HALIFAX, Dec. 13, 2017 /CNW/ - Antler Gold Inc.
("Antler") (TSXV: ANTL) is pleased to announce the
completion of the first phase core drilling program at the Wilding
Lake Gold Project in central Newfoundland (the "Project"). Results include
gold intercepts of 10.01 grams per tonne ("g/t") over 5.35 metres
("m") including 49.92 g/t over 0.98 m
from the Elm Zone, and 1.51 g/t over 11.0
m from the Red Ochre Complex.
Drilling Program Summary
Antler has completed a first
phase drilling program that consisted of 30 core drill holes with a
total meterage of 2,599 m. The
drilling targeted the Elm, Alder, Taz and Raven zones which all
consist of mineralized quartz vein systems hosted within sheared
Rogerson Lake conglomerate. The highlight of the summer 2017
exploration season was the discovery of gold within the felsic
volcanic rocks immediately to the south of the conglomerate/felsic
volcanic contact, and in particular within a series of
brittlely-fractured linear feldspar porphyry units (2 drill holes
at the Red Ochre Complex) that trend across the entire length of
the property. This significantly increases the potential to
discover new gold occurrences with additional drill programs on the
Project.
In addition, four drill holes targeted induced polarization
("IP") and/or airborne magnetic geophysical anomalies. Drill
testing of the large magnetic anomaly underlying the Rogerson Lake
conglomerate encountered a new zone of gold mineralization
associated with the sheared contact between the conglomerate and
underlying gabbro.
For a table listing all of the drilling program gold assay
sample results, please visit www.antlergold.com and click on "News
Release December 13th,
2017" and refer to Appendix 1, and Figure 1 showing the drill hole
location plan map, and Figure 2 showing the Projects gold potential
targets that occur within a number of different geological
settings.
Elm Zone
At Elm, initial mechanical trenching in 2016
exposed approximately 60 m of
mineralized quartz vein, with widths ranging between approximately
0.3 m and 2.0
m. The zone yielded gold values from 1.0 g/t to 101.5 g/t,
with a weighted average of 20.6 g/t Au (based on the 22 saw-cut
channel samples that cut the vein) and described previously in a
press release dated January 24th,
2017. In August and September
2017, further trenching extended the Elm Zone to
approximately 230 m in strike length
and it remains open along strike in both directions. The
northeast-striking and moderately to shallowly southeast-dipping
Elm zone quartz vein system is hosted within intensely sheared
Rogerson Lake conglomerate with chalcopyrite and malachite
mineralization. Free coarse gold was noted which occurred in
association with chalcopyrite and locally tourmaline.
Thirteen drill holes tested the Elm zone. Highlight drill hole
gold assays include: Hole WL-17-01 returned 7.53 g/t over
3.12 m including 40.85 g/t over
0.5 m, Hole WL-17- 24 returned 10.01
g/t over 5.35 m including 49.92 g/t
over 0.98 m (poor core recovery in
zone, lost approximately 0.6 m of
core), and Hole WL-17- 25 returned 4.73 g/t over 2.30 m including 10.96 g/t over 0.97 m. Gold mineralization is coarse with a high
nugget effect and further drill testing is warranted to expand the
zone along strike and down-dip and to further define potential
high-grade gold shoots.
Please visit www.antlergold.com and click on "News Release
December 13th, 2017" for
Figure 3: Elm Zone plan map with trench saw-cut channel and drill
hole gold assay sample results, and Figure 4: Elm Zone drill hole
cross-section map.
Red Ochre Complex ("RO")
The RO is located immediately
to the south of the conglomerate/felsic volcanic contact
approximately 1.9 kilometres ("km") to the southwest of the Elm
Zone, and consists of brittle fracture style quartz veins and
quartz stockworks hosted by feldspar porphyry. Sulphide
mineralization predominantly occurs as disseminated and brittle
fracture fill pyrite stringers. Mechanical trenching followed by
saw-cut channel and grab sampling has defined an extensive area of
anomalous gold mineralization in bedrock. Elevated gold grades
occur where deformation structures cross-cut the feldspar porphyry.
