Newfoundland gold discovery made by Westfield/Coniagas

A gold discovery in Newfoundland, with large tonnage possibilities, has been made by Westfield Minerals and partners The Coniagas Mines (25%) and Anglo Dominion Gold Exploration (25%). Westfield, the project operator, holds 50%.

Located approximately 100 miles northeast of the large Hope Brook gold deposit, being placed into production by Hope Brook Gold, the Westfield property covers geology of a similar stratigraphic age as that at Hope Brook, Terrence McKillen, chief geologist at Westfield, tells The Northern Miner

What has the project partners excited is the stratabound nature of the mineralized zone which strikes for 4 km. Gold mineralization has been exposed in a series of trenches on a several hundred metre spacing. Grab samples from trenches assayed up to 0.34 oz gold per ton. Most ranged between 0.1-0.2 oz gold per ton.

Across a strike length of 3,000 m, some of the better channel samples are as follows.

Grade Width

oz Au/t (m)

0.07 1.5

0.08 1.0

0.115 2.0

0.153 1.5

0.185 3.0

0.19 1.5 “Its a very significant discovery,” Mr McKillen says, not ing that the grades at Hope Brook, which will be producing gold at a rate of 126,000 oz per year by 1989, average 0.13 oz gold per ton.

Although similar in age as the Hope Brook deposit, the mineralized zone on Westfield’s property differs with respect to alteration and mineralogy. “But their are other situations on our property which are analogous with Hope Brook,” he adds.

The discovery, which has never been drilled, will be tested by an initial 5,000-ft drill program. A drill rig is on site. “We are looking at a major program in 1987,” Mr McKillen adds.

The trenching program was designed to evaluate a strong geochemical anomaly outlined by Westfield late in 1985. Gold mineralization is associated with arsenopyrite, pyrite and pyrrhotite hosted by a felsic volcanic tuffs and sediments.

The partners control more than 1,100 claims in the area, representing 45,520 acres; sufficient to protect the target stratigraphic horizon for 30 km, Westfield says.