.37 gpt over 36.0 m, 2.58 gpt over 10.0m and 095 gpt over 30.7 m from hole DLMa-21-102A. The new results are located approximately 25 to 50 m below the current West Pit Mineral Resource pit shell where there is very limited past drilling.
Results from all four holes are considered very positive and continue to confirm the continuation of mineralization through the west portion of the Saddle Zone and into the area under the planned West Pit.
West Pit Extension
Drilling in the east portion of the Saddle Zone included six new holes (2,970 m) which targeted areas of the DMT west of the Mineral Reserve located in the planned West Pit up to between 200 and 300 m below surface.
Significant results from the drilling include: 0.75 gpt over 41.5m from hole DLM-21-135 which intersected the DMT approximately 100 m west of the current Mineral Reserve pit shell in the planned West Pit, as well as 10.66 gpt over 13.0 m, including 34.51 gpt over 3.0 m, 23.92 gpt over 2.3 m, 3.52 gpt over 5.0 m and 0.65 gpt over 47.8 m from hole DLM-21-119A and 1.14 gpt over 78.4 m from hole DLM-20-060 which intersected this structure between 200 to 400 m to the west.
Mr Makuch said that, based on assay results and other observations obtained from the programme to date, the outlook for the project continues to look encouraging with there being evidence of a broad and continuous corridor of mineralisation extending from the Main Pit through the Saddle Zone to the planned West Pit and to a depth of at least 800 m below surface.
The work also suggests that mineralisation within the corridor is very similar to that found in existing Mineral Reserves and is hosted within broad zones containing variable amounts of quartz and pyrite, which are controlled mainly by east-west trending, moderately north dipping folds and shear structures which plunge at a shallow angle to the west.
“Given results to date, the potential to identify further extensions to mineralisation as well as additions to Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves through additional drilling is considered excellent,” Mr Makuch said.
Exploration work at Detour Lake is ongoing with 12 drills current working and on track to completing 270,000 m by the end of 2021.