Two drill holes drilled under the main trench returned gold sample
results consistent to the trench channel sample results. Hole
WL-17-11 returned gold results of 0.32 g/t over 15.0 m and 1.51 g/t over 11.0 m, and Hole WL-17-12 drilled underneath Hole
Wl-17-11 returned 0.22 g/t over 16.0
m and 0.98 g/t over 17.0 m.
The Red Ochre gold-bearing feldspar porphyry unit, together with
the associated anomalous gold-in-soil sample results, is a major
new property wide gold target for further focused drilling
programs. The feldspar porphyry unit is regionally well defined by
a series of linear airborne magnetic high features that trend
across the property in a northeast direction for approximately 8.5
kilometres within the regional gold bearing structural
corridor.
Please visit www.antlergold.com and click on "News Release
December 13th, 2017" for
Figure 5: RO trench saw-cut channel and drill hole gold assay
sample results plan map, and Figure 6: RO drill hole cross-section
map.
Raven Zone
The Raven Zone is located approximately 1.5
km southwest of the Elm Zone and approximately 400 m northeast of the RO Complex. Trenching
exposed a minimum 3.0 m wide shear
zone with significant quartz veining with pyrite, chalcopyrite and
malachite mineralization hosted within the Rogerson Lake
conglomerate. A total of four rock grab samples yielded gold assay
values of 273.8 g/t, 15.4 g/t, 13.6 g/t, and 3.5 g/t as described
in press release dated October
4th, 2017. Note that grab samples are selected
samples and results are not necessarily representative of the
mineralization hosted on or indicative of a property's
potential.
Two drill holes tested the Raven Zone. Hole WL-17-08 returned
gold results of 1.44 g/t over 5.1 m
including 3.19 g/t over 0.75 m, and
Hole WL-17-09 drilled underneath Hole WL-17-08 returned 0.96 g/t
over 5.15 m including 2.53 g/t over
1.0 m. Drilling under the trench did
not encounter the significant concentration of pyrite, chalcopyrite
and malachite mineralization associated with the high grade gold
observed in the trench grab samples and may be due to the drill
hole missing the poddy sulphide mineralization within quartz veins
in the conglomerate. Antler's geological team believes the Raven
Zone warrants further drill testing along strike and at depth since
the zone has an early estimated potential width of 5.0 m wide and an increased number of drill holes
are required to test the poddy nature of the mineralization.
Alder-Taz Zone ("AT Zone")
The AT Zone contains
coarse, free gold in association with chalcopyrite and tourmaline
bearing quartz veins hosted with the Rogerson Lake conglomerate. On
January 24, 2017, Antler announced
that further trenching at the Alder Zone showing extended the
strike length of this zone to approximately 100 m (open along strike in both diections), and
also reported that the mineralized zone had been extended by
several metres in either direction across strike (northwest and
southeast). The press release also reported composite saw-cut
channel sample gold values of 8.7 g/t over 6.65 m (includes 13.8 g/t over 4.0 m); 3.5 g/t over 6.05
m; and 6.5 g/t over 3.70 m
(includes 19.2 g/t over 0.9 m).
The Company also reported that trenching resulted in the
discovery of the Taz Zone, which is located approximately
125 m along strike to the southwest
of Alder. The Taz vein returned reported saw-cut channel sample
gold assays that included 21.8 g/t over 1.0
m and 64.2 g/t over 0.8 m.
Three drill holes tested the Alder Zone and returned gold sample
results of 0.90 g/t over 1.93 m (poor
core recovery in zone, lost approximately 1.0 m of core) in Hole WL-17-02; 2.02 g/t over
4.90 m including 11.14 g/t over
0.5 m and 4.34 over 0.5 m in Hole WL-17-03; and 0.46 g/t over
0.90 m in Hole WL-17-04. In addition,
three drill holes tested the Taz Zone and yielded gold sample
values of 0.5 g/t over 3.8 m in Hole
WL-17-05; 0.96 g/t over 5.95 m
including 2.26 g/t over 0.90 m in
Hole WL-17-06; and 1.09 g/t over 4.55
m including 2.58 g/t over 0.55
m and 1.76 g/t over 1.0 m
(poor core recovery in zone, lost approximately 0.7 m of core) in Hole WL-17-07.
