Trailbreaker Resources Ltd. (TBK.V) (“Trailbreaker” or “the Company”) is pleased to announce the acquisition of the Castle Rock property on northern Vancouver Island, British Columbia (BC).
The property was acquired through claim staking, then expanded through a partnership with Cazador Resources Ltd. (“Cazador”) in January, 2023. Together, the companies own 100% of the property with no underlying payments or royalties.
In September, 2022, Trailbreaker completed a first-pass prospecting program at the Castle Rock claims. The program was designed to follow up on historic values and included channel sampling, prospecting, and soil sampling. A presentation PDF of the property highlights can be found here.
Highlights of the Castle Rock property
Daithi Mac Gearailt, CEO of Trailbreaker, commented, “The Castle Rock property is Trailbreaker’s newest addition to our portfolio of high-quality precious metal and copper assets. This is an overlooked and underexplored area of Vancouver Island that has recently been made more accessible. With a short geochemical sampling and reconnaissance program, the team was able to delineate a large, gold-bearing dyke system over at least 400 metres, coinciding with a district-scale fault. This system has strong potential for expansion.”
Figure 1: Location of the Castle Rock property on Vancouver Island (Gold production and resource values obtained from Ministry of Energy and Mines, BCGS Information Circular 2014-04).
Partnership with Cazador Resources
In January, 2023, Trailbreaker signed a partnership agreement with Cazador Resources Ltd. This partnership will increase the effectiveness of future exploration in the Schoen Creek area, including the Castle Rock property. The details of the agreement are as follows:
Trailbreaker Resources’ 2022 exploration program
In September, 2022, Trailbreaker completed a first-pass, 3-day evaluation program on the Castle Rock claims.
The program included a detailed soil sample survey consisting of 116 samples, as well as 32 metres of channel sampling designed to confirm the historic grades and thickness. The program successfully confirmed historic gold grades, with 2022 values up to 0.680 g/t Au over 13.11m, including a subinterval of 1.85 g/t Au over 2.92m.
The soil sample survey outlined a 50m x 400m, northwest-southeast trending gold-in-soil anomaly interpreted to represent the surface footprint of the gold-bearing dyke exposed at the Heart showing. The soil values reached a maximum of 5.44 g/t Au, and the anomaly remains open (see Figure 2 – Surface Geochemistry).
Future Exploration at Castle Rock
No past systematic geochemical or geophysical work has been done on the property. Trailbreaker plans to execute a property-wide geochemical soil survey to further expand the Heart zone and identify other mineralized intrusive dykes. Historic silt sampling has outlined additional targets on the property, with samples returning up to 860 ppb Au that have undergone no follow-up exploration to date. Furthermore, a second historic gold showing (Flan showing) discovered in 2000, approximately 1.5 km west of the Heart showing, consists of numerous high-grade boulders assaying up to 135 g/ Au. These boulders are believed to be sourced from the Heart showing which is located upstream. This indicates potential for the Heart zone to host much higher-grade gold mineralization than that identified to date.
Trailbreaker’s team believes the Castle Rock project represents an exciting discovery that has been overlooked in the past, and, given its association with large district-scale structures and open-ended anomalies, has potential to be rapidly expanded into a significant gold prospect.
Figure 2: Surface geochemistry of the Castle Rock property. Trailbreaker’s 2022 exploration results at the Heart zone are shown on the top two maps.
For more information about the Castle Rock property, see the dedicated section on Trailbreakers website at www.trailbreakerresources.com/castle-rock/.
Message from the President
“The Castle Rock property represents Trailbreaker’s continued focus as a project generator. We are very excited to sink our teeth into exploring a new gold district. The completed program has shown this to be a large mineralized system, with plenty of opportunity for new discoveries. The team, including myself, along with the team at Cazador Resources, will be diligently planning the next steps for this project.”
