Tectonic Metals drills 1.05 g/t gold over 35.06 metres at Flat project, Alaska
Tectonic Metals Inc. [TSXV-TECT; OTCQB-TETOF] reported 2024 assay results from four historical core holes drilled in 2003 at the Flat gold project in Alaska. These 2024 drill assay results have revealed multiple new, intrusion-hosted gold corridors at Chicken Mountain and validated the presence of a reduced intrusion-related gold system (RIRGS) at Golden Apex, one of six identified intrusion targets at Flat.
Tony Reda, president and CEO, stated: “The results from our historic drill core assaying program continue to underscore the potential for uncovering a significant gold resource at not one but several intrusions at Flat. This low-cost initiative has not only validated and expanded upon existing historical data but also offered critical insights into the geometry of the mineralized envelope, as well as the orientations of higher-grade corridors and structures within the known mineralized intrusion.
“Additionally, the program has provided valuable geochemical vectoring information that points to potential new, previously unexposed intrusion-hosted targets. By deepening our geological understanding of the Flat gold system and identifying emerging drill targets, we are strategically positioning Tectonic for success in making new discoveries in our forthcoming exploration programs.”
In 2003, the previous explorer at the Flat gold project completed a diamond drilling campaign, during which the recovered drill core was selectively sampled and assayed, despite initial assay results of up to 27 g/t gold. In 2024, through an extensive and meticulous relogging campaign, Tectonic has now identified and analyzed previously unsampled sections of these 2023 drill cores.
Four historical drill holes from Golden Apex and Chicken Mountain, totalling 1,043.5 metres with 720 metres recently assayed by Tectonic, are situated in largely unexplored areas of the Flat gold project. These results validate the presence of intrusion targets and reveal significant new discoveries that warrant immediate follow-up drilling. These data highlight the substantial exploration potential of the project and its capability to host multiple large-scale volcanic intrusions and associated gold mineralization.
GA03-02 highlight intervals: 12.34 m at 1.08 g/t Au; 22.86 m at 1.00 g/t Au; 9.60 m at 0.93 g/t Au.
There are only two historical drill holes at Golden Apex across the expansive 2.5 km long and 2.0 km wide Golden Apex target. Both drill holes were not drilled in the optimum orientation, were drilled directly into a fault zone and did not adequately test for the presence of underlying intrusions in the area. These new assay results will be used to further support additional drilling at Golden Apex aligned to the RIRGS model;
Drill hole CM03-26 revealed 288.22 metres of gold mineralization starting and ending in mineralization. The closest adjacent drill hole is 233 m away. CM03-26 highlight intervals: 19.81 m at 0.53 g/t Au; 7.62 m at 1.00 g/t Au.
Tectonic Metals is advancing the 99,840-acre Flat gold system and recently published the results of the company’s 2023 drill program at Flat’s Chicken Mountain intrusion target, where all 19 holes intersected gold. Flat is a network of interconnected geophysical anomalies that indicate six confirmed and potential bulk tonnage intrusion-related gold systems. The system spans a 20-km trend and has produced approximately 1.4 million ounces of Placer Gold between 1908 and 1966.
Tectonic’s 2023 drill program demonstrated gold at 300 metres depth and delineated 1.8 km of mineralized strike with mineralization remaining open in all directions. These results further strengthen the case for a potential open-pit, multimillion-ounce opportunity. A total of 74 holes have been drilled at the Chicken Mountain intrusion target, with each drill hole intersecting gold mineralization, which is remarkable and reinforces the notion that Flat is a very robust gold system.
Preliminary metallurgical analysis to date has demonstrated rapid leach kinetics and gold recoveries averaging 95% from bottle roll testing. This, combined with gold intersections at or near the surface, suggests Chicken Mountain may also be an open-pit, heap leach opportunity.
Tectonic is a gold exploration company founded by the same key executives who transformed Kaminak Gold from a $3-million venture into a $520 million success story. These leaders raised $165 million to finance the acquisition, discovery and advancement of the Coffee gold project in Yukon, including the completion of a bankable feasibility study, before selling the multimillion-ounce gold project to Goldcorp Inc. (now Newmont) for $520 million in 2016.