Resource Expansion Drilling At Brucejack Intersects More High-Grade Gold Mineralization
VANCOUVER - Pretium Resources Inc. reported that it continues to intersect high grade gold mineralization in Phase 2 of the North Block resource expansion drill program at the Brucejack Mine in British Columbia.
Following up on the success of the Phase 1 drill program Pretivm initiated a second phase of drilling to test the extension of the North Block Zone to the northwest. The Phase 2 program identified high-grade gold mineralization with five intersections assaying above 1,000 grams per tonne gold. Results include, drill hole VU-2933 which assayed 561.6 grams per tonne gold over 15.0 meters, including 8,400 grams per tonne gold over 1.0 meter. In addition, drill hole VU-2932 assayed 306.6 grams per tonne gold over 19.5 meters, including 5,910 grams per tonne gold over 1.0 meter. High grade gold mineralization was intercepted up to 450 meters from the current resource shell.
“These impressive results confirm high-grade gold mineralization in the North Block Zone and further extend the potential of the Valley of the Kings deposit at Brucejack,” said Jacques Perron, President and Chief Executive Officer. Based on the success of the second phase, we have initiated a third and fourth phase of the drill program to further delineate the potential of the North Block Zone.”
The North Block Zone is located directly to the north of the Valley of the Kings deposit. The resource expansion exploration program is designed to test for Valley of the Kings style mineralization to the north and at depth. Phase 2 of the program was drilled from the 1150 and 1070 levels in the mine, targeting an area extending up to 450 meters north of the current resource shell. Phase 3 of the program will infill between the existing drill fans and the newly designed Phase 4 of the program will test an area immediately to the northwest of the current drilling.
Phase 2 of the North Block resource expansion drill program comprised 22,964 meters in 83 drill holes. Drilling from the 1150 level intersected the extension of the Domain 13 Stockwork, which is currently being mined in the Valley of the Kings. Drilling from the 1070 level intersected the recently identified corridor of gold mineralization in the footwall of the Domain 13 structure. This corridor features coarse electrum in northwest oriented quartz-carbonate veins within a broader halo of lower grade gold mineralization.
Significant drill results are: Hole VU-2933 intersected 561.6 grams per tonne gold over 15.0 meters, including 8,400 grams per tonne gold and 4,900 grams per tonne silver over 1.0 meters; Hole VU-2932 intersected 306.6 grams per tonne gold over 19.5 meters, including 5,910 grams per tonne gold and 3,400 grams per tonne silver over 1.0 meters; Hole VU-2962 intersected 191.6 grams per tonne gold over 14.0 meters, including 1,795 grams per tonne gold and 1,375 grams per tonne silver over 1.0 meters; Hole VU-2859 intersected 31.6 grams per tonne gold over 51.0 meters, including 1,515 grams per tonne gold over 1.0 meters; and Hole VU-2967 intersected 61.7 grams per tonne gold over 17.5 meters, including 993 grams per tonne gold over 1.0 meters.
The resource expansion drill program is currently targeting the North Block Phase 3 and Phase 4 and the 1080 East Zone. In early July, two drills from underground will be repositioned to complete a 13,000-meter resource expansion drill program at Gossan Hill from surface. At the Bridge Zone, 11,000-meters of underground resource expansion drilling is expected to start in late August.
The near-mine exploration program is expected to start in mid-June with two additional drills on surface. The program will focus first on exploration targets at Shore Zone and SG Zone. Then, to follow up on the successful discovery of epithermal style gold mineralization at Hanging Glacier, a 10,000-meter drill program will be initiated in late July (see news release dated December 16, 2020).
In addition to drilling, the near-mine exploration program will include a UAV magnetic survey, MT and IP geophysical surveys, soil sampling and prospecting over the four-kilometer trend from Brucejack to Hanging Glacier.