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD
Daithi Mac Gearailt
President and Chief Executive Officer
Carl Schulze, P. Geo., Consulting Geologist with Aurora Geosciences Ltd, is a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 for Trailbreaker's BC and Yukon exploration projects, and has reviewed and approved the technical information in this release.
For new information about the Company’s projects, please visit Trailbreaker’s website at TrailbreakerResources.com and sign up to receive news. For further information, follow Trailbreaker’s tweets at Twitter.com/TrailbreakerLtd, use the ‘Contact’ section of our website, or contact us at (604) 681-1820 or at info@trailbreakerresources.com.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements contained in this news release that are not historical facts are "forward-looking information" or "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "Forward-Looking Information") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-Looking Information includes, but is not limited to, disclosure regarding possible events, conditions or financial performance that is based on assumptions about future economic conditions and courses of action; expectations regarding future exploration and drilling programs and receipt of related permitting. In certain cases, Forward-Looking Information can be identified by the use of words and phrases such as "anticipates", "expects", "understanding", "has agreed to" or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "would", "occur" or "be achieved". Although Trailbreaker has attempted to identify important factors that could affect Trailbreaker and may cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in Forward-Looking Information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. In making the forward-looking statements in this news release, if any, Trailbreaker has applied several material assumptions, including the assumption that general business and economic conditions will not change in a materially adverse manner. There can be no assurance that Forward-Looking Information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on Forward-Looking Information. Except as required by law, Trailbreaker does not assume any obligation to release publicly any revisions to Forward-Looking Information contained in this news release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
Message from the President
“Receiving our exploration permit for Swan is a big step toward advancing the Atsutla Gold Project. We now have the capability to be more aggressive with our exploration efforts in order to advance the Swan target.” – Daithi Mac Gearailt
Swan Target Description
The Swan target is located in the eastern Atsutla Gold Property area, in northern BC. Swan is a potential gold-silver-copper (Au-Ag-Cu) porphyry system, defined by a 900 m by 700 m Au-Ag-Cu-arsenic (As) – antimony (Sb) – molybdenum (Mo) – lead (Pb) soil geochemical anomaly along a gossanous ridge. The host setting is a leucogranite porphyry intrusion with argillic and phyllic alteration assemblages. Bedrock sampling by Trailbreaker in the centre of the soil anomaly has returned values up to 11.5 g/t Au and 16.8 g/t Ag.
Historic IP surveying around the Swan target took place in the valley west of the soil anomaly. This work focused on a molybdenum anomaly associated with a semi-circular chargeability high. This chargeability feature partially wraps around the soil anomaly, but the survey dimensions do not cover the entire anomaly. Additionally, IP surveying will be valuable in identifying potential chargeability highs, which may indicate high sulphide content and associated alteration zonation. As well, resistivity characteristics may help vector toward felsic intrusive centers and high-density quartz veining which would indicate the potassic core of a porphyry system.
Figure 1: Highlights of the Swan target include the strong Au geochemical anomaly, phyllic and argillic alteration zones, and the partial chargeability high ring feature defined from a historic IP survey.
About the Atsutla Gold Project
The Atsutla Gold project covers over 40,000 hectares of underexplored and prospective ground in northwestern BC. The project covers a portion of the Atsutla mountain range 70 km south of the BC-Yukon border. Placer gold was recorded in the area during the early 1900s, with very little subsequent mineral exploration.
The project is centered over the crustal-scale Teslin-Thibert fault system that marks the division between the Quesnel and Cache Creek terranes. Gold mineralization is associated with Mesozoic intrusive batholiths that are the predominant geological unit on the property. Trailbreaker has discovered five significant zones of gold mineralization across the property. These are:
About Trailbreaker Resources
Trailbreaker Resources is a mining exploration company focused primarily on mining-friendly British Columbia and Yukon Territory, Canada. Trailbreaker is committed to continuous exploration and research, allowing maintenance of a portfolio of quality mineral properties which in turn provides value for shareholders. The company has an experienced management team with a proven track record as explorers and developers throughout the Yukon Territory, British Columbia, Alaska and Nevada.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD
Daithi Mac Gearailt
President and Chief Executive Officer
Carl Schulze, P. Geo., Consulting Geologist with Aurora Geosciences Ltd, is a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 for Trailbreaker's BC and Yukon exploration projects, and has reviewed and approved the technical information in this release.
