West Red Lake Gold drills 113.74 g/t gold over 0.5 metres at Rowan, Ontario
West Red Lake Gold Mines Ltd. [WRLG-TSXV; WRLGF-OTCQB] reported additional drill results from the phase 1 exploration program on its 100%-owned Rowan property, located in the prolific Red Lake gold district of northwest Ontario, Canada.
Highlights: Hole RLG-23-146 intersected 2.8 metres at 20.9 g/t gold, from 349.7 to 352.5 metres, including 0.5 metres at 113.74 g/t gold, from 349.7 to 350.2 metres.
Hole RLG-23-133 intersected 0.4 metres at 104.98 g/t gold, from 74.85 to 75.25 metres. Hole RLG-23-144 intersected 0.5 metres at 74.36 g/t gold, from 452.5 to 453 metres.
Hole RLG-23-146 intersected 1.35 metres at 16.34 g/t gold, from 241 to 242.35 metres, including 0.85 metres at 25.8 g/t gold, from 241 to 241.85 metres.
Hole RLG-23-145 intersected two metres at 10.53 g/t gold, from 265 to 267 metres, including one metre at 20.79 g/t gold, from 266 to 267 metres.
The high-grade mineralized vein zones encountered at the Rowan mine target area are in line with expectations on gold grade, confirm the geologic model, and help to bolster the existing high-grade (9.2 g/t Au) 827,462-ounce inferred mineral resource at the Rowan mine.
Shane Williams, president and CEO, stated: “We are delighted with the continued success our geologic team is having at the Rowan mine target. Drilling continues to intercept high-grade gold at or near projected depths, confirming our model of the Rowan vein system. This enriches our understanding of the grade continuity and gold distribution within individual vein zones. Moreover, the discovery of visible gold and mineralization in veins subsidiary to the main structures indicates much more gold in the overall system than previously believed.
“Several drill intercepts received to date have returned assay results at higher grades than those in the existing Inferred resource block model. We look forward to updating the Rowan mineral resource, which currently hosts Inferred resources of 827,462 ounces at 9.2 g/t gold.
“With the acquisition of the Madsen gold project, the company has secured the necessary infrastructure, potentially accelerating the production timeline for Rowan, which is situated within trucking distance from the Madsen Mill.”
A total of 23 diamond drill holes, totalling 6,063 metres, have been completed so far in 2023 at the Rowan mine target area. Fire and metallic screen assays have been returned for 19 out of 23 holes completed, with four holes pending assays and quality assurance/quality control at the time of this writing.
An additional 1,000 metres of diamond drilling planned for the phase 1 program is currently ongoing and expected to be completed on target in early July, 2023. The focus of this drilling is on infill and expansion within high-grade mineralized zones at the Rowan mine resource area. Upon completion of phase 1, the company will lead directly into its phase 2 program, which will include an additional 10,000 metres of drilling to further build on phase 1 exploration work and to continue derisking the high-grade Rowan mine resource.
The company has initiated a metallurgical study at Rowan to begin evaluating this potential opportunity, as well as a geotechnical study to better characterize the rock mass properties within the mineralized vein zones at Rowan.
The phase 1 drilling completed at the Rowan mine target in 2023 has been focused on validating historical data across the inferred resource, and also infilling apparent gaps in the analytical data set which was a product of very selective sampling techniques implemented during previous drilling campaigns.
Recent drilling has confirmed that higher grades are present within the 100 vein zone below 150 metres elevation, suggesting that gold grades are increasing at depth within this zone which is a trend that has been observed elsewhere in the Red Lake district. Drilling at the Rowan mine target area will continue with an emphasis on infill and expansion of the existing high-grade mineral resource.
West Red Lake Gold Mines is a mineral exploration company that is publicly traded and focused on advancing and developing its flagship Madsen gold mine and the associated 47 km2, highly prospective land package in the Red Lake district of Ontario. West Red Lake also holds the wholly owned Rowan property in Red Lake, with an expansive property position covering 31 km2, including three past-producing gold mines — Rowan, Mount Jamie and Red Summit.