Donlin drill programme ‘enormously rewarding’

The Novagold president and CEO stated that the year’s drill programme had been expanded by about 15 holes and 4 000 m from the original plan to test the mineralisation continuity in a targeted area of the ACMA deposit. The programme would now encompass 80 holes for a total of 24 000 m drilled and should wrap up in the fall.

The companies on Thursday reported initial assay results for 18 completed holes, and additional partial results for 11 holes from the 2021 programme. The assay results received cover about 7 500 m of drilling.

The drilling intercepted significant new high-grades in ACMA and in areas between ACMA and the Lewis deposits, which pointed toward the potential feeder zones. Improved knowledge of the geology and mineralisation in the ACMA and Lewis deposits would provide the information required to proceed with a new feasibility study, Lang pointed out.

Five of the top intervals received in the programme to-date include:

-DC21-1970 intersected 92.02 m grading 7.8 g/t gold, starting at 69.70 m drilled depth, including sub intervals of 3.20 m grading 29.2 g/t gold, starting at 70.70 m drilled depth; 3.01 m grading 14.0 g/t gold, starting at 81.90 m drilled depth; 3.65 m grading 12.5 g/t gold, starting at 104.85 m drilled depth; and 5.18 m grading 33.7 g/t gold, starting at 146.03 m drilled depth;
- DC21-1963A intersected 40.97 m grading 10.5 g/t gold, starting at 114.30 m drilled depth, including a sub interval of 14.96 m grading 22.2 g/t gold, starting at 117.24 m drilled depth;
- DC21-1969 intersected 47.78 m grading 9.0 g/t gold, starting at 400.51 m drilled depth, including sub intervals of 5.98 m grading 18.1 g/t gold, starting at 401.43 m drilled depth; 11.98 m grading 13.9 g/t gold, starting at 414.41 m drilled depth; and 5.66 m grading 11.3 g/t gold, starting at 442.63 m drilled depth;
- DC21-1959 intersected 24.44 m grading 14.6 g/t gold, starting at 378.85 m drilled depth, including a sub interval of 6.50 m grading 33.5 g/t gold, starting at 386.79 m drilled depth; and,
- DC21-1961 intersected 5.74 m grading 42.2 g/t gold, starting at 275.54 m drilled depth, including a sub interval of 4.74 m grading 50.8 g/t gold, starting at 275.54 m drilled depth.

“Excellent results, such as those reported today, reinforce our belief in the uniqueness of an asset like Donlin Gold, whose combination of outstanding size, quality, and exploration upside are clearly among the only answers to an industry defined by an era of declining reserves, lackluster gold grades and ever-increasing jurisdictional risk,” said Lang.

Barrick CEO Mark Bristow said that the 2021 drill programme was validating their geologic modelling concepts; in particular with regards to demonstrating the controls over mineralisation in the different parts of the deposits.

“This improved understanding is a necessary step towards optimising the mine design and progressing the project up the value chain.”