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New Gold Provides New Afton Exploration Update

Jun 10, 2021
TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- June 10, 2021-- New Gold Inc. (“New Gold” or the “Company”) (TSX and NYSE American: NGD) is pleased to provide an update on exploration activities at its New Afton Mine.
 
Exploration activities at New Afton are focused on underground drilling targeting new porphyry copper-gold mineralization defined within the New Afton deposit footprint as identified through an Artificial Intelligence (AI) study in 2020. In addition, surface exploration drilling is underway targeting new porphyry copper-gold grade mineralization along the prospective Cherry Creek trend located three kilometres west of the New Afton mill.
 
Highlights
 
  • Underground exploration drilling on the AI West target, located approximately 500 meters west of the B3 block cave reserve, returned 25.2 g/t gold over 2 metres; 0.39 g/t gold and 0.19% copper over 16 metres; 0.34 g/t gold and 0.18% copper over 34 metres; 0.97 g/t gold and 1.27% copper over 8 metres; 0.36 g/t gold and 0.19% copper over 16 metres; 2.72 g/t gold and 0.25% copper over 4 metres and 3.35 g/t gold and 0.64% copper over 6 metres (see Table 2 for full drilling results).
  • Surface exploration drilling on the Cherry Creek trend returned 21 g/t gold over 1 metre (see Table 4 for full drilling results).
 
AI Targets
 
In March 2021, an underground drilling program commenced to test three targets generated within the New Afton deposit footprint based on an AI study completed in 2020. The underground AI targets were defined with the support of all available drill hole geochemical data within the New Afton deposit footprint (353 drill holes). Geochemical wireframes were created by an external consulting firm using their artificial intelligence proprietary software. Targeting involved the selection of AI derived wireframes that were consistent with the New Afton deposit mineralization vectors. Final drill targets were further refined where coincidental vectors from multiple wireframes overlap.

These targets are identified as AI West, AI Southeast and AI North, based upon their location relative to the main New Afton ore body (Figure 1).

 
AI West Target
 
Three drill holes totaling 1,157 metres have been completed in 2021. Following completion of the three drill holes, two holes drilled for geotechnical purposes in 2019 were logged and sampled to further assess the extension of the mineralization identified in the AI West target. Results interpretation defined two distinct zones of mineralization: a structurally related high-grade gold zone and a porphyry style mineralization disseminated gold-copper zone within altered volcanics.
 
Two additional drill holes are planned to be completed this quarter to test the continuity of both the porphyry mineralization along the picrite contact and the high-grade gold bearing structure.
 
Drill result highlights at West AI target are as follows:
  • Hole EA21-289 returned 6 metres at 1.06 g/t gold from 32 to 38 metres; 2 metres at 0.87 g/t gold and 1.25% copper from 242 to 244 metres; and 34 metres at 0.34 g/t gold and 0.18% copper from 328 to 362 metres.
  • Hole EA19-268 returned 8 metres at 0.97 g/t gold and 1.27% copper from 16 to 24 metres; 16 metres at 0.36 g/t gold and 0.19% copper from 420 to 436 metres; 4 metres at 2.72 g/t gold and 0.25% copper from 550 to 554 metres; 6 metres at 3.35 g/t gold and 0.64% copper from 612 to 618 metres; and 12 metres at 1.15 g/t gold from 638 to 650 metres.
  • Hole EA19-267 returned 2 metres at 25.2 g/t gold from 33 to 35 metres; 21 metres at 0.25 gold g/t and 0.24% copper from 98 to 119 metres; 16 metres at 0.39 g/t gold and 0.19% copper from 360 to 376 metres.
 
AI North Target
 
Four drill holes have been completed at the AI North target totaling 1,456 metres. Assay results are pending. Two drill holes intercepted 70 metres of pervasive phyllic alteration located 350 metres outbound from the phyllic halo surrounding the New Afton mineralization. The intense alteration zone warrants follow-up exploration drilling once all data has been interpreted. C-Zone mine development is underway which will allow for the establishment of drill bays that will provide a more efficient angle and proximity to continue testing the AI North target (porphyry target).
 
AI Southeast Target
 
A drilling program is planned to begin July 2021 to test alteration and geochemical vectors for the potential extension of the known mineralization into the AI Southeast target.
 
Cherry Creek Trend
 
Phase 1 diamond drilling has been completed in the Cherry Creek trend area that included 20 drill holes totaling 10,519 meters. Assay results from the final three drill holes have been received and support porphyry target vectors from historic interpretation and confirm historical high-grade gold intercepts within the area that were not National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects(“NI 43-101”) compliant. Drill hole CC21-018 intersected 21 g/t gold over 1 metre interval (from 683 to 684 metre down hole) hosted in silica-fuchsite-pyrite and minor chalcopyrite altered quartz-carbonate-muscovite schist within the Cherry Creek shear zone. This high-grade gold mineralization may represent a new deposit type.
 
Phase 2 follow-up diamond drilling is underway. Drill hole CC21-021, 700 metre east of drill hole CC21-018 (825 metre depth), targeting high-grade gold mineralization within the picrite bounded schist along the Cherry Creek shear zone has been completed and assay results are pending.
 
A second Phase 2 follow-up drill hole is currently being drilled approximately one kilometre northwest of Silica Hill, targeting porphyry mineralization at the picrite inflection and is expected to be completed in June 2021.
 
The planned Phase 2 drilling program will test several additional targets along the Cherry Creek trend including gold-copper porphyry, shear zone hosted high-grade gold, and near surface epithermal mineralization styles.
 
About New Gold Inc.
 
New Gold is a Canadian-focused intermediate gold mining company with a portfolio of two core producing assets in Canada, the Rainy River gold mine, and the New Afton copper-gold mine. The Company also holds an 8% gold stream on the Artemis Gold Blackwater project located in Canada, a 6% equity stake in Artemis, and other Canadian-focused investments. The Company also owns the Cerro San Pedro Mine in Mexico (in reclamation). New Gold's vision is to build a leading diversified intermediate gold company based in Canada that is committed to the environment and social responsibility. For further information on the Company, visit www.newgold.com.
 
 
Figure 1: Long section looking southeast showing AI targets and traces of 2021 drill holes completed
 

Source: https://www.newgold.com/investors/news-releases/news-details/2021/New-Gold-Provides-New-Afton-Exploration-Update/default.aspx

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