Northstar Gold drills +500-metre gold horizon at Miller copper-gold project, Ontario
Northstar Gold Corp. [CSE: NSG] reported partial results of a 7-hole, 1,465-metre diamond drill program at the 100%-owned Miller copper-gold property 18 km southeast of Kirkland Lake, northeast Ontario. Wiijiiwaagan Drilling Limited Partnership, a partnership between Boart Longyear and Matachewan First Nation, conducted the program between November 23 and December 12, 2024.
Northstar’s 2024 diamond drill program targeted near-surface copper-gold-silver volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) mineralization and associated EM, IP and magnetic geophysical anomalies over a 1,000-metre southeast strike extension of the historic, direct-shipping high-grade Cam Copper Mine VMS horizon.
Northstar drill holes CC-05-24, CC-06-24 and CC-11-24 targeted shallow, volcanogenic sulphide mineralization along a 500-metre-long EM conductor, 500 metres southeast of Cam Copper Mine. The company reported that all three holes intersected a stratiform, semi-massive to stringer pyrrhotite dominated sulphide horizon with anomalous gold and zinc concentrations over a +500-metre conductive strike length.
Semi-massive, gold-bearing sulphides were encountered over multiple intervals in the footwall of a large gabbro sill in DDH CC-06-24. Assay results averaged 0.84 g/t Au over 2.08m from 151.17m to 153.25m, including 1.28 g/t Au over 1.10m from 151.5m to 152.6m. A similar intercept in DDH CC-05-24, collared 70 metres northwest of DDH CC-06-24, averaged 0.80 g/t Au over 0.29m from 142.15m to 142.44m, all within an 11.63m interval (131.62m to 143.25m) of anomalous zinc concentrations, indicating exploration potential for thicker gold and zinc intercepts in a follow-up drill program.
DDH CC-11-24, collared 355 metres northwest of DDH CC-06-24 in a pervasively chlorite and sericite altered gabbro sill, intersected the same gold bearing horizon over 0.52m between 106.19m and 106.71m, averaging 0.40 g/t Au and 2160 ppm Zn. Two surface grab samples (E455509 and E455510), previously collected in the vicinity of DDH CC-11-24 returned gold and zinc values of 2.01 g/t Au, 2070 ppm Zn and 1.74 g/t Au, 1805 ppm Zn within the same prospective horizon.
Given the stratiform gold-sulphide horizon’s pronounced, open strike extent and depth continuity, Northstar believes additional exploration has excellent potential to discover a significant gold and base metal deposit at depth.
“Northstar is very pleased to intersect gold-bearing, volcanogenic sulphide mineralization over such a pronounced strike length at the Miller Copper-Gold Property, stated George Pollock, Vice President Exploration. “The Upper portion of the Pacaud Assemblage has been largely neglected by past explorers, possibly because they did not recognize the volcanogenic nature of the massive sulphide horizons (let alone the gold potential) within the Boston Creek Mining Camp, and the importance of the large gabbro sills as heat drivers and possible metal sources for such deposits.
“One of the best economic examples of this type of gold-rich VMS deposit(s) within the Abitibi Greenstone Belt is the nearby world-class LaRonde Mine Complex, which is being mined for both gold and zinc in 1 to 15-metre thick stratiform VMS lenses hosting massive to semi-massive pyrite-pyrrhotite-sphalerite-chalcopyrite-galena mineralization. LaRonde achieved commercial production in 1988 and in June 2016 LaRonde’s operations reached a depth of 3,008 metres, making it the deepest mine in the Americas. Total production as of 2022 has exceeded 7M ounces of gold.
“While Northstar’s drill results may not be economic as stand-alone intersections, they support the premise that significant deposits of stratiform gold-base metals may exist on the Property. Follow-up exploration along this newly discovered gold horizon will be prioritized and include surface prospecting, 3D I.P., possible borehole I.P. surveying and MMI Soil Geochem sampling in 2025 to identify thicker sections for drill testing.”
Additional 2024 Cam Copper Mine area drill results and a Novamera Inc. Surgical MiningTM MOU update will be provided in a forthcoming news release.
Northstar’s primary exploration focus is to advance and expand the near-surface, Allied Gold Zone bulk tonnage gold-telluride deposit and more recently discovered VMS copper mineral deposits on the company’s flagship, Miller Copper-Gold Property. The company’s strategy is to develop a material (+1M ounce gold/high-grade copper) mineral resource base to supplement a nearby mining operation or support stand-alone mining operations at the Property.
Northstar recently signed two MOUs to advance the Company’s Miller Intrusive Complex gold and Cam Copper Zone 2 VMS copper exploration and development projects, respectively, at the Miller Copper-Gold Property. On September 19, 2024, Northstar announced signing a MOU with China-based Hunan Nonferrous with intentions to possibly secure a minority stake in the Miller Intrusive Complex gold deposits by funding up to 10,000 metres of expansion diamond drilling.
On October 3, 2024, Northstar announced it had signed a MOU with Novamera Inc., setting terms for Novamera to secure the necessary financing to Surgically MineTM high-grade copper at Cam Copper Mine, subject to the definition and permitting of an economic deposit. This includes a multi-staged program to test and extract material from the copper-rich, near vertical Zone 2 VMS horizon. In late 2024, Northstar commissioned Chris Keech of CGK Consulting Services Inc., to develop a geological block model to provide the basis for Novamera’s Stage 1 mining estimation Scoping Study. Results of this study are expected next month.