It often takes a couple of drilling campaigns to obtain enough information to vector in on the best prospects. Now after 2 1⁄2 years of geophysics, geochemistry, drilling, structural analysis and geochronology, the Resolution geology team have identified the highest ranked drill targets on the project to date.
We are very excited to put a potential road accessible large scale Pogo-style discovery in front of the drill bit for Resolution investors. It has been a difficult road until this point, but we have high expectations for this drill program.
We are confident that these trenching results in combination with all the other contributing factors support the potential for a large-scale Pogo-style gold mineralisation, below Tourmaline Ridge.
Consulting to Resolution has been Pogo specialist Mr *Gabe Graf who has eight (8) years’ experience in the Pogo District. Gabe initially started out as an underground geologist at Pogo Gold Mine, before shifting into the exploration team. As Exploration Manager for Sumitomo Mining, Mr Graf is credited with the 2017 Goodpaster Prospect discovery, which is now undergoing a $21M resource drill out by Northern Star. Based on publicly available data and Resolution’s target ranking systems, Mr Graf indicates the targeting criteria for the Tourmaline Ridge Prospect is right on par with the Goodpaster Prospect prior to the discovery hole of 4m @ > 2oz/t Au drilled in 2017.
- Managing Director, Duncan Chessell
(*Gabe Graf - Senior Project Geologist, Millrock Resources RML’s project partner on the 64North Project)
DETAILS
Resolution Minerals (RML) is pleased to announce the first results from the Tourmaline Ridge trenching program completed in September 2021. On 24 December 2021 the Company advised the market of considerable delays to assays results due to a cyber hack of our service provider Bureau Veritas (BV), and the return to a slow paper-based processing system. We have disclosed all results available, ~34% of the samples submitted in September 2021, and have no indication from BV of a timeline for the remaining assays. Positively, our geology team has seen enough new assay results in conjunction with a detailed review and update to the 3D geological model, to upgrade the TR Prospect to a Priority One drill target and commence logistics planning for drilling this summer. We will update the market when the remaining trench results are received.
Resolution has also undertaken a detailed regional review of the 64North Project, ranking all prospects and has derived drill targets in order of priority 1 to 4. The Company intends to focus its efforts on the Priority One drill targets at the Tourmaline Ridge (TR) prospect which has a high probability of success and all-year-access via existing roads allowing lowest drilling costs to maximise shareholder value. If the East Pogo drill targets identified by the 2021 RC drill program, were road accessible, they would have ranked equivalent or second only to the TR targets – see project ranking table below. Results of the full project review are described below in more detail and highlight the potential of the 64North Project to host multiple gold deposits with drilling targets ranked in order of priority.
Four highly significant exploration implications have led to Tourmaline Ridge being re-ranked as a Priority One drill target.
• The geochemical soil footprint (1800 x 750m) at Tourmaline Ridge occurs over a larger area than the Goodpaster pre-discovery soil anomaly.
• A major northwest dipping shear was intersected in two diamond drillholes at the Aurora Prospect, outside of the Tourmaline Ridge geochemical soil anomaly (hence the lack of grade in these holes). The shear projects to surface immediately south of Tourmaline Ridge, indicating the northwest dipping shear is present beneath Tourmaline Ridge. All available geophysics supports the presence of a shear beneath Tourmaline Ridge.
• Trenching confirmed surface mineralisation at Tourmaline Ridge relates to south dipping quartz veins, which are antithetic to the northwest dipping shear (maximum grade encountered in the first 34% of assays is 1m @ 4.8g/t). Antithetic veins are present in the hanging walls at Goodpaster and Pogo.
• Historical diamond holes at Tourmaline Ridge (WP-1, WP12-01, WP12-02) are considered a near miss, as they were drilled to intersect the smaller and steeper mineralised hanging wall veins, not realising a far greater prize was sub-parallel to the drill holes. Namely the thicker Pogo-style gold bearing quartz veins interpreted to occupy the shallow northwest dilational shear zone. The veins intersected in the historical drilling are aligned with both the structural and geochemical results from the trenching and support the proposed drill holes be drilled to the southeast to intersect the shallow northwest dipping shear zone best.
Target Ranking Table 64North Project – all drill targets
Resolution Minerals has undertaken methodical and objective target ranking for all proposed drillholes. A score out of 150 is derived for targets based on Geology, Geophysics, Geochemistry, Drilling, Resources, Data Density, Social Licence, Infrastructure and Accessibility. For comparison, the known examples of mineralisation at the Pogo Mine and the Goodpaster Discovery are included, with Goodpaster scored for both pre and post discovery.
Final drilling depths for Tourmaline Ridge Prospect will be sharpened up with an ELF-EM geophysics program allowing drill pads to be positioned to minimise depth to target, while ensuring optimal chance of intersecting the northwest dipping shear zone. The northwest dipping shear zone is interpreted to host Pogo-style gold mineralisation.
Next Steps
Resolution is thrilled with the outcome of the trenching results and the implications for potential high-grade Pogo-style mineralisation. Resolution will seek to drill test this Priority One target during 2022.
In April, our team will undertake a ten-day ELF-EM surface geophysics program to sharpen up the interpreted depths of the NW dipping shear zone – potential Pogo-style target and identify the best location for drill holes to minimise the depth of drilling to intersect the target on the Goodpaster-Aurora-Tourmaline Ridge trend.
Current interpretation warrants a ~2,000m 4-hole diamond core drill program at The Tourmaline Ridge Prospect in summer 2022. We are currently making enquiries to lock in a drilling rig. The planned program will take 6 weeks to complete, selective samples will be cut and transported to laboratories outside of Alaska for efficient turn-around times. As part of the drilling program, Resolution will make improvements to the access tracks to allow for follow up winter drilling, in anticipation of the summer season results. We will provide an update to the market of the ELF-EM program results and more detailed plans as details are locked down.
A minor regional exploration program is being planned, aiming to sharpen drill targets at East Pogo and follow up other prospects with the aim to upgrade selected prospects to drill ready status.
