Kirkland Lake Gold discovers new wide, High-Grade intersections at Detour Lake

“The new drill results announced today continue to support our view that a much larger deposit exists along the Detour Mine Trend than is currently included in Detour Lake Mine’s existing Mineral Reserves," Tony Makuch, President and CEO of Kirkland Lake Gold said. 

Kirkland Lake Gold Ltd. has announced results from 43 holes (25,847.8 m) drilled along the Detour Mine Trend.  

"The results include a significant number of new intersections with attractive grades and widths that provide additional very compelling evidence of a broad and continuous corridor of mineralization that extends from the Main Pit through the Saddle Zone to the planned West Pit location to a depth of at least 800 m below surface. We also continue to expand the mineralized corridor west of the planned West Pit, where mineralization has been intersected over 400 m further west of existing Mineral Reserves, and to identify broad zones of higher-grade mineralization extending below the Main Pit and West Pit location pit shells that highlight the potential to add new open-pit, and potentially underground, Mineral Reserves and Mineral Resources at depth. Our 270,000 m drilling program at Detour Lake is continuing with 12 surface drills in operation, with the program advancing on track for completion by the end of the year. The very encouraging exploration results we are consistently achieving at Detour Lake will be factored into a new life-of-mine plan and technical report, expected to be released in the first half of 2022, which we believe will include significant new value creation opportunities and will make further progress towards establishing Detour Lake as one of the world’s largest and most profitable gold mines.” 

The new holes are the sixth batch of results from the recently announced 270,000 m exploration program, which the Company is targeting for completion by the end of 2021. The program is being completed to collect information for an updated, and potentially expanded, Mineral Reserve estimate and to support the completion of a new production plan, expected to be released in the first half of 2022. Most of the new holes announced today are from drilling in the Saddle Zone, located between the existing Main Pit and planned West Pit locations, which has been underexplored with no Mineral Reserves and only limited Mineral Resources. Several new holes are also being announced from the area west of the West Pit Mineral Reserves, which also contains limited past drilling.
      
East Portion of Saddle Zone 

Drilling in the east portion of the Saddle Zone included 12 holes (6,291 m) and targeted areas along the Detour Mine Trend (“DMT”) directly to the west of the Main Pit Mineral Reserve shell.

Significant results from the drilling include: 1.72 gpt over 80.4 m and 0.80 gpt over 98.0 m, incl 13.73 over 2.0 m, from hole DLM-21-124; 1.63 gpt over 38.6 m, 1.67 gpt over 15.0 m, 0.88 gpt over 28.0 m and 0.83 gpt over 29.5 m, from DLM-21-154; and 1.0 gpt over 41.0 m from hole DLM-21-116. These holes were drilled to target the DMT between 200 and 400 m below surface and continue to confirm the continuation of this structure to the west of the current Main Pit Mineral Reserve and Mineral Resource pit shells.

Additional significant intercepts from this area include: 2.15 gpt over 45.0 m, incl 19.16 gpt over 2.0 m, 0.82 gpt over 35.0 m, 1.20 gpt over 44.0 m and 0.86 gpt over 13.0 m from DLM-21-156; 0.80 gpt over 80.0 m, 0.94 gpt over 24.0 m, 2.72 gpt over 13.0 m, incl 13.49 gpt over 2.0 m and 0.98 gpt over 19.0 m,from DLM-21-104A; 1.21 gpt over 13.8 m, 0.80 gpt over 22.8 m from DLM-21-136A. All of these holes targeted the DMT from surface to a depth of 200 m and demonstrated good continuity of mineralization from the Main Pit as well as the potential for new Mineral Resources at very shallow depths.

Central Portion of Saddle Zone 

Drilling in the central portion of the Saddle Zone included eight holes (5,576 m) and targeted the DMT approximately midway between the existing Main Pit and Mineral Reserves in the planned West Pit.

Significant results from the drilling include: 1.31 gpt over 87.0 m, 2.30 gpt over 21.0 m, incl 18.47 gpt over 2.0 m, 1.16 gpt over 44.0 m, incl 16.14 gpt over 2.0 m, from hole DLM-21-153; 7.19 gpt over 17.0 m, incl 32.80 gpt over 3.2 m, 3.64 gpt over 23.2 m, incl 33.24 gpt over 2.2 m, from DLM-21-137; 2.74 gpt over 27.0 m, incl 5.11 gpt over 11.8 m, 0.84 gpt over 19.8 m and 0.88 gpt over 13.4 m, from DLM-21-148C; 1.28 gpt over 39.0 m, 1.21 gpt over 22.0 m, 0.95 gpt over 45.0 m and 1.35 gpt over 49.7m from DLM-21-162. The holes targeted the DMT mainly between 250 and 450 m below surface.

Results from all new holes in this area are considered extremely encouraging as they continue to confirm the presence of a broad corridor of mineralization extending between the Main Pit and Mineral Reserve in the planned West Pit (a distance of over 800 m) with the overall style of mineralization and gold tenor being very similar to that found in existing Mineral Reserves.

West Portion of Saddle Zone      

Drilling in the west portion of the Saddle Zone included 11 holes (6,140.8 m) and targeted the area immediately west of the future West Pit from surface to a depth of approximately 550 m.   