Other
For new information about the Company’s projects, please visit Trailbreaker’s website at TrailbreakerResources.com and sign up to receive news. For further information, follow Trailbreaker’s tweets at Twitter.com/TrailbreakerLtd, use the ‘Contact’ section of our website, or contact us at (604) 681-1820 or at info@trailbreakerresources.com.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements contained in this news release that are not historical facts are "forward-looking information" or "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "Forward-Looking Information") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-Looking Information includes, but is not limited to, disclosure regarding possible events, conditions or financial performance that is based on assumptions about future economic conditions and courses of action; expectations regarding future exploration and drilling programs and receipt of related permitting. In certain cases, Forward-Looking Information can be identified by the use of words and phrases such as "anticipates", "expects", "understanding", "has agreed to" or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "would", "occur" or "be achieved". Although Trailbreaker has attempted to identify important factors that could affect Trailbreaker and may cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in Forward-Looking Information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. In making the forward-looking statements in this news release, if any, Trailbreaker has applied several material assumptions, including the assumption that general business and economic conditions will not change in a materially adverse manner. There can be no assurance that Forward-Looking Information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on Forward-Looking Information. Except as required by law, Trailbreaker does not assume any obligation to release publicly any revisions to Forward-Looking Information contained in this news release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available athttps://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c66345bd-85aa-42bb-a466-fe24fe4ce990
Trailbreaker Resources Ltd. (TBK.V) ("Trailbreaker" or "the Company") is pleased to report geochemical results from the 2023 surficial exploration program at their Castle Rock property on northern Vancouver Island, British Columbia (BC).
Highlights from the surficial exploration program include:
Message from the President
"Our grassroots exploration efforts at Castle Rock have continued to build upon a showing with limited previous exploration, and are quickly developing this into a compelling project with multiple targets. Castle Rock is a great testament to our tried-and-true exploration methodology which has proven to add value to our portfolio of early-stage exploration projects. We are excited to continue to advance Castle Rock, along with the rest of our portfolio." – Daithi Mac Gearailt
Figure 1: Soil geochemical anomalies and highlighted rock and moss-mat samples from the 2023 surface sampling program, overlain on interpretation of the regional airborne magnetic survey. Sampling defines a 3 km gold-in-soil trend which includes the Heart zone and newly defined Watchtower and Kokummi zones. Rock sampling has confirmed historic values at the Flan zone and defined an open gold-in-soil anomaly. Additionally, anomalous moss-mat samples in the southeast and eastern portions of the property have defined new areas of potential mineralization, leading to additional claim staking.
Heart, Watchtower, and Kokummi zones (3 km long soil trend)
Rock and soil geochemical sampling and prospecting successfully defined a three-kilometre gold-in-soil trend with multiple >30 ppb gold anomalies, centered on the previously known Heart showing. The Heart showing was discovered in 2012 and consists of a brecciated granodiorite dyke containing 5 to 10% pyrite-chalcopyrite. Historic chip sampling returned assays of 2.0 g/t Au over 30 metres 1 .
During the 2023 surface campaign, rock samples collected from an outcrop 175 m north-northwest of the Heart showing returned assay results up to 2.2 g/t Au. These samples were collected from a strongly oxidized granite, very similar to the main Heart zone showing. Additionally, gossanous basalt containing pyrite was sampled in outcrop 80 m east-northeast of the Heart showing, and returned assay results up to 2.2 g/t Au.
Soil sampling near the Heart showing expanded the continuous gold-in-soil anomaly, defining the Heart zone to approximately 1,150 m in strike length and up to 300 m in width.
