Kirkland Lake Gold has announced new exploration drill results from surface and underground drilling at its Taylor Mine in Northeast Ontario, situated along the prolific Porcupine Destor Fault.

Recent drilling occurred outside of the known mineralization along the hangingwall of the PDF east of the Shaft Deposit; at a prospective target area situated halfway between the Shaft Deposit and the West Porphyry Deposit; and at depth below both the East Porphyry and West Porphyry deposits. Since the start of the year, a total of 28 holes or 10,365 metres ("m") of surface exploration drilling and 17 holes or 6,588m of underground exploration drilling have been completed.

Tony Makuch, President and CEO of Kirkland Lake Gold commented: "The aim of the exploration work completed to date is to discover and identify new high-grade targets and to define extensions and new mineralization at existing deposits. We are very encouraged by the grades encountered almost 2 km to the east of the Shaft Deposit, which demonstrate the extensiveness of mineralization at Taylor and the potential that exists to find new mineral deposits to support increased mine life. Based on results to date, we are also confident that mineral resources and reserves can be increased around the East and West Porphyry deposits. Concurrent with the ongoing diamond drilling program, which includes three surface drills and one underground drill, we are conducting an airborne geophysical survey to identify new targets, supporting our commitment to organic growth along the PDF. We look forward to releasing additional drill results as they become available."

Surface Drilling Program

Surface drilling to date has focused primarily on targets east of the Shaft Deposit, where shallow dipping mineralized quartz veins situated in the hangingwall of the PDF have been intersected at multiple locations (See Figure 1). A total 25 holes for 8,540m have been drilled on the east targets to date in 2017. Results from this drilling support the Company's view that mineralization at Taylor remains open at depth and along strike to the east and west.

Highlights of the results include:

  • 7.07 g/t Au over 3.1m in hole TA16-023 located 1.8 km east of the Shaft Deposit.
  • 16.46 g/t Au over 1.3m and 14.33 g/t Au over 4.2m in hole TA16-024 indicates that mineralization remains open along strike to the east and at depth.
  • 5.14 g/t Au over 10.7m in hole TA17-032 (including 18.69 g/t Au over 2.40m) identifies mineralization east of Shaft Zone approximately 100m below surface.

In addition, three holes for 1,825m have been drilled at depth at the East Porphyry Deposit testing for depth extensions. Results include 23.81 g/t Au over 3.8m in hole TA16-013A, which extends mineralization approximately 100m below the current resource and supports the Company's view that the Deposit remains open at depth.

Underground Drilling

Underground exploration in 2017 includes 17 holes for 6,588m and has largely focused on the delineation and extension of orebodies within the West Porphyry Deposit using recent definition drilling and historic information to guide the targeting. Most of the exploration drilling during this period consisted of incremental step-outs (between 25 to 50m) from existing resources. Results from drilling activities conducted on the 100 Level, targeting the 1008 and 1009 zones, have been consistently positive, resulting in expansion of the current mineralized envelope. Results also support the extension of mineralization down dip of the 1004 Zone. Drilling at this horizon is ongoing.

Highlights of the results include:

  • 20.69 g/t Au over 1.0m in hole T450-030 identifies mineralization situated along a quartz-carbonate shear zone located approximately 150m down dip of current 1004 Zone resources and approximately 600m below surface (assay results from two additional holes are pending).
  • 5.60 g/t Au over 10.9m in hole TA100-101A confirms strong mineralization below the 100 Level associated with the 1008 Zone.

A four-hole (600m) program targeting a prospective area half way between the Shaft Deposit and West Porphyry Deposit was drilled in Q1 2017 from the 100L-45 Level ventilation ramp. Positive grade intercepts were obtained in three holes, including 19.45 g/t over 1.1m in hole T90-117, 16.90 g/t over 0.7m in hole T90-113 and 12.61 g/t over 0.4m in hole T90-116. The Company's preliminary interpretation shows an east-west trending + southwest-dipping (30 degrees) mineralized shear zone associated with a lithological contact between an ultramafic talc-chlorite schist and a felsic albite-altered intrusive, similar in appearance to those encountered within the West Porphyry Deposit. The shear zone is located 200m below surface and situated within a 60m to 80m wide corridor between two northeast-southwest trending, post-mineralization diabase dykes. Mineralization is currently open up/down dip and to the east within this diabase corridor. Follow-up drilling was started Q2 2017 from the same location and is ongoing.

The Taylor Mine is located along the PDF, a major structural feature, striking roughly east-west, dipping to the south between 40 to 60 degrees and globally associated with gold mineralization. Geologically, the Taylor property can be generalized from south to north as mafic volcanic rocks, which are relatively undeformed and unaltered; ultramafic and mafic volcanic rocks, which vary from weakly to strongly deformed, altered and contain felsic to intermediate porphyritic intrusions of varying shapes and sizes; and then metasedimentary rocks, which are interpreted to represent the footwall of the PDF on the Taylor property.

Gold mineralization at Taylor is located in the hangingwall of the PDF. Four mineralized deposits have been identified over a strike length of 2 km. From east to west these are; the Shaft Deposit, with gold mineralization associated with felsic intrusive rocks; the East and West Porphyry deposits, a system of stacked lenses, with the gold mineralization associated with felsic intrusive and altered mafic-ultramafic rocks (Green Quartz Carbonate); and the Shoot Deposit, with gold mineralization hosted by argillaceous metasedimentary rocks within a package of green quartz carbonate. Follow-up drilling east of the Shoot Deposit is planned for Q3 2017. Gold commonly occurs as relatively coarse-sized free gold in quartz, but also occurs as fine particles, which may be intimately associated with sulphides both in quartz-carbonate veins or in surrounding altered host rocks.