JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Ongoing exploration continues to add to the resource and reserve base of dual-listed gold miner Kirkland Lake’s Mine Complex, in Ontorio, particularly its South Mine Complex (SMC), CEO George Ogilvie said on Tuesday.
In a statement to shareholders, he noted that it supported the company’s initial goal of defining a multimillion-ounce resource on the South Claim properties purchased from Queenston Mining. "These recent results continue to show exceptional grades, which confirms the high-grade nature of the deposit, even with minimum mining widths applied.
“Encouragingly, the SMC remains open to the east and at depth, paving the way for further exploration success. Further, the yearly update of the NI 43-101-compliant resource and reserve estimates is now under way and is expected to be released in the second quarter of this calendar year," Ogilvie added.
The current phase of the underground exploration programme was being conducted from the 5 300 foot level near the SMC and was designed to further extend and upgrade resources on the South Claims as a continuation of the programme.
The intersection in drill hole 53-2593 returned 1.85 oz/t or 63.4 g/t over a true width of 3.5 m, while drill hole 53-2597 returned 0.36 oz/t or 12.3 g/t over a true width of 4.5 m.
Both intersections had extended the New South zone an additional 54.9 m down-dip from an earlier hole completed in 2009.
The intersection in this drill hole returned 2.76 oz/t or 94.6 g/t.
Exploration plans for the year ahead would include further testing of the New South zone further east and down dip of the current resource area. Follow-up drilling on new footwall zones would also be completed.