A new multi-sample gold-in-soil anomaly, the Watchtower zone, was identified approximately 325 m to the southwest of the Heart showing. No previous sampling had been conducted in the area prior to 2023. The anomaly remains open to the south and west. This may represent an additional mineralization centre near the Heart zone.
A second newly identified gold-in-soil anomaly, the Kokummi zone, was defined to the south-southeast of the Heart zone. This anomaly is on strike of the Heart zone and is defined by gold-in-soil values >30 ppb along multiple soil sampling lines, defining a >600 m strike length.
Flan zone
Historic sampling at the Flan zone returned assays up to 135 g/t Au in boulders 2 . Sampling during 2023 was designed to confirm the presence of mineralization and to define a bedrock source. Gossanous float material sampled at the Flan zone confirmed high-grade gold mineralization, with assays up to 42.1 g/t Au and 1.93% Cu. As well, basalt-hosted semi-massive pyrite-chalcopyrite-pyrrhotite sampled in outcrop returned assays up to 3.1 g/t Au. It is believed that this outcrop-hosted mineralization is associated with the float samples, and that similar mineralization may occur under vegetative and/or till cover. The Flan zone lies at the intersection of two magnetic lineaments. This structural intersection may be an important control of gold mineralization.
The Flan zone occurs on the western extent of the soil geochemical grid. However, another gold-in-soil anomaly was defined from the 2023 sampling approximately 500 m north of the outcrop mineralization at the Flan zone. The anomaly is defined by >30 ppb gold-in-soil, and remains open to the west and north.
Reconnaissance sampling
To assess potential mineralization outside of the primary area covered by soil sampling, moss-mat sampling, targeting additional drainages on the property, was employed. Moss-mat sampling is used as a reconnaissance style sampling method, similar to stream sediment sampling, providing indications of metal content within a drainage and providing a vector for the location of mineralization.
Two areas returned multiple moss-mat samples with greater than 10 ppb gold. The first area is in the southeastern portion of the property, near the postulated contact of the Kokummi stock and the Karmutsen basalts. The second area is within a valley that drains from the eastern flank of Mt. Adam. This valley, which has not undergone any exploration work, is marked by magnetic lineaments, similar to those at the Heart-Kokummi soil trend. Additional claims were staked in this area to cover all drainages potentially causing these elevated moss-mat samples.
Future Work Recommendations
Future work at the Castle Rock property will be focussed toward continuing to define the extent of mineral potential on the property, as well as advancing individual targets toward initial drill testing. This work will include permitting to conduct advanced exploration activities, additional surface geochemical work, and geophysical surveying.
About the Castle Rock property
The Castle Rock property covers 3,108 hectares of land, approximately 70 km northwest of Campbell River, BC on northern Vancouver Island (Figure 1). It was acquired by Trailbreaker in 2022 and was recently consolidated through an option agreement with Cazador Resources Ltd. (see August 8, 2023 news release ). Trailbreaker conducted initial exploration assessment work in 2022 and followed up with a second surface exploration program in 2023 (results are contained in this news release).
The claims cover five BC Minfile occurrences on a district-scale structure that is >5 km-long, with newly identified gold ± copper-enriched intrusions. These Minfile occurrences are relatively new discoveries, mostly due to access created by recent logging activity.
Northern Vancouver Island is host to several large Cu-Au porphyry deposits, including Northisle's Hushamu deposit (Inferred Resource of 5.57 Moz AuEq) 3 , and BHP Billiton's past producing Island Copper porphyry copper deposit (produced >2.7 B lb Cu and >1.0 Moz Au) 3 .
At the Castle Rock property, gold is dominantly hosted in Jurassic granodiorite dykes which have been emplaced along a regional-scale fault zone separating Lower to Middle Triassic Daonella Bed sedimentary rocks from Upper Triassic Karmutsen Formation basalts.
