Kirkland Lake drills new high grades outside pit shells

Canadian Mining Journal Staff | November 3, 2021 | 9:31 am Exploration Top Companies Canada Gold 
Recent drilling results from Detour Lake indicate that the project has significant growth potential. Credit: Kirkland Lake Gold

Kirkland Lake Gold (TSX: KL; NYSE: KL; ASX: KLA) shared new wide, high-grade intersections from 39 holes of drilling along the Detour mine trend (DMT) at the Detour Lake gold property in northern Ontario.

The resource estimates at Detour Lake were updated in mid-year 2021 and filed in October. The new drilling results come from areas outside the updated pit shells.

Outside the planned pit at the Saddle zone, they include:

  • 22.0 metres at 3.95 g/t gold, including 4 metres at 12.3 g/t;
  • 36 metres at 2.85 g/t gold, including 2.1 metres at 18.71 g/t;
  • 54.8 metres at 2.83 g/t gold, including 2.5 metres at 32.3 g/t and including 2.8 metres at 10.39 g/t;
  • 41.4 metres at 158 g/t gold, including 8 metres at 6.33 g/t;
  • 32 metres at 1.58 g/t gold; and
  • 37.5 metres at 1.14 g/t gold.

Outside the planned pit at the West zone, they include:

  • 32 metres at 4.77 g/t gold, including 3 metres at 44.46 g/t;
  • 2 metres at 157.77 g/t gold; 2 metres at 52.9 g/t; 10 metres at 8.21 g/t; 5 metres at 7.99 g/t; 2.2 metres at 17.74 g/t; 2 metres at 17.17 g/t; 21 metres at 2.07 g/t; 21 metres at 1.81 g/t ; and 25 metres at 1.37 g/t gold.

Significant intercepts were also drilled from between 600 and 800 metres below the West pit resource. These include:

  • 10 metres at 8.21 g/t gold; 2 metres at 157.77n g/t; 2 metres at 18.05 g/t;
  • 12 metres at 2.84 g/t, including 2 metres at 14.6 g/t and 15.9 metres at 0.93 g/t;
  • 5 metres at 7.46 g/t gold; 16 metres at 1.43 g/t; 5 metres at 7.99 g/t; 19 metres at 1.25 g/t;
  • 13 metres at 1.64 g/t and 15 metres at 1.04 g/t; 21 metres at 1.81 g/t; 25 meters at1.37 g/t; 18 metres at 0.88 g/t; 50.5 metres at 1.81 g/t and 2.7 metres at 8.01 g/t;
  • 95.5 metres at 0.98 g/t gold; 25 metres at 0.8 g/t and 38 metres at 0.7 g/t gold.

New high grade mineralization was also drilled within the Saddle and future West pit outlines. Drilling west of the Main pit and Saddle zone north of the West pit resources returned assays similarly long and strong as those above. Details can be found on Kirkland Lake’s website.

Kirkland Lake is in the middle of an all-stock merger with Agnico Eagle Mines (TSX: AEM; NYSE: AEM), expected to close in late 2021 or early 2022. Kirkland Lake president and CEO Tony Makuch will lead the new merged company.

Potential to grow resources, reserves

“When we acquired Detour Lake we indicated that the potential existed to substantially grow mineral resources and mineral reserves and, with the extensive exploration success we are achieving, we are well down the path to achieving that growth,” said Makuch. “Today’s drill results include a number of wide, high-grade intersections which highlight the opportunity we have to add significant new mineral resources beyond the 10.1-million-ounce increase that we recently reported.”

As reported in the updated resource estimate released last month, the Detour Lake project hosts measured and indicated resources of 386.5 million tonnes averaging 0.98 g/t gold (12.2 million contained oz.) and inferred resources of 48.3 million tonnes averaging 0.81 g/t gold (1.1 million contained oz.). Resource estimates for the 2021 year will be released in the first quarter of 2022.

(This article first appeared in the Canadian Mining Journal)

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