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Gold/Mining/Energy : Gold and Silver Juniors, Mid-tiers and Producers -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: TheSlowLane who wrote (6588)	2/15/2006 11:54:57 AM
From: E. Charters	Respond to of 78416

KGI-- New Dimensions Gerhard's Opinion --> To date, Kirkland Lake Gold Inc. discovered at least five new gold-bearing veins/structures predominantly striking to the north. The veins and structure are oriented approximately perpendicular to the east- trending, gold-bearing Kirkland Lake Main Break and subsidiary, sub-parallel structures. *North–trending gold-bearing zones were previously not recognized in the Kirkland Lake gold camp and the discovery adds a new dimension to gold potential in the area.* The Upper D Zone, which is in the early stages of exploration contains 162 212 tons grading 0.8 ounce gold per ton, equivalent to 129 370 ounces of gold. The lower D Zone occurs about 2000 feet below and down-plunge from the Upper D Zone and the area between the two zones needs to be explored. A north trending auriferous structure was discovered approximately 0.6 km southeast of the Macassa No.2 shaft, 1400 feet south of the South Break and 2000 feet south of the Main Break. The mineralized zone is composed of greywacke and conglomerate with about 15% finely disseminated pyrite and visible gold. Diamond drill hole SV 04-08, which tested the zone near surface, intersected 29 feet of core grading 0.5 ounce per ton gold. Recently, the company intersected, in diamond drill hole 50-627, a 90.4 foot core length grading 2.3 ounce per ton gold and a wedged hole from it grading 1.43 ounces of gold over 124.5 feet. This new zone occurs 1600 feet south of the Macassa mine workings. The configuration of the zone is unknown and at present it is speculated that it does not follow the traditional trend of the main breaks. A gold-bearing quartz-tourmaline vein with a similar crosscutting relationship to the general gold trend was discovered at Battle Mountain Gold’s, now Newmont Mining Corporation’s, Holloway Mine. The vein, which occurs on the 505 West level, was intersected in 14 underground holes. The average of the drill intercepts was 5.8 feet grading 0.415 ounce per ton gold (The Northern Daily News, August 1, 2000, p.3). The north trending fissures in which auriferous quartz veins precipitated, and shear/fracture zones along which metasomatic replacements including gold • newly discovered north-striking gold veins add new dimension to exploration • significant potential of near-surface barren quartz veins becoming gold-bearing with depth occurred, most likely existed prior to and/or developed contemporaneously as gold was introduced along the Kirkland Lake Main Break fault system. These sites could have developed as follows: 1. Step-over faulting from one fault plane to another 2. Differential movement of blocks of rock between two parallel fault planes 3. Or a combination of the two It has yet to be determined if the new gold zones terminate against the Kirkland Lake Main Break and associated fault splays or if they extend across them. A number of unmineralized north trending faults cut across the Kirkland Lake Main Break and associated gold mineralization. These are younger in age than the gold mineralizing event and merely caused displacements. The above considerations bring up the question: what if a north trending, gold-rich quartz vein occurs in isolation proximal to major east-trending structures, thus far barren of gold? For example at the Croesus Mine in Munro Township, 14 859 ounces of gold were recovered from 5333 tons of a north-trending quartz vein. Apparently the vein was cut-off by faulting. The Pipestone fault with several parallel fault splays occurs approximately 1.2 km to the northeast and strikes east-southeast. In this area no significant gold mineralization has been discovered. Based on the above reasoning, should the southeast trending Pipestone fault be further explored in this area? Gold in Archean metasomatic replacement environments appear to have precipitated within limited temperature/pressure ranges as is evident at the Holloway Mine, where the ore body tops out ~200 m from surface. Less intense alteration continues in the same plane towards surface without appreciable gold content. In transposing this concept to quartz veins, it could suggest that certain strategically located, virtually non-gold bearing veins at surface could become economical at depth? Traditionally, quartz veins lacking ore-grade material at surface are not explored at depth. If this possibility could be proven, then samples of quartz vein material should be tested for relevant trace elements at various depths. This could then provide a geochemical tool for exploring some quartz veins in other locations. The Township of Teck geology map (Map No. 1945-1) shows three north-trending quartz veins up to 1 km south of the Kirkland Lake Main Break. Considering the intense prospecting the township was subjected to in the past, it can perhaps be assumed that they are sub-economic at surface. Bearing the above considerations in mind, one is curious to know if they become economical at depth. --Gerhard Meyer, Regional Resident Geologist