Welcome to our weekly feature, TNM Drill Down, focusing on the top gold assays of the past week. Assays are ranked by gold grade x width, as identified by our sister company Mining Intelligence.
This week’s top drill assay comes from Canada-based Skeena Resources’ (TSX: SKE) Eskay Creek project in British Columbia. The company reported on Nov. 8 that hole SK-22-1122 returned an intercept of 24 metres grading 20.43 grams gold per tonne from 44 metres depth for a width x grade value of 490. The company interprets the result as expanding and validating the predictability of the geometry of the evolving 21A West Zone discovered in late 2021. It is 15 metres vertically below the previously reported high-grade hole SK-22-1093. The 21A West Zone remains open for expansion both down-dip and along strike. Occurring within the intended open pit at a vertical depth of only 60 metres below surface, this area of the resource was never populated by the previous drilling and, as such, was previously modelled as barren waste rock.
Lion One Metals (TSXV: LIO) produced the second-best drill assay of the week from its Tuvatu project in Fiji. On Nov. 7, it reported that hole TUDDH 608 returned 23.7 metres grading 17.89 grams gold per tonne from 594.5 metres depth for a width x grade value of 424 metres. The deep high-grade intercept has a horizontal true width of 10.4 metres, and the mineralized intervals contain several bonza hits. Lion One says the hole is consistent with its geological model of a robust alkalic gold system with increasing gold grade at depth. The hole is exploring the so-called ‘Jewel Box’ feeder zone beneath the existing resource.
Australia’s Musgrave Minerals (TSX: MGV) reported the third-best drill assay of the week at its Break of Day deposit, part of the Cue project in Western Australia. The company said on Nov. 7 that hole 22MORC251 returned 5 metres grading 80.2 grams gold per tonne from 12 metres depth for a width x grade value of 401. The drilling aimed to define better the mineralized limits and high-grade plunge orientations at the White Heat-Mosaic deposit. The results are from a combination of infill and extension drilling and highlight the very high-grade nature of the near-surface mineralization. The White Heat Mosaic deposit, with its near-surface, high-grades, is expected to be a key component of future project development at Cue. The results continue to reflect the unique potential of Musgrave’s 100% owned property at its flagship Cue project.
Good article ????