May 11 2016
Pilot Gold Inc. ("Pilot Gold" or the "Company") is pleased to announce additional drill results from 12 Reverse Circulation (RC) drill holes at the 100% controlled Goldstrike Oxide Gold Project in southwestern Utah. The primary target is Carlin-style shallow, oxide gold mineralization on the 7 km long "Historic Mine Trend", between and down-dip to the north of historic open pits.
Highlights from infill and step-out drilling on the 7 km-long, 2 km-wide Historic Goldstrike Mine Trend include:
- 1.14 grams per tonne gold (g/t Au) over 47.2 metres (m) in PSG027
- 0.80 g/t Au over 25.9 m in PSG032
- 1.05 g/t Au over 24.4 m, including 1.68 g/t over 10.7 m in PSG035
- 0.60 g/t Au over 39.6 m in PSG039
Key Points:
- Drilling to date confirms that, as modeled, a sheet of nearly continuous oxide gold mineralization extends at shallow depth between and immediately below all of the historic pits in the eastern Historic Mine Trend.
- Variations in the grade of intercepts are attributed to proximity to high-angle mineralizing feeder structures.
- Holes drilled to date represent infill and step-out drilling targeting the basal Claron Formation in the easternmost portion of the Historic Mine Trend.
- Long intervals assaying 0.30 to 0.40 g/t gold were also encountered on the margins of the mineralized zone.
- 75% of holes encountering significant mineralization in the basal Claron Formation as well as continuing into Paleozoic strata to depth.
For a complete table of drill results for the current 12 holes, please click here:
http://pilotgold.com/sites/default/files/GS_Intercepts04252016.pdf
For a complete table of results for all drilling by Pilot Gold at Goldstrike in 2015 and to date in 2016, please click here: http://pilotgold.com/sites/default/files/GS_Intercepts2015to04252016.pdf
For a map of drill collars and traces for the current release, please click here:
http://pilotgold.com/sites/default/files/GoldStrike_PR2016-6bv2.pdf
RC drilling is ongoing, with on average 5 RC drill holes completed per week.
In addition to the ongoing RC drilling program, a 10-hole metallurgical and infill core drill program is also underway, with results pending for four holes drilled to date. Eight of the core holes are, or will be, located in the eastern portion of the Historic Mine Trend (Km 6 N and Km 5 N), with two located in the western part of the Historic Mine Trend. For a map showing the planned and executed locations of core and RC holes, please click here: http://pilotgold.com/sites/default/files/GoldStrike_PR2016-6av1.pdf
2016 RC and Core Drilling Program
The objective of the 2016 RC and core drilling program is to target unmined and/or undrilled areas between and around the historic pits, and to drill test down-dip to the north of, and laterally beyond, the Historic Mine Trend into areas where gold has been confirmed but not systematically drilled off. The holes will average approximately 150 metres in length. The scope of the program is open-ended and dependent on results. At least 100 RC drill holes are covered in the Phase 1 2016 drill budget. The core holes and metallurgical study costs are a supplement to the RC drill program budget. The metallurgical program will test the amenability of oxide material in newly-discovered areas of mineralization to leaching, over a range of particle sizes. Historical mining at Goldstrike (1988-1994) was 100% run of mine material that returned approximately 75% recovery on the heap leach pads(1).
The goal is to advance the Goldstrike Project to a resource estimate by year end, incorporating new and historical RC drill hole data over a broad area.
Goldstrike Property
Goldstrike is located in the eastern Great Basin, immediately adjacent to the Utah/Nevada border, and is a Carlin-style gold system, similar in many ways to the prolific deposits located along Nevada's Carlin trend. Like Kinsley Mountain and Newmont's Long Canyon deposit, Goldstrike represents part of a growing number of Carlin-type systems located off the main Carlin and Cortez trends in largely underexplored parts of the Great Basin. The Goldstrike Property comprises 96 km2 of US federal lode claims, patented (private) claims and Utah State leases. Previous mining at Goldstrike occurred from 1988 to 1994, with 209,000 ounces of gold produced from 12 shallow pits, at an average grade of 1.2 g/t Au.
(1) Previous mining data sourced from: Willden, R., 2006, Goldstrike Mining District, Washington County, Utah: in bon, R.L., Gloyn, R.W., and Park, G.M., eds., Mining Districts of Utah: Utah Geological Association Publication 32, p. 458-476.
Moira Smith, Ph.D., P.Geo., Vice-President Exploration and Geoscience, Pilot Gold, is the Company's designated Qualified Person for this news release within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") and has reviewed and validated that the information contained in the release is accurate. Drill composites were calculated using a cut-off of 0.20 g/t. Drill intersections are reported as drilled thicknesses. True widths of the mineralized intervals are interpreted to be between 30-90% of the reported lengths. Drill samples were assayed by ALS Limited in Reno, Nevada for gold by Fire Assay of a 30 gram (1 assay ton) charge with an AA finish, or if over 5.0 g/t were re-assayed and completed with a gravimetric finish. For these samples, the gravimetric data were utilized in calculating gold intersections. For any samples assaying over 0.200 ppm an additional cyanide leach analysis is done where the sample is treated with a 0.25% NACN solution and rolled for an hour. An aliquot of the final leach solution is then centrifuged and analyzed by AAS. QA/QC for all drill samples consists of the insertion and continual monitoring of numerous standards and blanks into the sample stream, and the collection of duplicate samples at random intervals within each batch. Selected holes are also analyzed for a 51 multi-element geochemical suite by ICP-MS. ALS Geochemistry-Reno is ISO 17025:2005 Accredited, with the Elko prep lab listed on the scope of accreditation.
Goldstrike is an early-stage exploration project and, except for that which is noted in the Report (as defined below), does not contain any mineral resource estimates as defined by NI 43-101. The potential quantities and grades disclosed herein are conceptual in nature and there has been insufficient exploration to define a mineral resource for the targets disclosed herein. It is uncertain if further exploration will result in these targets being delineated as a mineral resource. NI 43-101 technical report prepared for a previous operator entitled, "Technical Report on the Mineral Mountain Property, Washington County, Utah, USA", dated February 16, 2010, prepared by Kenneth P. Puchlik, of Puchski GeoConsultants (the "Report"). As at the date of the Report, Mr. Puchlik was a "Qualified Person" as defined by NI 43-101.