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Athena Samples Bonanza Grade Gold, up to 373 g/t, Laird Lake, Red Lake Gold District, Ontario
Highlights:
- Additional sampling of surface grab samples taken at the Laird Lake project in October 2024 confirmed mineralization over 2.2 km of strike length along the contact between the Balmer and Confederation Assemblages (Figure 1). Mineralization is open along strike to the east and west.
- The Balmer-Confederation contact is believed to be a significant structural control for gold mineralization in the Red Lake Gold District, with >90% of all gold ever mined in the camp occurring within approximately 300 m of this contact.
- Thehighest-grade sample to date returned 373 g/t Au and was collected from a smoky quartz vein with blebby pyrite, chalcopyrite, and visible gold. This sample represents the highest-grade gold sample ever recorded in Laird Lake's history.
- The recent reconnaissance prospecting program is expected to guide a property-wide geochemistry survey scheduled to commence in H1 2025. The results are anticipated to provide targets for Athena's initial drill program at Laird Lake.
- A recently completed MSc. thesis on the Laird Lake project suggested that Laird Lake represents the continuation of the same mineralized structure found at both the Madsen and Starratt-Olsen gold minesi now owned by West Red Lake Gold (2.5 Moz past-production, 1.7 Moz indicated, 0.4 Moz inferred)ii and was later displaced as far as 10 km west (Figure 2).
Figure 1: Map of Laird Lake project, showing selected assays from the October 2024 sampling program.
Figure 2: Map of Laird Lake and Madsen, showing mapped Balmer-Confederation contact and dextral Laird Lake Fault.
Geology:
Gold mineralization observed at Laird Lake occurs in discrete quartz veins hosted in volcanic rock, localized high-strain zones consisting of silicification and disseminated sulfides, and in more broad zones of strongly deformed banded iron formation up to 15 m wide characterized by gossan, fine-grained disseminated sulfides, and silicification. Gold-bearing zones exhibit a general east-west orientation and occur in both Balmer and Confederation Assemblage rocks.
Future Drill Testing:
Laird Lake has been subject to only minimal historical exploration work, mainly because the Balmer-Confederation contact was only mapped on Laird Lake in recent times as part of an MSc. research thesis. Athena's initial work programs are focused on understanding structural controls and potential splays off this contact that may host high-grade gold mineralization.. Athena plans to conduct a property-wide gold-in-till geochemistry program in Spring 2025. Historical, high-resolution airborne magnetic and electromagnetic surveys highlighted several prospective targets within the Balmer Assemblage that have yet to be tested and will be included in future drilling on the property, in addition to other targets generated from prospecting and geochemical programs.
About Our Laird Lake Project
The 4,158 ha Laird Lake property is situated 20 km to the southwest of the town of Red Lake, Ontario. Red Lake is a prolific gold mining town in Northwestern Ontario. Importantly, >90% of the gold has come from within 300 m of the contact between the Balmer and Confederation Assemblages. The Laird Lake property is considered underexplored for gold, relative to much of the surrounding Red Lake Greenstone Belt, despite possessing more than 10 km of strike length of the known gold-bearing contact between Balmer and Confederation Assemblage rocks. Also important is being near several major gold production and exploration sites in the region:
- 34km to the Great Bear project (Kinross - 2.7 Moz indicated, and 3.9 Moz inferred)iii;
- 11 km to the Madsen Mine (West Red Lake Gold - 1.7 Moz indicated, and 0.4 Moz inferred); and
- 28 km to the Red Lake Mine (Evolution Mining - 7.2 Moz indicated, and 4.5 Moz inferred)iv.
