Vancouver, B.C., October 14, 2021. Northstar Gold Corp. (CSE:NSG, NSGCF:OTCQB) (“Northstar” or the “Company”), announces the Company has commenced a 2,400 metre, Phase IIB diamond drill program at the Company’s 100%-owned flagship Miller Gold Property, situated 18 km southeast of Kirkland Lake and Kirkland Lake Gold’s Macassa SMC gold mine.
Miller Gold / Searles Property Phase IIB Drill Program
Northstar’s Phase IIB drill program will focus on the following priorities:
- 150+ metre northward expansion of the near-surface bulk tonnage gold-telluride Allied Gold Zone (north of drill hole SG21-56 (6.6 g/t Au over 117m)).
- Twinning select No. 1 Vein historic drill holes on the recently optioned Searles Property to corroborate all older holes to facilitate a future resource estimate. The Searles Property represents a portion of a historical resource estimate* (1987) of 0.73Mt grading 11.5 g/t Au** (for a total of 270,000 contained ounces of gold) on the No. 1 Vein of the Miller Independence Mine. The historical resource estimate straddles both the recently optioned Searles Property and Northstar’s adjoining Miller Gold Property.
* Ontario Ministry of Northern Development and Mines Assessment report # OM87-6-L-239: AFRI file 32D04SW0265 "Mining and Geological Report on the 1987 Nortek Exploration Program" by Gordon B. French, President of French & Associates Inc., Highway 112, Tarzwell, Ontario.
**A Qualified Person has not done sufficient work to classify this historical estimate as a current mineral resource and the Company is not treating this historical estimate as a current mineral resource. The historical estimate cannot be fully verified. These values cannot and should not be relied upon and are only referred to herein as an indication of previously defined gold mineralization. In order to verify the estimate and to upgrade to NI 43-101 compliant categories, the historical area would need to be re-drilled with updated sampling procedures put in place.
- Drill testing select 3D I.P. chargeability anomalies identified in the 2020 Dias geophysical survey.
- Follow up drill testing of select new 2021 surface stripping, mapping and sampling mineralized zones discoveries.
Click here to view a Proactive Canada interview with Steve Darling and Northstar CEO Brian Fowler providing further insights into on-going exploration at the Miller Gold Property.
Boart Longyear mobilized a rig and crew to site in late September and have thus far completed 662m of drilling in 3 holes (MG21-63, 64 and 65 – Figure 1). Hole MG21-63 was collared 58m northeast of drill hole MG21-56 that returned 6.6 g/t Au over 117m between 14m and 131m, including 175 g/t Au over 0.6m between 14m and 14.6m, 24.9 g/t Au over 1.5m between 43m and 44.5m, and 1,170 g/t Au over 0.5m between 69.5m and 70m depth (previously released) on the west flank of the Allied Syenite.
Phase IIB Allied Gold Zone Drilling – Preliminary Observations
Preliminary observations from newly drilled holes MG21-63 and MG21-64 drilled northwest of drill hole MG21-56 suggest the recently discovered Independence Fault is a broad sub vertical, brittle deformation zone featuring abundant chlorite-quartz breccias with chalcopyrite mineralization and multiple occurrences of visible gold and tellurides observed over true widths of 40m to 50m within the structure (30m to 178m depth in hole 63). Drill holes MG21-63 and MG21-64 are the first holes to drill across the full width of this important structure in the Allied Syenite and the Company is currently drilling hole MG21-65. Assay results are pending.
Figure 1. Miller Gold Property Allied Syenite Phase II Drill Plan
Partial Phase IIA Drilling Results Received
Final assays for the Phase IIA drilling program are now available for drill holes MG21-55, MG21-57 and MG21-59. Final assays remain to be received for the bottom portion of drill hole MG21-56, drill holes MG21-58, MG21-60, MG21-61 and MG21-62. The Company has been informed by the assay laboratory that receipt of these final assay results is imminent.