About Trailbreaker Resources
Trailbreaker Resources is a project generator focused primarily on mining-friendly British Columbia and Yukon Territory, Canada. We are committed to continuous exploration and research, allowing us to maintain a portfolio of quality mineral properties which in turn provides value for our shareholders. The company has an experienced management team with a proven track record as project generators and developers throughout the Yukon Territory, British Columbia, Alaska and Nevada.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD
Daithi Mac Gearailt
President and Chief Executive Officer
Carl Schulze, P. Geo., Consulting Geologist with Aurora Geosciences Ltd, is a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 for Trailbreaker's BC and Yukon exploration projects, and has reviewed and approved the technical information in this release.
Other
For new information about the Company's projects, please visit Trailbreaker's website at TrailbreakerResources.com and sign up to receive news. For further information, follow Trailbreaker's tweets at Twitter.com/TrailbreakerLtd , use the ‘Contact' section of our website, or contact us at (604) 681-1820 or at info@trailbreakerresources.com .
References
1) https://minfile.gov.bc.ca/Summary.aspx?minfilno=092L%20%20399
2) https://minfile.gov.bc.ca/Summary.aspx?minfilno=092L%20%20396
3) https://cmscontent.nrs.gov.bc.ca/geoscience/PublicationCatalogue/InformationCircular/BCGS_IC2014-04.pdf
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements contained in this news release that are not historical facts are "forward-looking information" or "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "Forward-Looking Information") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-Looking Information includes, but is not limited to, disclosure regarding possible events, conditions or financial performance that is based on assumptions about future economic conditions and courses of action; expectations regarding future exploration and drilling programs and receipt of related permitting. In certain cases, Forward-Looking Information can be identified by the use of words and phrases such as "anticipates", "expects", "understanding", "has agreed to" or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "would", "occur" or "be achieved". Although Trailbreaker has attempted to identify important factors that could affect Trailbreaker and may cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in Forward-Looking Information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. In making the forward-looking statements in this news release, if any, Trailbreaker has applied several material assumptions, including the assumption that general business and economic conditions will not change in a materially adverse manner. There can be no assurance that Forward-Looking Information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on Forward-Looking Information. Except as required by law, Trailbreaker does not assume any obligation to release publicly any revisions to Forward-Looking Information contained in this news release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ae9292a0-501f-4c65-93e1-4c863323130c
News Provided by GlobeNewswire via QuoteMedia
Trailbreaker Resources Ltd. (TBK.V) ("Trailbreaker" or "the Company") is pleased to provide a company update on exploration activities during the 2023 field season, and on our continued efforts to build shareholder value.
2023 was an active year for Trailbreaker, with work conducted across a wide array of our projects. Work included the filing of an NI 43-101 technical report on the Atsutla project, optioning out of a portion of the Eagle Lake property, drill testing on the Eakin Creek project, conducting surface exploration at the Golden Sable and Castle Rock projects, and conducting a site visit at the Sheldon project. As well, the technical team was bolstered by the appointment of a new position of Vice President of Exploration. Work towards permitting of projects in order to conduct drill testing is ongoing. As well, the technical team is actively engaged in conducting project generation to bring new highly prospective properties into the Trailbreaker portfolio. Trailbreaker intends to carry the momentum from this year's activities into 2024, and to continue to build on the 2023 exploration successes.
Message from the President
"Thank you to our base of loyal shareholders who have continued to believe in and support our exploration approach through a tough metals market. We are excited to be advancing numerous projects and are looking forward to an active 2024 exploration season. We are also excited about the ongoing target generation that our technical team has been engaging in, which we feel will continue to add highly prospective projects into our pipeline." – Daithi Mac Gearailt
2023 Exploration Activities
Click the hyperlinks below for more information on each project, news release, or presentation.
Atsutla : Prior to the start of the field season, Trailbreaker filed an NI 43-101 technical report for the Atsutla project, located in northwestern BC (see news release dated May 15, 2023 ). The technical report and accompanied structural geology report with drill recommendations, provide a geological framework and clear exploration methodology to advance the Atsutla project. There is strong potential both for intrusion-hosted auriferous quartz veins in the western portion of the property, where rock samples assayed up to 630 g/t gold (Au); and for porphyry copper-gold (Cu-Au) mineralization at the Swan zone, where rock samples returned up to 11.7 g/t Au.