Limited exploration activity at Laird Lake has demonstrated that high-grade gold mineralization occurs in both Balmer and Confederation Assemblage rocks over several kilometers in proximity to the main Balmer-Confederation contact. The highest gold grades on the property show a strong correlation to high-strain zones characterized by the presence of silicification, disseminated sulfides, and gossan. The Laird Lake property is dominated by mafic to ultramafic metavolcanic rocks as well as lesser banded iron formation and felsic to intermediate metavolcanic rocks of the Balmer and Confederation Assemblages. Felsic to ultramafic intrusive units are also present throughout the property, most notably of which include the Killala-Baird Batholith to the north, and the Medicine Stone Lake Batholith to the south.
QA/QC
Analytical work for rock samples was completed by ALS Laboratories, and sample preparation and geochemical analyses were completed in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Samples were crushed before a 250-gram split was pulverized to better than 85%, passing 75 microns. Rock samples were analyzed for gold by fire assay using a 50-gram charge with an atomic absorption spectroscopy finish. If assay results exceed 10.0 g/t gold, the sample rejects are analyzed by 50-gram fire assay with a gravimetric finish. Sampling and analytical procedures are subject to a Quality Assurance and Quality Control program that includes duplicate samples and analytical standards.
Qualified Person
Technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Benjamin Kuzmich, P.Geo., a geoscientist and qualified person for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101.
About Athena Gold Corporation
Athena is engaged in the business of mineral exploration and the acquisition of mineral property assets. Its objective is to locate and develop economic precious and base metal properties of merit and to conduct additional exploration drilling and studies on its projects across North America.
Athena's flagship Excelsior Springs Au-Ag project is located in the prolific Walker Lane Trend in Nevada. Excelsior Springs spans 1,675 ha and covers at least three historic mines along the Palmetto Mountain trend, where the Company is following up on a recent shallow oxide gold discovery, with drill results including 5.2 g/t Au over 33 m.
The Company's new Laird Lake project is situated in the Red Lake Gold District of Ontario, covering 4,158 hectares along more than 10 km of the Balmer-Confederation Assemblage contact, where recent surface sampling results returned up to 56.5 g/t Au. This underexplored area is road-accessible, located about 10 km west of the Madsen mine by West Red Lake Gold Mines and 34 km northwest of Kinross Gold's Great Bear project.
For further information about Athena Gold Corporation, please visit www.athenagoldcorp.com.
On Behalf of the Board of Directors
John C. Power
Chief Executive Officer and President
Email: johnpower@athenagoldcorp.com
Contact:
CHF Capital Markets
Cathy Hume, CEO
Phone: 416-868-1079 x 251
Email: cathy@chfir.com
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and US. Securities laws. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, including, without limitation, statements regarding future exploration plans, future results from exploration, and the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, are forward looking statements. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove correct. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: "believes", "will", "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "estimates", ''plans", "may", "should", ''potential", "scheduled", or variations of such words and phrases and similar expressions, which, by their nature, refer to future events or results that may, could, would, might or will occur or be taken or achieved. In making the forward-looking statements in this press release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including without limitation, that there will be investor interest in future financings, market fundamentals will result in sustained precious metals demand and prices, the receipt of any necessary permits, licenses and regulatory approvals in connection with the future exploration and development of the Company's projects in a timely manner.
The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements as a result of various risk factors as disclosed in the final long form prospectus of the Company dated August 31, 2021.
Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements in this press release or incorporated by reference herein, except as otherwise.
