Sixty North Gold Mining encounters two gold quartz veins during mining, Northwest Territories
Sixty North Gold Mining Ltd. [CSE-SXTY; OTC Pink-SXNTF; FSE-2F40] reported that two gold zones have been encountered during development of its wholly owned Mon Gold Mine, Northwest Territories, northern Canada. The target of this development, the A-Zone quartz vein has been intersected in the 970E crosscut at elevation 212m AMSL, 16 metres below the historic West Stope.
Visible gold was noted in a 30-cm wide vein dipping steeply to the west with 3% sulphides, pyrrhotite >sphalerite >galena >chalcopyrite >pyrite (key pathfinder minerals for gold at the Mon Gold Mine) and significant visible gold in a 14-metre wide intensely potassic-altered gabbro. The A-Zone is exposed on surface where it extends over 100 metres in strike. Twenty samples from 10 trenches collected by an independent geologist in this vein averaged 116.34 g/t gold over 1.1 metres width (Malahoff, 2017).
An estimated 10,000 tonnes of this vein was mined to a depth of 15 metres below surface to 228 metres AMSL and 5,000 tonnes was mined from the east limb of the vein averaging 30 g/t gold.
The newly reported DD-Zone is 10 metres west of the A Zone and is exposed within the Main Ramp. It is defined by five historic drill holes with grades up to 12 g/t gold over 0.30 metres within 1.5 metres grading 3.74 g/t gold and is exposed for 7 metres along the west-wall and in the back of the ramp. The DD Zone pinches and swells and sub parallels the A-Zone but dips steeply to the east, averaging 0.3 to 1.2 metres in width with 5% sulphides, pyrite >pyrrhotite >sphalerite with trace arsenopyrite and visible gold within a 1 to 2 metres characteristic pink alteration enveloping the vein.
Mining starting on June 25 and has advanced the Main Ramp 44 metres by slash and drift rounds. All services have been installed and all equipment is functioning well with additional equipment on site in case of mechanical issues. There have been no lost-time accidents.
Sixty North Gold plans to commence subdrifting north and south on the A-Zone to collect material for stockpiling. It plans to continue the 970 crosscut another 20 m +/- to the east and drive additional crosscuts into the A-Zone quartz vein to expose more of the vein below the historic stopes on the eastern limb. The A-Zone eastern limb was tested by a number of historic drill holes within 20 metres of this area including:
Historic dril holes included 3.1 metres of 45.95 g/t gold, 1.7 metres of 25.37 g/t, 1.5 metres of 7.10 g/t, 1.5 metres of 19.82 g/t and 1.2 metres of 23.86 g/t gold.
Samples of the A-Zone and DD-Zone have been collected and submitted to independent certified laboratories for analysis, the results of which will be released as received and confirmed.
The company has also commenced a geotechnical drill program to install thermistors in compliance with its operational licenses.
Dr. Dave Webb, Ph.D., P.Eng., P.Geol., President & CEO, Director stated: “We are pleased with progress made by an exceptional group of miners, mechanics, service providers, cook/medics, and expeditors. The team has delivered in a most efficient manner and deserves credit for our progress. We have succeeded in exposing the A-Zone in four locations 115 m and 30 m along strike of the East and West stopes respectively and 16 m below these historic stopes. Past production of the A Zone extracted 15,000 tonnes at 30 gpt gold from this vein.
“A 100 tpd mill has been sourced and we plan to acquire and install it onto the property to commence recovery of gold as quickly as possible.”
The company is developing mining operations for gold on its 100%-owned Mon Gold Property, 40 km north of Yellowknife, NWT. Past production extracted 15,000 tonnes of ore to depths of only 15 metres below surface, recovering an estimated 15,000 ounces of gold in the 1990’s. The Yellowknife gold camp hosts two mines that averaged 30 g/t gold or better (Discovery and Sixty North Gold’s Mon Mine), and two that averaged 15 g/t or better for a total production of over 14 million ounces of gold (Con Min and Giant Mine.