The Best of Both Worlds – Can You Really Have a District Scale Deposit and High-Grade?
By Staff Writer
Sammy Haggar could be found belting out “If we could have the best of both worlds, we’d have heaven right here on Earth” shortly after joining Van Halen back in the 80’s. I don’t know if Sammy ever found heaven on earth, but a much different type of “rock star” Ken Konkin (President of Tudor Gold – TSX-V: TUD), thinks he may be getting close with the Treaty Creek project on which he just released an updated Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE). That’s because it might just have “the best of both worlds” when it comes to gold deposits: scale and grade.
SCALE:
To be sure, his deposit, called the Goldstorm (an apt name if there ever was one), is a behemoth coming in at 27.87 million ounces (Moz) of AuEQ Indicated at a grade of 1.19 g/t AuEQ with an additional 6.03 Moz of AuEQ Inferred Mineral Resource at a grade of 1.25 g/t AuEQ. All combined, that’s a staggering 26.5 Moz gold, 157.7 Moz silver, and 3.37 billion pounds (Blbs) of Copper. Oh, and apparently, it’s open in all directions! Konkin says that as they’ve been expanding the Goldstorm to the north, the grades continue to increase, which accounts for why the last two MRE updates have increased in both size and grade. He’s expecting more of the same for the 2024 drill program, which is restricted to the summertime as it’s located in British Columbia’s Golden Triangle. “We haven’t come through the center of the system yet,” says Konkin. “The grades are getting stronger.”
The Goldstorm deposit is now one of the largest undeveloped gold deposits in the world and is sandwiched between two other mineralized zones on Treaty Creek of similar potential: the Calm Before the Storm (CBS) and the Perfectstorm (PS) [anyone see a theme emerging here?]. All three are part of a much bigger geological system called the Sulphurets Hydrothermal System (SHS) that also incorporates the KSM deposits (Seabridge Gold – TSX: SEA), which host the largest undeveloped gold deposit in the world by reserves. Talk about potential.
GRADE:
As it turns out, the Goldstorm is actually comprised of four major domains and three minor ones, and the latest one, called the Supercell One (SC-1) [sticking with the theme here], has about ten times the system’s average grade. While they haven’t defined it yet, so far, it stretches over 500 meters and has intercepts like 15.64 g/t AuEq over 15m, 9.96 g/t AuEq over 25.5m, and 10.07 g/t AuEq over 12m.
Like the rest of the system, the grades of the SC-1 are getting richer as they approach a major fault to the north. It’s suspected that this fault is a primary source of the mineralization which disseminated as it flowed to the south. The drilling at Goldstorm started in the south and the grades have increased consistently as it’s been drilled further north each year. The upcoming fault, approximately 500m further north, could be the northern boundary of the deposit, but if the past is the best indicator of the future, the grades will increase to that point.
Konkin thinks that the SC-1 could already represent anywhere between two and a half to three million ounces of high-grade gold and that it’s likely there are several “Supercells” to be discovered as they approach the fault, they think is a primary source of these metals.
“Not only do we have this broad, very consistent, homogeneous, porphyry style mineralization, we have… think of a thunderstorm with lightning bolts going through it like a supercell going through a thunderstorm. We have several lightning bolts. These (bolts) are post Goldstorm deposit, energized, enriched gold events coming through (the deposit),” states Konkin.
Konkin points out that the high grades of the SC-1 zone are not included in the MRE. At this stage, they don’t know how big the SC-1 is, or how many supercells there are, for that matter. The 2024 drill program should help answer that as it’s been designed to reveal what lies in the last 500m before the fault. If Konkin is right about it potentially containing millions of ounces of gold at something north of 10 g/t AuEq, it could already be a game changer for the upcoming Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) that Tudor gold is working towards.
THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS?
Located within the southern half of the SHS are the KSM deposits, comprised of low-grade bulk tonnage copper-gold porphyries, and the Brucejack Mine (Newmont – NSYE: NEM), which is a small tonnage high-grade (8.5 g/t Au) low sulfidation epithermal system, each possessing distinct advantages. Could it be that in the northern half of the SHS Konkin has found a combination of the two – the best of both worlds? He certainly has a massive “gold storm” with grades that already eclipse many of Canada’s largest-producing mines. Will the lightning bolts he’s encountering and predicting end up being something similar to the neighbouring Brucejack mine (which Konkin helped develop)? If so, he just may, as Sammy would sing it, “have heaven right here on earth!”
The Treaty Creek project is a Joint Venture, with Tudor Gold being the operator and holding a 60% interest. American Creek Resources (TSX-V: AMK / OTCQB: ACKRF), and Teuton Resources (TSX-V: TUO), hold fully carried 20% interests until a notice of production is given, which means these companies incur no development costs until a production notice is issued. Tudor Gold has built strong relations with the Tahltan, Nisga’a, and Skii Km Lax Ha First Nations and has the support of the local community. The project benefits from surrounding infrastructure, including power and a road connecting it to Highway 37, scheduled for completion in 2024. It’s approximately 130km to bulk tonnage shipping ports in Stewart, BC, from there. Tudor Gold is working hard towards a PEA on the Goldstorm deposit. While the Calm before the Storm and the Perfectstorm zones show tremendous potential, Tudor is focused on bringing value to shareholders by advancing the Goldstorm deposit to an economic stage.
Tudor has stated that they have enough money to start the 2024 drilling program and have established an “at-the-market” equity distribution program through Research Capital Corporation, acting as the agent, to raise any additional funds needed. On March 1st American Creek Resources announced a $780,000 financing at 13 cents with a half warrant at 15 cents. They are currently trading in the 17-18 cent range, making the financing very appealing, especially when the warrants are already in the money.