Drill hole MG21-55 was designed to test the area south of previous drill hole MG20-47 (1.2 g/t Au over 107.3m between 4.7m and 112m) along the western flank of the Allied Syenite. Unfortunately drill hole MG21-55 deflected away from the syenite contact near surface and penetrated the syenite at 125m depth, well below the Allied Syenite Gold Zone horizon. Hole SG21-57 was collared 400m northeast of the Allied Syenite and targeted a GoldSpot AI anomaly reflecting known gold-in-syenite features, which unfortunately turned out to be a clay altered gabbro intrusion. Drill hole SG21-59 (Figure 2) intersected the Vein 1 Zone 30m north of drill hole MG20-46 (15.35 g/t Au over 2m from 56m to 58m) and returned 1.5 g/t Au over 2.75m from 70m to 72.75m including 3.74 g/t Au over 0.75m from 72m to 72.75m (see Table 1). Planned drill holes S21-01 to S21-04 will twin historic resource Vein 1 holes on the Searles Property within the Allied Deformation Zone for resource confirmation purposes.
Surface Exploration Program Update
An extensive mechanical surface stripping program is now complete on the Miller and Searles Properties. Hundreds of channel samples have been collected to date with channel sampling ongoing. New discoveries have been made in Areas C2, E and D2 as shown in Figure 2 and the Company’s website corporate presentation. Stripping in Area C2 uncovered the possible southeastern extension of the porphyry zone drilled in hole MG20-49 (1.43 g/t Au over 118.5m including 7.96 g/t Au over 15m) characterized by abundant shallow dipping quartz veins with pyrite halos cutting feldspar porphyry and the surrounding mafic volcanics. Stripping in Area E, located 450m west of the Allied Syenite exposed a broad northwest striking shear zone at least 30m wide and open along strike to the southeast. The zone contains abundant stockwork style quartz veins, pervasive Fe-carbonate alteration, with 5-8% pyrite and chalcopyrite mineralization. The Vein 1 Zone has been exposed for 350m along strike to the east of the Searles Property boundary with a significant discovery being made in Area D2 where the zone blows out to 6m in true width with 8-15% pyrite mineralization. Surface grab and channel samples have been submitted to ALS Laboratories for analysis; results are forthcoming and will be reported with additional details when received.
Figure 2. Surface Exploration Discovery and Resource Areas
Table 1. Partial Phase IIA Drilling Results
About the Miller Gold Property
The Company’s flagship property is the 100% owned Miller Gold Property, situated 18 km southeast of Kirkland Lake and Kirkland Lake Gold’s Macassa SMC gold mine. Northstar drilled 5,023 metres in 28 holes at Miller in 2020, targeting near-surface high-grade and bulk-tonnage gold-telluride mineralization at Miller. Four new high-grade vein structures (Vein 1, 2, 3 and 4) (86.6 g/t Au / 0.5 metres and 18.0 g/t Au / 3.9 m; incl. 100.0 g/t Au / 0.6m) and the bulk-tonnage Allied Gold Zone (1.4 g/t Au over 118.5m and 1.2 g/t Au over 107.3m) were expanded / discovered and 3D modeled. Northstar also commissioned a $350,000 property-wide 3D IP, gravity and magnetic geophysics program on the Miller Gold Property in 2020 to further define gold mineralization controls at depth.
During the period March 15th – April 27th, 2021, Northstar drilled 1,990 metres (8 holes) in a Phase IIA program following up the 2020 near-surface bulk-tonnage Allied Syenite Gold Zone discovery (2 holes), near-surface confirmation drilling of the historic gold-telluride No. 1 Vein (2 holes) and 4 holes targeting geophysical and machine learning anomalies. Mineralization was observed in all 8 Phase IIA drill holes.
On May 27th, 2021 Northstar announced partial results from drill hole MG21-56 in the Allied Syenite Gold Zone that included 6.6 g/t Au over 117m between 14m and 131m encompassing the Veins 1 – 4 zones, including 175 g/t Au over 0.6m between 14m and 14.6m, 24.9 g/t Au over 1.5m between 43m and 44.5m, and 1,170 g/t Au over 0.5m between 69.5m and 70m depth in drill hole MG21-56 within the Allied Syenite. Northstar continues to experience significant assay lab reporting issues and delays from the Phase IIA program that the Company hopes will be resolved in the very near term. All additional Phase IIA drill results that will be reported when available.
On June 8th, 2021 Northstar announced it had signed an option agreement on the south-adjoining 64 hectare Searles (Patent) Property, thereby consolidating a 1987 historic resource estimate over the No. 1 Vein of the Miller Independence Mine. Northstar is positioned to twin (corroborate) a number of historic Searles Property drill holes in 2021 to facilitate a future resource estimate.
