Rockhaven Resources drills 7.0 g/t AuEq over 5.85 metres at Klaza, Yukon
Rockhaven Resources Ltd. [RK-TSXV] reported final assay results from the 2022 diamond drilling program completed at its 100%-owned and road-accessible Klaza property. The Klaza property is located within the Dawson Range gold-copper belt of southern Yukon, a prolific belt that hosts several important mineral deposits, including Minto Metals’ Minto copper-gold mine, Western Copper and Gold’s Casino copper-gold deposit and Newmont’s Coffee gold deposit.
During summer 2022, a total of 12,042 metres of drilling was completed in 69 holes at Klaza. The work program was designed to advance Klaza towards an updated mineral resource estimate1 and pre-feasibility study by attaining the following objectives: re-categorization of prioritized inferred mineral resources into indicated mineral resources; expansion of the total mineral resource; collection of samples for advanced-stage metallurgical test work; completion of additional geotechnical drilling for optimized open-pit and underground engineering; and evaluation of some of the exploration targets that lie outside of the known mineral resource areas through excavator trenching, soil sampling and prospecting. Based on results received to date, Rockhaven is on track to achieve all objectives.
Results presented in this news release are from various parts of the Central Klaza Zone, the adjacent BYG Zone and the Western BRX Zone Extension target. Previous 2022 season drill results were announced on January 18th and January 30th, 2023.
Highlights include 5.48 g/t gold and 128 g/t silver (7.00 g/t AuEq – gold equivalent) over 5.85 metres (KL-22-603); 11.16 g/t gold and 23 g/t silver (11.82 g/t AuEq) over 2.14 metes (KL-22-600); 5.60 g/t gold and 174 g/t silver (8.29 g/t AuEq) over 3.38 m etres(KL-22-596); 4.27 g/t gold and 352 g/t silver (8.44 g/t AuEq) over 2.31 metres (KL-22-590); 4.24 g/t gold and 38 g/t silver (4.69 g/t AuEq) over 3.81 metres (KL-22-602); 2.56 g/t gold and 14 g/t silver (2.78 g/t AuEq) over 5.61 metres (KL-22-611); and 25.90 g/t gold and 258 g/t silver (30.50 g/t AuEq) over 0.64 metres (KL-22-594).
Matt Turner, president and CEO, commented: “Drilling completed at the Central Klaza Zone in 2022 primarily focused on areas to the east and west of infill drilling done during the 2021 program. Although these areas were considered to be lower priority targets coming into 2022, all 21 holes returned significant mineralization along the targeted vein structures. The results are expected to be supportive of the potential project economics because several intercepts are higher than deposit average grade and some, like the interval averaging 7.00 g/t AuEq across 5.85 metres in hole KL-22-603, are located near surface.
“In addition to the resource definition holes, the 2022 drill program included several geotechnical holes, the data from which will be used for engineering studies that will be an important part of our planned pre-feasibility study. Nevertheless, a few of the geotechnical holes intersected the veins, producing additional assay information that will be used to support planned resource estimation. Of particular note, geotechnical hole KL-22-605 averaged 7.36 g/t gold and 136 g/t silver over 5.70 metres and KL-22-622 returned a weighted average grade of 2.85 g/t gold and 41 g/t silver over 33.96 metres, with individual assays of 65.8 g/t gold and 182 g/t silver over 1.07 metres and 15 g/t gold and 957 g/t silver over 0.93 metres, respectively.”
The Central Klaza Zone hosts a laterally extensive complex of steeply-dipping veins, breccias and sheeted veinlets emplaced within a 25 to 100 metres wide by 1,300 metres long structural corridor. In 2022, 21 in-fill holes were completed at the Central Klaza Zone. These holes were designed to upgrade mineral resources from inferred to indicated and to collect material for advanced metallurgical testing. Fourteen of the holes intersected the western portion of the zone, five targeted its eastern side and two tested deeper, beneath the central portion. All holes returned promising intercepts, with the most significant results coming from near surface hits on the eastern side, where highlights include 7.00 g/t AuEq over 5.85 metres, 2.78 g/t AuEq over 5.61 metres, and 3.13 g/t AuEq over 3.08 metres.
Completed and planned engineering studies include geotechnical drilling and rock strength test work. During the 2022 program, a total of 16 holes were completed to support the open-pit portion of the planned pre-feasibility study.
Two exploration drill holes targeted the potential eastern projection of the Western BRX Extension target, an early-stage exploration opportunity, which hosts a silver-rich vein discovered in KL-21-492 (which returned 1,160 g/t silver, 8.4% lead and 5.2% zinc over 0.54 metres. Drilling in 2022 returned one interval of note, grading 98 g/t silver over 0.90 metres in KL-22-567. These results will assist in defining opportunities for potential extensions of the Western BRX Extension target.