i-80 Gold says it continues to intersect high-grade gold in expansion drilling at Granite Creek

i-80 Gold Corp. (TSX:IAU, OTCQX:IAUCF) has announced results from four of the final five holes of the Phase 1, 2021 drill program focused primarily on delineating the high-grade South Pacific extension horizon at its Granite Creek Property in Nevada’s Humboldt County.

The Nevada-focused mining company told investors that it continues to intersect high-grade gold in the expansion drilling.

The South Pacific Zone (SPZ) is a new zone of high-grade gold mineralization located immediately north of the underground mine workings at Granite Creek. In 2021, sixteen holes were completed in the zone, successfully defining multiple fault structures that are demonstrating continuity of mineralization over a strike length of approximately 600 metres (m) and a dip length of approximately 250m and remain wide open for expansion along strike and at depth, i-80 Gold said.

"Drilling is demonstrating substantial high-grade resource potential in the South Pacific Zone, and it has elevated to our top priority target at Granite Creek,” CEO Ewan Downie said in a statement. "Owing to indications of improved ground conditions, significant upside, and proximity to existing underground workings, we have started to drive the decline deeper in order to expedite the development of the SPZ into our near-term mine plan.”

READ: i-80 Gold intersects high-grade gold in underground drilling at Granite Creek

The company noted that hole iGS21-20 intersected mineralization up-dip and to the south of previous drilling, closer to the underground workings where it remains open. 

Drilling in the SPZ horizon displays impressive gold grades and widths of mineralization and multiple mineralized horizons. Owing to the early success of the expansion drilling program, it said the ongoing 2022 program has been expanded to approximately 30,000m. 

Final highlight results from 2021 drilling in the South Pacific Zone (and adjacent horizons) include:

• 13.8 grams per tonne (g/t) gold over 2.1m and 25.2 g/t gold over 2.2m in hole iGS21-16
• 6.1 g/t gold over 2.9m and 9.9 g/t gold over 2.5 m in hole iGS21-17
• 9.7 g/t gold over 4m and 10 g/t gold over 10.2m and 13.7 g/t gold over 5.6m and 15.3 g/t gold over 10.5 m in hole iGS21-19
• 13.6 g/t gold over 4.7m and 17.6 g/t gold over 3m in hole iGS21-20

I-80 Gold said drilling of the South Pacific Zone is the primary target of the ongoing drill program, with multiple drill rigs completing delineation drilling so that the zone will be included in a resource update following the 2022 program. 

The SPZ consists of multiple subvertical fault structures located within both the Upper and Lower Comus rock units. Most structures within the SPZ appear to trend north to northeast. Step-out drilling to expand mineralization along strike and at depth is being completed in 2022, it added.

Additional work at Granite Creek includes development to access mineralization proximal to the underground workings, underground drilling and mining. In September 2021, i-80 Gold entered into a toll agreement with Nevada Gold Mines so that refractory mineralization can begin to be trucked to its Twin Creeks facility for processing while the company retrofits its Lone Tree autoclave.

i-80 Gold is a well-financed mining company with a goal of achieving mid-tier gold producer status. The firm’s portfolio now has five projects — Lone Tree, Brooks/Buffalo Mountain, Granite Creek, McCoy-Cove, and Ruby Hill. Lone Tree will act as the hub of i-80 Gold’s operation, providing integrated processing infrastructure for all types of ore.

Contact the author at stephen.gunnion@proactiveinvestors.com