Significant results from the drilling include: 1.09 gpt over 70.5 m, Incl 7.78 gpt over 5.0 m, and 0.99 gpt over 14.9 m from DLM-21-165; 1.48 gpt over 57.0 m, incl 12.27 gpt over 2.0 m, and 0.90 gpt over 36.5 m from hole DLM-21-163, 1.05 gpt over 56.0 m, 3.31 gpt over 25.3 m, incl 12.22 gpt over 5.3 m, 1.02 gpt over 36.0 m and 1.73 gpt over 13.3 m, from DLM-21-123; 0.80 gpt over 111.0 m, 2.70 gpt over 23.9 m, incl 22.75 gpt over 2.5 m, and 0.98 gpt over 26.0 m, from DLM-21-149; 1.77 gpt over 30.6 m, 0.91 gpt over 37.5 m, 1.35 gpt over 25.7 m, 1.48 gpt over 25.0 m, and 0.91 gpt over 23.6 m, from DLM-21-147, 1.48 gpt over 57.0 m, incl 12.27 gpt over 2.0 m, and 0.90 gpt over 36.5 m from DLM-21-163, and 1.07 gpt over 41.0 m, incl 11.34 gpt over 2.0 m, 0.80 gpt over 64.0 m, 2.95 gpt over 11.0 m, incl 13.31 gpt over 2.0 m, and 11.19 gpt over 2.0 m from DLM-21-164. The new results targeted the DMT between surface and a depth of 200 m and demonstrate the continuation of mineralization towards the west part of the Saddle Zone towards the future West Pit at very shallow depths.

Additional significant intercepts from this area include: 2.36 gpt over 21.0 m, incl 14.03 gpt over 2.0 m, 1.18 gpt over 13.0 m, 1.03 gpt over 16.3 m and 0.93 gpt over 17.0 m, from DLM-21-157, and 1.96 gpt over 33.0 m, incl 19.02 gpt over 2.0 m, from hole DLM-21-155. These holes targeted the DMT between 400 and 550 m below surface, close to the bottom of the current Mineral Resource pit shell.

Below Future West Pit     

Drilling below the planned West Pit included eight holes (5925 m) which targeted the DMT in the central part of the planned West Pit between 200 and 600 m below surface.

Significant results from the drilling include: 7.39 gpt over 10.0 m, 1.62 gpt over 77.8 m and 0.92 gpt over 13.0 m from DLM-21-203; 4.94 gpt over 16.8 m, incl 8.60 gpt over 9.2 m, 0.96 gpt over 61.6 m, 1.65 gpt over 10.0 m and 35.92 gpt over 2.4 m, from hole DLM-21-199; 4.85 gpt over 16.0 m, 0.95 gpt over 59.7 m and 0.94 gpt over 20.7 m, from DLM-21-201; 1.17 gpt over 31.0 m and 0.71 gpt over 42.0 m, from DLM-21-146; 1.81 gpt over 40.0 m, 0.84 gpt over 36.0 m, 0.83 gpt over 48.7 m, 1.30 gpt over 15.0 m and 1.35 gpt over 11.0 m, from DLM-21-216 and   1.48 gpt over 47.9 m, incl 4.06 gpt over 13.4 m and0.96 gpt over 58.0 m, from DLM-21-139.

Additional significant results from this area include an intercept of 6.0 gpt over 14.0 m, incl 25.02 gpt over 3.0 m, from DLM-21-191A at a depth of approximately 600 m where testing to date has been limited. This intercept is approximately 400 m to the west of the following previous intercepts: 7.21 gpt over 14.0 m from DLM-21-24A and 9.14 gpt over 4.0 m from DLM-21-50B (see press release dated March 15, 2021).

Results from the new holes are considered very positive and continue to confirm the continuation of mineralization through the west portion of the Saddle Zone and into the area under the planned West Pit. The results from DLM-21-191A are considered particularly encouraging as they continue to support the potential for higher-grade zones of mineralization extending to depth below the current open-pit Mineral Resource.

West Pit Extension

Drilling in the West Pit extension area included 4 new holes (1,915 m) which targeted areas of the DMT west of the Mineral Reserve located in the planned West Pit up to a depth of 300 and 400 m below surface.    

Significant results from the drilling include: 1.06 gpt over 25.4 m and 0.71 gpt over 23.4 m, from DLM-21-107A and 1.63 gpt over 32.0 m, incl 13.35 gpt over 2.0 m, from DLM-21-130 and 0.76 gpt over 20.0 m from DLM-21-094D.

Based on assay results and other observations obtained from the program to date, the outlook for Mineral Reserve and Mineral Resource growth at Detour Lake continues to look highly encouraging with there being evidence of a broad and continuous corridor of mineralization extending from the Main Pit through the Saddle Zone to the planned West Pit and to a depth of at least 800 m below surface. The work also suggests that mineralization within the corridor is very similar to that found in existing Mineral Reserves and is hosted within broad zones containing variable amounts of quartz and pyrite, which are controlled mainly by east-west trending, moderately north dipping folds and shear structures which plunge at a shallow angle to the west. Given results to date, the potential to identify further extensions of mineralization as well as additions to Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves through additional drilling is considered excellent.

Exploration work at Detour Lake is ongoing with 12 drills current working with the program on track to complete 270,000 m by the end of 2021.

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