Eagle Lake : Trailbreaker optioned out a portion of the Eagle Lake project, located in central BC, to Vizsla Copper. These four claims abut Vizsla Copper's Woodjam project (see news release dated June 12, 2023 ). Vizsla Copper has the option to acquire a 100% interest in the four optioned claims by issuing an aggregate of 400,000 common shares to Trailbreaker over three years. Trailbreaker and Teck Resources Ltd. retain a combined 2% net smelter return (NSR) royalty on these claims. Trailbreaker retains the prospective Moffat zone portion of the Eagle Lake project, where historic drill results returned grades up to 3.52 g/t Au over 9.9 m. Also at the Moffat zone, a 2022 MMI (mobile metal ion) soil survey defined an 850 x 700 m gold-copper-silver-molybdenum (Au-Cu-Ag-Mo) anomaly.
Eakin Creek : Trailbreaker's field season began with a successful diamond drill program at the Eakin Creek project, south-central BC (see news release dated September 5, 2023 ). Gold was intersected in all eleven drillholes, highlighted by intervals including: 1.0 m of 14.3 g/t Au in hole EC-23-02; 3.0 m of 2.42 g/t Au in hole EC-23-01; and 15.7 m of 0.32 g/t Au in hole EC-23-05. This drill program represented a successful and cost-effective first pass test of a highly prospective target, with 2,039 m of drilling completed for less than CAD$500k. Additional drilling is recommended to expand the known extent of mineralized zones.
Golden Sable : Surface work at the Golden Sable project, south-central BC, extended the gold-in-soil anomaly to 4 km in length (see news release dated September 14, 2023 ). The Golden Sable project was newly acquired by Trailbreaker (see news release dated May 29, 2023 ). The project was subsequently explored by Trailbreaker, focusing on a previously identified significant gold-in-soil anomaly. This anomaly is locally supported by 2018 drill results, including 24.0 m of 0.83 g/t Au, in turn including a sub-interval of 4.0 m of 2.4 g/t Au. Outcrop exposure on the property is limited, and no follow-up drilling along the gold-in-soil anomaly has occurred, leaving a majority of the highly prospective anomaly untested.
Sheldon : A site visit to the Sheldon project, central Yukon, confirmed historic gold-in-rock values, as well as numerous key geological features indicating a potential "reduced intrusion-related gold system" (RIRGS). Rock samples collected in an area hosting abundant sheeted quartz veins containing arsenopyrite and bismuthinite, near the contact of the Sheldon Stock granite and hornfels sedimentary rocks, returned assays up to 6.48 g/t Au. The site visit confirmed the geological model, presence of high-priority targets, and supported our exploration approach to be applied at the Sheldon property. An updated project presentation may be found on our website.
Castle Rock : Trailbreaker announced the acquisition of the Castle Rock property, northern Vancouver Island, BC, through a combination of claim staking and a partnership agreement with Cazador Resources (see news release dated January 20, 2023 ). The property was subsequently consolidated through a secondary agreement with Cazador Resources, giving Trailbreaker the option to gain a 100% interest in the property (see news release dated August 8, 2023 ). A surface exploration program, consisting of 497 soil samples, 50 rock samples, and geological mapping, was completed at Castle Rock. This program followed up on the 2022 gold-in-soil anomaly identified near the gold-rich Heart porphyry prospect, and on historic rock samples at the Flan zone (see news release dated September 25, 2023 ). Assay samples for this work are still outstanding and will be reported separately once received.
