Westhaven drills 5.69 g/t gold over 14.96 metres at Shovelnose, British Columbia
Westhaven Gold Corp. [WHN-TSXV; WTHVF-OTC] reported drill results from its continuing drill campaign at its 100%-cent-owned 17,623-hectare Shovelnose gold property. Shovelnose is located within the prospective Spences Bridge gold belt (SBGB), which borders the Coquihalla Highway 30 km south of Merritt, B.C.
Gareth Thomas, president and ceo, said: “Drilling continues to expand the high-grade FMN zone towards the South zone which is located approximately two kilometres to the southeast. Drill intercepts SN22-213 (38.22 metres of 3.36 g/t gold and 11.48 g/t silver) and SN22-229 (14.96 m of 5.69 g/t gold and 343.57 g/t silver) are located 40 metres and 80 metres respectively along strike from SN22-212 (23.03 metres of 37.24 g/t gold and 209.52 g/t silver announced April, 2022), which is 240 metres along strike from SN21-161 (15.97 m of 9.15 g/t gold and 27.43 g/t silver announced May, 2021). Hole SN22-229 is the highest silver intercept (5,140 gram-metres Ag) drilled to date on the Shovelnose property. There are several hundred metres of largely untested strike length at the FMN zone, both towards the South zone and towards the Franz zone. In addition to hosting bonanza grades, the FMN zone benefits from minimal overburden with mineralization starting at bedrock surface.”
Westhaven is reporting assays for 21 holes from its continuing drill campaign at Shovelnose. Recent drilling highlights include drill hole SN22-229 (FMN: 281.97 to 296.93 m) that returned 14.96 metres of 5.69 g/t gold and 343.57 g/t silver, including 8.50 metres of 8.69 g/t gold and 478.59 g/t silver. SN22-213 (FMN: 42.78 to 81.00 m) returned 38.22 metres of 3.36 g/t gold and 11.48 g/t silver, including 1.34 metresd of 65.22 g/t gold and 199.11 g/t silver, including 0.64 m of 112.50 g/t gold and 333.00 g/t silver. SN22-214 (FMN: 11.72 to 34.00 m) returned 22.28 metres of 1.19 g/t gold and 3.85 silver, including 6.09 metres of 2.71 g/t gold and 5.73 g/t silver.
Peter Fischl, exploration manager, commented: “Drilling at FMN continues to encounter elevated gold and silver in several different areas of mineralization within Vein Zone 1. Shallower drilling continues to encounter significant gold over broader widths at FMN as highlighted in hole SN22-213 (3.36 g/t Au over 38.22 m). This intercept is centred 50 metres below surface. These broad near-surface intercepts add to the open-pit potential at FMN. Deeper drilling has commenced in an area of mineralization containing significant silver previously intersected in 2020 drilling with holes SN20-139 (4.58 g/t Au, 267.35 g/t Ag over 5.50 m) and SN20-145 (11.25 g/t Au, 430 g/t Ag over 1.19 m).
“This zone, centred at 1,200-metre elevation, is being targeted to better define this silver-rich mineralization, starting with hole SN22-229. This hole intersected an eight-metre-wide quartz breccia vein and flanking sheeted veinlet zone that returned 5.69 g/t Au and 343.57 g/t silver over 14.96 metres. With the recent completion of a DC resistivity survey at FMN it is anticipated that drilling will resume stepping out from the central part of FMN northwestward into the gap between FMN and Franz in the coming weeks. Recent drilling at Alpine continues to define near surface mineralization in Vein Zone 2 within and immediately below the proposed open pit defined during the calculation of the maiden open pit resource released earlier this year. Highlights here include hole SN22-220 (0.56 g/t Au over 38.0 m) and hole SN22-221 (0.45 g/t Au over 27.75 m).”
Westhaven is advancing the high-grade discovery on the Shovelnose project in Canada’s newest gold district, the Spences Bridge gold belt. Westhaven controls 37,000 hectares (370 km2) with four 100%-owned gold properties spread along this underexplored belt. The Shovelnose property is situated off a major highway, near power, rail, large producing mines, and within commuting distance from the city of Merritt, which translates into low-cost exploration.