On July 27th, 2021 Northstar commenced an excavator-assisted surface stripping, bedrock washing, mapping and channel sampling program, targeting near-surface gold mineralization on the Miller Gold Property, primarily within the highly prospective Allied Syenite Deformation Zone. This work is expected to be completed by mid-October.
Quality Control
All drill core from the Phase IIA drilling program has been logged with samples assayed for gold by AGAT Laboratories in Mississauga, Ontario. Assay results are pending for drill holes MG21-56, MG21-58, MG21-60, MG21-61 and MG21-62.
Northstar has implemented a quality control program for its Miller Gold Property to ensure best practice in the sampling and analysis of the drill core, which includes the insertion of blanks, duplicates, and certified standards into the sample stream. NQ sized drill core is saw cut with half of the drill core sampled at intervals based on geological criteria including lithology, visual mineralization, and alteration. The remaining half of the core is stored on-site at Earlton, Ontario.
Drill core samples were submitted to AGAT Laboratories Timmins, Ontario facility for sample preparation and forwarding to AGAT Laboratories Mississauga Ontario for analyses. Gold analyses are obtained via industry standard fire assay with ICP finish using 50 g aliquots. For samples returning greater than 10 g/t gold follow-up fire assay analysis with a gravimetric finish is completed. Based on initial fire assay gold indications as well as visual indication of mineralization and alteration, intervals are selected for re-assay by the screen metallic fire assay method. Samples are also analysed for 48 trace and major elements by ICP-MS following a four-acid digestion. AGAT Laboratories are ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accredited (Lab No. 665) for the preparation and analyses performed on the Miller Gold samples.
Samples collected in the 2021 surface exploration program and Phase IIB drilling program are being delivered to ALS Global in Timmins, Ontario for preparation and analysis.
Qualified Person
Trevor Boyd, PhD, P.Geo., a ‘Qualified Person’ (Q.P.) as defined under Canadian National Instrument NI 43-101, has reviewed technical aspects of this news release.
About Northstar Gold Corp
Northstar’s flagship property is the 100% owned Miller Gold Property, situated 18 km southeast of Kirkland Lake and Kirkland Lake Gold’s Macassa SMC gold mine. The Kirkland District is being explored by major and junior gold companies with recent and pending consolidation transactions. Northstar spent $2 million in exploration at Miller in 2020, resulting in the expansion / discovery of four new high-grade vein structures (Vein 1, 2, 3 and 4) and the near-surface bulk-tonnage Allied Gold Zone. Northstar recently completed a 1,990 metre Phase IIA follow up diamond drill program at Miller on April 27th, 2021. The Company continues to experience significant assay lab reporting issues and delays from the Phase IIA program that Northstar hopes will be resolved in the very near term. A Miller surface exploration stripping, mapping and sampling program is on-going, and the Company commenced a fully funded 2,400 metre, Phase IIB drill program at the Miller Property in late September.
Northstar has 3 additional 100%-owned exploration projects in northern Ontario, including the recently acquired 1,200 ha Rosegrove Property situated 0.5 km from the Miller Gold Property, the 4,500 ha Bryce Property, an intrusive-gold / PME VMS project located along the projected east extension of the Ridout Break, and the recently expanded Temagami-Milestone Cu-Ni-Co Property located in Strathcona Township. Northstar is advancing all 3 properties to the NI 43-101 Technical Report stage to maximize geological understanding, increase investor awareness and optimize monetization opportunities.
On behalf of the Board of Directors,
Mr. Brian P. Fowler, P.Geo.
President, CEO and Director
(604) 617-8191
bfowler@northstargoldcorp.com
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains certain forward looking statements which involve known and unknown risks, delays, and uncertainties not under the control of Northstar Goldcorp. which may cause actual results, performance or achievements of Northstar Gold Corp to be materially different from the results, performance or expectation implied by these forward looking statements. By their nature, forward looking statements involve risk and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on factors that will or may occur in the future. Actual results may vary depending upon exploration activities, industry production, commodity demand and pricing, currency exchange rates, and, but not limited to, general economic factors.
