West Red Lake initiates new drill program and exploration targets at Madsen Mine
West Red Lake Gold Mines Ltd. has announced the start of a 2024 surface drilling program across its 100% owned Madsen Mine Property located in the Red Lake Gold District of Northwestern Ontario.
The Company plans to drill up to 10,000 meters (“m”) of NQ diamond drill core testing a number of high-priority targets across the Madsen property that were generated through a systematic evaluation of all available geologic data (Figures 1 & 2). Drill targets were selected based on 1) their position along primary structural trends, 2) proximity to the Russet Lake and Venus ultramafic units, and 3) periodicity along strike of the main Madsen structural corridor relative to known mineralized splays (Fork, McVeigh and North Austin).
The Company recently recognized this periodicity of known mineralized splays along the Madsen structural corridor through an evaluation of deposit-scale structural relationships. The average spacing between these known mineralized splays is approximately 1 kilometer (“km”). Interpretation of the regional aeromagnetic dataset, which was flown in 2014, suggests that additional splays could be present along strike from Madsen to the northeast.
Will Robinson, Vice President of Exploration, stated, “After completing a thorough review of the available geologic data for the Madsen property our team has generated some new exploration concepts and identified a number of highly prospective targets that share characteristics with known resource areas, which suggests the geologic potential for hosting high-grade gold mineralization. We are very excited to test a number of these targets this year with the surface drilling program as we strive to make meaningful discoveries and add value across the Madsen property.”
TARGET DESCRIPTIONS:
Upper 8
The Upper 8 target is a shallower geologic analog to the well-known high-grade 8-Zone and positioned within the same lithologic unit (Russet Lake Ultramafic) approximately 750m up-plunge from the main 8-Zone. The Upper 8 target horizon was intercepted in only a few historic drill holes, which encountered a zone of strong shearing, alteration and quartz veining equivalent to 8-Zone style mineralization. Based on available drilling data, there does not appear to have been sufficient follow-up drilling on this target.
MJ
The MJ target is currently a high-grade portion of the Wedge resource. It is also an 8-Zone analog hosted within two concordant shear zones up to 40 m in width and characterized by deformed gold-bearing quartz veins hosted within altered and deformed basalt and peridotite within the Russet Lake Ultramafic. Current drilling has delineated these shear zones over 500 m of strike length and to 320 m depth with the structure remaining open along strike and down-dip. Drilling in 2024 will be testing the extension of MJ along strike to the northeast, which remains completely open and mostly un-drilled.
North Venus
The North Venus target is located approximately 2km northeast along strike from the North Austin zone. The geophysical signature at North Venus displays a very similar magnetic response in size, orientation and magnitude to the Fork splay. This target area is located hanging-wall to the Venus ultramafic unit and is also located near a prominent bend or inflection in the local stratigraphy, as well as the Balmer-Confederation unconformity, which bodes well for potential structural modification and/or dilation in this area.
North Starratt
The Starratt Mine is located approximately 2km southwest of the Madsen Mine and was the second largest past producer on the Madsen property with ~164 koz of gold produced between 1948-1956[1]. The North Starratt target is testing the northeast extension of the Starratt mine trend. This area is considered highly prospective but remains mostly un-drilled.
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