iGeology and Geochemistry of the Laird Lake Property and Associated Gold Mineralization - https://www.lakeheadu.ca/programs/departments/geology/about/msc-theses/summaries/node/47164
iiIndependent NI 43-101 Technical Report and Updated Mineral Resource Estimate - https://westredlakegold.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/26Apr24_-_PureGold_Mine_NI_43-101_Technical_Report_-_WRLG.pdf
iiiGreat Bear Gold Project Preliminary Economic Assessment - https://s2.q4cdn.com/496390694/files/doc_downloads/2024/09/Great_bear/Kinross-Great-Bear-PEA-TR-REVISED-FINAL-Sep-9-2024.pdf
ivEvolution Mining Mineral Resource and Ore Reserve Statement, December 2023 - https://evolutionmining.com.au/reservesresources/
S2 Acquires Three New Gold Projects in Victoria from Valkea Resources as Part of the Recently Completed Sale of its Finnish Assets
Key Points
- S2 finalises earn-in terms for three Victorian gold projects from Valkea Resources (formerly Outback Goldfields)
- These projects were offered to S2 by Valkea as part of the sale of S2’s Finnish assets to Valkea
- This spreads S2’s gold exploration footprint in Victoria, supplementing its ground holdings around the prolific Fosterville gold mine owned by Agnico Eagle
- These projects have defined soil and aircore drilling anomalies requiring follow up
Under the terms of this agreement, S2 has the right to earn an 80% interest in three projects by sole funding a total expenditure of $1.2 million within 4 years. The agreement is subject to Valkea obtaining the approval of the TSX Venture exchange and also receiving Ministerial approval and registration under section 71 of the Mineral Resources (Sustainable Development) Act 1990 in Victoria, Australia.
The four year earnin period is deemed to start once the above conditions have been met. S2 can withdraw from any or all of the projects at any time providing the tenements are in good standing on a pro-rata expenditure commitment basis for a minimum of three months from the date of its withdrawal notice. In the event of S2 being unable to undertake exploration as a consequence of land access or permitting delays or restrictions outside of its reasonable control, then S2 will be entitled to a fair and reasonable extension to the earn-in term.
Should S2 complete its earnin, Valkea can elect to contribute its share of expenditure or dilute. In the latter circumstance, should Valkea’s participating interest decrease to less than 10% it will revert to a 2% Net Smelter Return (NSR) royalty, which S2 can buy back for C$1.5 million at any time.
The three projects comprise the Silverspoon, Yeungroon and Ballarat West exploration projects, which are all located in the central Victorian Goldfields (see Figure 1) and which provide the Company with a variety of gold exploration options, as summarised below.
Figure 1: Location map showing existing S2 tenure (the Greater Fosterville project) and the three Valkea projects in relation to historic goldfields and current mines/prospects.
Yeungroon
The Yeungroon project covers an area of 728 square kilometres near Charlton and Wedderburn in north central Victoria, and comprises three granted exploration licences (EL6897, EL7280 and EL7701). The project area straddles the Avoca Fault, which is the major crustal boundary between the Bendigo Zone (to the east) and the Stawell Zone (to the west). Previous soil sampling and reconnaissance aircore drilling undertaken by Valkea has defined several district-scale gold-arsenic anomalies that require follow up (see Figure 2).
Figure 2: Overview map of the Yeungroon project showing location of gold-arsenic anomalies in soil sampling and aircore drilling undertaken by Valkea.
The O’Connors anomaly, located within the Stawell Zone, is a 3 kilometre long zone of north- northwest striking strong arsenic-gold anomalism that is open along strike in both directions and is coincident with the O’Connors fault zone. The anomalism intersected in the shallow aircore drilling is comparable with alteration haloes observed at other central Victorian gold systems and the drilling to date may have intersected the low-grade haloes proximal to the high-grade bearing quartz reef lodes.
In addition to the O’Connors trend, the aircore drilling is has intersected a number of other zones, which may represent sub-parallel mineralised structures.
Follow-up bedrock drilling is required to test for the presence of high grade lodes within the mineralised system.
The Golden Jacket anomaly, defined in top of bedrock RAB/aircore drilling, is a strong, broad arsenic anomaly that extends at least 600 metres southwest of the historic Golden Jacket Mine. Drilling to date has intersected low-level gold associated with the arsenic anomaly. Anomalous gold values intersected extend approximately 800 metres south of the mine, indicating the potential for a system with significant strike potential.
In addition, drilling has defined several parallel northwest striking trends of strong arsenic (with anomalous gold) to the north of the of the Golden Jacket mine. Deeper drilling is warranted to test for high-grade, structurally controlled quartz reefs associated with the anomalous top-of bedrock sampling.
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