Rubicon Minerals Corp.
Battle North Gold Launches its Multi-Faceted Red Lake Regional Exploration Program
TORONTO, Feb. 16, 2021 /CNW/ - Battle North Gold Corporation (TSX: BNAU)(OTCQX: BNAUF) ("Battle North" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an update on its 2021 Red Lake exploration plans. The Company plans to conduct exploration activity on its high-priority targets on its Red Lake Properties and is pleased to announce that drilling at its highly prospective McCuaig target has commenced.
CEO Comment
Battle North President and CEO George Ogilvie, P.Eng., commented, "We are pleased to finally start drilling on our Red Lake Properties and are excited by the potential for meaningful discoveries through our planned work programs this year. Our programs will reflect and greatly benefit from the impressive wealth of knowledge and experience of Red Lake geology of Maura Kolb, P.Geo., our Director, Regional Exploration, her team and our consultants. The regional program will supplement our existing mine site exploration activity which has yielded positive results over the past few years."
"Our first drill program of the year has been activated on the McCuaig target. We recently completed our first hole, which is currently being logged and will soon be sent for assaying. It is encouraging that the hole encountered the lithological sequence that we expected for the McCuaig target and we look forward to updating the markets upon completing the assaying and our analysis from our drilling."
"Drilling at the McFinley Zone will focus on potentially expanding its Mineral Resource estimate, particularly at depth, where the mineralization remains open. We are encouraged by the drilling to date and we look to update the markets upon the receipt of assay results. By the end of Q1/ 2021, we plan to issue a Mineral Resource estimate for the Pen Zone, where mineralization remains open at depth and drilling continues to potentially expand that anticipated estimate."
"In addition, a third exploration drill has been secured and will mobilize to our East Bay target shortly."
2021 Exploration Plans
In 2021, Battle North is committing up to C$7 million on exploration of its Red Lake Properties (See Diagram 1 at the end of this news release for the Red Lake Regional Properties map) and its key String of Pearls targets – the McFinley and Pen Zones (See Diagram 2 for a map). The Company has planned up to 22,000 metres ("m") of drilling in 2021.
Red Lake Properties
Battle North's Red Lake Properties consist of more than 288 square kilometres ("km") of contiguous, prime exploration land in the Red Lake Gold District, the second largest holdings in the district. The Red Lake Properties lay on the heart of the major gold-bearing structural trends of the district. These trends host most of the Red Lake belt's gold occurrences and historical and current gold production in the district, including the Mine Trend, the East Bay Trend, the Post Narrows Trend, the Pipe Stone Bay Trend, the Rivard Trend, the Newman-Todd Trend and the Howey Bay Trend. The Company has not conducted significant exploration work on its Red Lake Properties in more than 10 years.
McCuaig and Humlin South Targets
McCuaig is located approximately 8 km southwest of the Bateman Gold Project ("Project"). Humlin South is located approximately 7 km southwest of the McCuaig target. (See Diagram 3 for the geological map of the McCuaig and Humlin South targets.) In early February, Battle North commenced drilling at the McCuaig target, its top priority, and expects to commence drilling at the Humlin South target upon completion of the McCuaig drilling.
Reasons for exploring:
- Historical drilling at McCuaig demonstrated signatures of high-grade mineralization.
- Favourable host rocks similar to Red Lake, Campbell and Cochenour mines (collectively, the "Red Lake Operations") are found at both the McCuaig and Humlin South targets.
- Promising structural setting at McCuaig, with the Mine Trend and Post Narrows Trend intersecting.
- Complex structural intersections north of the Madsen/PureGold Red Lake Mine are found in the Humlin South target area.
- Adjacent to major regional unconformities, a common association with significant Archean gold deposits for both the McCuaig and Humlin South targets.
Work program:
- Data compilation and digitization.
- Field mapping/sampling.
- Interpolation and model update.
- 5,500 m (McCuaig 2,500 m; Humlin 3,000 m) of drilling to test the targets.