Overall, the AT Zone drill holes did not return sample assay
results consistent to those encountered in the trench channel
sample results. Further drilling is warranted to continue to fully
test the potential of the AT Zone firstly because, the nature of
the gold mineralization is coarse with a high nugget effect with
sulphide mineralization often occurring as localized pods within
quartz veins that can be missed with too few drill holes testing
the target and secondly, adjusting the orientation of the drill
holes to a more northerly direction may better cross-cut and
intersect the gold bearing array of sub-vertical extensional quartz
vein sets.
Geophysical Targets
Four drill holes tested IP and/or
airborne magnetic targets. This includes Hole WL-17-28 that
returned gold results of 0.54 g/t over 12.7
m from sulphide mineralization in felsic volcanic/feldspar
porphyry similar to the RO Complex located approximately
700 m along strike to the west, and
Hole WL-17-29 returned gold results of 0.40 g/t over 14.45 m within highly altered Rogerson Lake
conglomerate and 0.46 g/t over 11.75
m including 5.06 g/t over 0.5
m at the sheared contact between the conglomerate and
gabbro. The gabbro underlies the conglomerate and is defined by a
positive magnetic anomaly approximately 7.0 km long by 2.0 km
wide.
Please visit www.antlergold.com and click on "News Release
December 13th, 2017" for
Figure 7: Cross-section map showing drill results from a number of
different geological settings.
Future Exploration Programs
The 2017 exploration
program has successfully demonstrated the high gold potential of
the Wilding Lake Project. Gold has been identified within a number
of different geological settings that will be the target of future
drilling programs. Similar targets and geology occur within
Antler's seven other gold projects that cover approximately 140
kilometres of a regional gold bearing structural corridor that
hosts Marathon Gold Corporation's Valentine
Lake project that is located immediately adjacent to and
southwest of the Project, as well as Benton Resources' Cape Ray deposit. Further drilling programs on
the Project would include expanding both the Elm and Raven Zones
along strike and to depth, test the AT Zone with a different drill
hole orientation that may better cross-cut and intersect the gold
bearing array of sub-vertical extensional quartz vein sets,
continue to expand the RO feldspar porphyry mineralization and test
the associated feldspar porphyry units that trend across the entire
length of the property, and target the gold bearing conglomerate
and gabbro contact aureole.
Quality Control
Surface drilling was conducted by New
Valley Drilling Co. of Springdale,
Newfoundland and was supervised by the Antler exploration
team. Antler's drill program includes descriptive logging and
sampling of the drill core for analysis at Antler's secure facility
located in Millertown,
Newfoundland. Sampled drill core intervals were sawn in half
with a diamond blade saw. Half of the sampled core was left in the
core box and the remaining half was bagged and sealed, and
transported by Antler personnel to the Eastern Analytical Inc.
Laboratory in Springdale,
Newfoundland. Gold was analyzed by 30g fire assay with
AA-finish. Drill intercepts cited do not necessarily represent true
widths, unless otherwise noted. Field management and Quality
Assurance/Quality Control was performed by Dave Evans, P.Geo., Regional Manager of Antler
Gold Inc., and Spencer Vatcher,
P.Geo., Silvertip Exploration Consultants Inc. Interpretation of
results was performed by Howard Bird
P.Geo., Antlers VP, Exploration and Dave Evans, P.Geo. Antler Gold employs a QA/QC
program consistent with NI 43-101 and industry best practices.
Howard Bird, P.Geo., Vice
President, Exploration of Antler Gold Inc., is the qualified person
as defined by NI 43-101 guidelines and has reviewed and approved
this release.
Cautionary Statements
This press release may contain forward-looking information, such
as statements regarding Antler's planned work program for the
Project. This information is based on current expectations and
assumptions (including assumptions relating to general economic and
market conditions) that are subject to significant risks and
uncertainties that are difficult to predict, including risks
relating to the ability to complete the work program in the
expected timeframe, adverse weather and other conditions affecting
work programs at the Project. Actual results may differ materially
from results suggested in any forward-looking information. Antler
does not assume any obligation to update forward-looking
information in this release, or to update the reasons why actual
results could differ from those reflected in the forward-looking
information unless and until required by securities laws applicable
to Antler. Additional information identifying risks and
uncertainties is contained in the filings made by Antler with
Canadian securities regulators, which filings are available at
www.sedar.com.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services
Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture
Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of
this release.
SOURCE Antler Gold Inc.
