TDG Gold drills 11.14 g/t AuEq over 9.5 metres at Shasta, British Columbia
TDG Gold Corp. [TDG-TSCV] reported the first set of finalized assay results from the 2022 diamond drill program completed at its former producing, mineral resource stage Shasta gold-silver project located in the Toodoggone District of north-central British Columbia.
In 2022, TDG completed 20 diamond HQ, oriented drillholes totalling 5,034 metres, seven of which targeted the potential western extension of the Shasta main deposit. Assay results reported in this news release confirm and expand high grade Au-Ag mineralization surrounded by medium to lower grade mineralization over broader intervals on the west side of the Shasta deposit.
Mineralization was encountered at depths predicted by TDG’s geological model for Shasta over approximately 200 metres of effective strike length. Results also suggest the Shasta mineralized structure may have a shallower dip to the west than currently modelled, which may indicate potential to expand the mineral resource even further west, and down dip of the current drilling.
Diamond drillhole high-grade highlights downhole include SH22-057 that returned 33.0 metres grading 2.52 g/t Au and 95 g/t Ag [3.71 g/t gold equivalent (AuEq] from 121.0 metres depth, including 9.5 metres grading 7.76 g/t Au and 271 g/t Ag [11.14 g/t AuEq] from 143.0 metres depth.
SH22-060 returned 37.7 metres grading 1.95 g/t Au and 24 g/t Ag [2.26 g/t AuEq] from 118.3 metres depth, including 8.0 metres grading 8.59 g/t gold and 67 g/t Ag [9.43 g/t AuEq] from 148.0 metres depth.
SH22-058: returned 27.0 metres grading 0.98 g/t Au and 18 g/t Ag [1.21 g/t AuEq] from 94.0 metres depth. SH22-058 returned 11.0 metres grading 0.96 g/t Au and 33 g/t Ag [1.37 g/t AuEq] from 185.0 metred depth.
Steven Kramar, VP Exploration, commented: “Our modelling indicated that the potential extension of the mineralization to the west offered an efficient way to grow our existing mineral resource estimate for the Shasta Main deposit. The results from the seven holes we drilled into Shasta West are encouraging; particularly if the mineralized Shasta structure adjacent to the Shasta Fault has a shallower dip than previously modelled and remains open to the west, and further down dip than currently modelled.”
The assay data presented in this news release has been handed to Moose Mountain Technical Services to begin an updated NI 43-101 mineral resource estimate for the Shasta Main deposit.
The Shasta West drill plan was designed to test the down dip potential of the Shasta mineralization outside of the currently modelled resource area. New TDG lithologic modeling based on relogging of TDG drill core and evaluation of historical lithologic descriptions observed in the surface mapping, drill cores and underground geological work by previous operators, suggests the presence of a rather continuous fine-grained epiclastic unit within the stratigraphy in the immediate hanging wall of the Shasta Fault.
TDG has recognized through subsequent drilling that the Shasta Fault and Shasta mineralization dip shallower than previously recognized. As a result of this shallower dip, Shasta West mineralization is open at depth, below the 2022 resource shell, and further west, outside of the modelled resource area2. All 2022 drillholes were orientated and utilized HQ size for drill cores.
TDG is a major mineral claim holder in the historical Toodoggone Production Corridor of north-central British Columbia, Canada, with over 23,000 hectares of brownfield and greenfield exploration opportunities under direct ownership or earn-in agreement.
TDG’s flagship projects are the former producing, high-grade gold-silver Shasta, Mets and Baker mines, which are all road accessible, produced intermittently between 1981-2012, and have over 65,000 metres of historical drilling.
The projects have been advanced through compilation of historical data, new geological mapping, geochemical and geophysical surveys, and at Greater Shasta, over 13,000 metres of modern HQ drill testing of the known mineralization occurrences and their extensions. In May 2022, an initial Mineral Resource Estimate was published for 0.3 km2 of the 5.5 km2 exploration target area at Greater Shasta. Additional infill and step-out drilling was undertaken in 2022, some of which is reported in this news release. Finalized assay results for an additional 13 holes are still pending. TDG plans to update its mineral resource estimate for Shasta based on the results of the 2022 drilling and to undertake follow-up exploration and diamond drilling of high priority exploration targets in 2023.