Diagram 3 – McCuaig and Humlin South Targets and Geological Map
East Bay Target
East Bay is located approximately 5 km northeast of the Project. (See Diagram 4 for the geological map of the East Bay target.)
Reasons for exploring:
- Geological setting analogous to the Project's F2 Gold Deposit and the String of Pearls (including the McFinley and Pen Zones) located along the East Bay Trend.
- Testing the projected down-dip and lateral extension of a known neighbouring mineralized zone (the GAZ zone).
- Mineralization is open at depth and on strike.
Work program:
- Data compilation and digitization.
- Interpretation and model update.
- 3,800 m of drilling to test the target.
Diagram 4 – East Bay Targets and Geological Map
Slate Bay Target
Slate Bay is located approximately 10 km west of the Project and 5 km northwest of the McCuaig target. (See Diagram 5 for the geological map of the Slate Bay target.)
Reasons for exploring:
- Historical identification of various types of gold mineralization in this area including copper-gold porphyry, skarn and Archean lode gold mineralization.
- Under-explored potential for Archean porphyry style mineralization.
- Potential to identify bulk gold-copper mineralization with accessory minerals.
Work program:
- Data compilation and digitization.
- Field mapping and sampling.
- Interpretation and model update.
- 3,300 m of drilling to test the target.
Diagram 5 – Slate Bay Target and Geological Map
Advance-Wolf Bay Targets
Advance-Wolf Bay is located approximately 30 km southwest of the Project. (See Diagram 6 for the geological map of the Advance/Wolf Bay targets.)
Reason for exploring:
- Neighboring mineralization host units (both sediment-hosted "Newman Todd Style" and vein-hosted "Rivard Style" mineralization) potentially trend onto the Advance-Wolf Bay properties.
- Strong alteration and shearing on the property represent potential pathways for mineralizing fluids, based on previous mapping.
- Adjacent to major regional geological unconformities, commonly associated with significant Archean gold deposits.
- Wolf Bay shows potential for low-grade bulk gold-copper-porphyry style mineralization, based on prior geochemical sampling.
Work program:
- Data compilation and digitization.
- Field mapping and sampling.
- Interpretation and model update.
- 3,000 m of drilling to test the targets.
Diagram 6 – Advance-Wolf Bay Target and Geological Map
Other Targets
The Company will also be conducting exploration work on other highly-prospective targets including Adams Lake and targets on the Post Narrows Trend (DMC, Humlin North, and Red Lake North). These work programs will consist of data compilation, digitization, field mapping, sampling, and interpretation/model updates.
String of Pearls – McFinley and Pen Zone
The McFinley and Pen Zones continue to demonstrate strong exploration upside and the potential to provide incremental mill feed to the Project due to their close proximity to the Project's existing infrastructure. Battle North recently declared a McFinley Zone Mineral Resource estimate1 and is on schedule to provide a maiden Mineral Resource estimate at the Pen Zone by the end of Q1/2021; both zones remain open along strike and at depth. The Company is planning up to 6,400 m of drilling in 2021. Drilling will be focused on testing the depth extensions of these zones, potentially expanding current McFinley Mineral Resource estimate and anticipated Pen Zone Mineral Resource estimate, as well as infill drilling at the McFinley Zone.
About Battle North
Battle North is developing the Bateman Gold Project to become the next gold producer in the renowned Red Lake Gold District in Ontario, Canada and controls the second largest exploration ground in the district. Battle North also owns a large gold exploration land package on the Long Canyon gold trend near the Nevada-Utah border in the United States. Battle North's shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (BNAU) and the OTCQX markets (BNAUF). For more information, please visit our website at www.battlenorthgold.com.
Diagram 1 Red Lake Claims map
Diagram 2 String of Pearls Targets – Plan View Map
Source: https://www.battlenorthgold.com/investors-and-news/press-releases/press-releases-details/2021/Battle-North-Gold-Launches-its-Multi-Faceted-Red-Lake-Regional-Exploration-Program/default.aspx
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