Vice President of Exploration : In addition to Trailbreaker's field exploration activities, Dillon Hume, M.Sc., P.Geo., joined the team as the Vice President of Exploration in July, 2023. Mr. Hume brings a wealth of mineral exploration experience to Trailbreaker, having been involved in significant discoveries, including the East Ridge Zone at the Red Chris Cu-Au porphyry mine, and the Krakatoa Zone at the Kudz Ze Kayah VHMS deposit. Mr. Hume completed an M.Sc. degree on the structural and mineralogical controls of gold mineralization at the Tajitos orogenic gold deposit in Sonora, Mexico, and is registered as a professional geoscientist in British Columbia. He brings a strong management and technical foundation to help propel Trailbreaker's exciting project portfolio.
Project Generation
Trailbreaker is continually conducting project generation, including reviewing projects that may add significant exploration potential and fit well within Trailbreaker's portfolio. Project generation is primarily focused on identifying underexplored and undervalued projects which the technical team feels have realistic potential for significant advancement. Project generation work is primarily focused on gold projects in British Columbia and Yukon.
Outlook for future work
Trailbreaker is preparing for another year of exploration across a suite of prospective projects. Surface work and geophysical surveys will be conducted at numerous properties to develop drill targets that could lead to significant discoveries. As well, the technical team is planning first-pass drill programs for several projects. Additional news on specific work programs can be expected through the winter and spring months, as these planning efforts solidify.
In addition to field work for 2024, the Trailbreaker team will be attending conferences over the winter months, including but not limited to: the AMEBC RoundUp conference from January 22-25, 2024 in Vancouver; the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada conference from March 3-6, 2024 in Toronto; and the Kamloops Exploration Group Conference from April 9-10, 2024 in Kamloops.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD
Daithi Mac Gearailt
President and Chief Executive Officer
Carl Schulze, P. Geo., Consulting Geologist with Aurora Geosciences Ltd, is a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 for Trailbreaker's BC and Yukon exploration projects, and has reviewed and approved the technical information in this release.
Other
For new information about the Company's projects, please visit Trailbreaker's website at TrailbreakerResources.com and sign up to receive news. For further information, follow Trailbreaker's tweets at Twitter.com/TrailbreakerLtd , use the ‘Contact' section of our website, or contact us at (604) 681-1820 or at info@trailbreakerresources.com .
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements contained in this news release that are not historical facts are "forward-looking information" or "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "Forward-Looking Information") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-Looking Information includes, but is not limited to, disclosure regarding possible events, conditions or financial performance that is based on assumptions about future economic conditions and courses of action; expectations regarding future exploration and drilling programs and receipt of related permitting. In certain cases, Forward-Looking Information can be identified by the use of words and phrases such as "anticipates", "expects", "understanding", "has agreed to" or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "would", "occur" or "be achieved". Although Trailbreaker has attempted to identify important factors that could affect Trailbreaker and may cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in Forward-Looking Information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. In making the forward-looking statements in this news release, if any, Trailbreaker has applied several material assumptions, including the assumption that general business and economic conditions will not change in a materially adverse manner. There can be no assurance that Forward-Looking Information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on Forward-Looking Information. Except as required by law, Trailbreaker does not assume any obligation to release publicly any revisions to Forward-Looking Information contained in this news release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
Telephone: 604 681 1820
Facsimile: 604 681 1864
https://www.TrailbreakerResources.com
https://twitter.com/TrailbreakerLtd.
News Provided by GlobeNewswire via QuoteMedia
Trailbreaker Resources Ltd. (TBK.V) ("Trailbreaker" or "the Company") is pleased to announce that it has completed a surficial exploration program at its Castle Rock property on northern Vancouver Island, British Columbia (BC).
The program consisted of the collection of 497 soil samples, 50 prospecting grab samples, and geological mapping. It was primarily designed to follow up on the channel sample and associated 400 m x 50 m gold-in-soil anomaly defined as the Heart zone in 2022.
Daithi Mac Gearailt, CEO of Trailbreaker, commented: "The program provided excellent coverage of the already robust gold anomaly at the Heart zone. This is a very recent discovery in an underexplored area of the Island. With the results in hand, we will have a more complete picture of the strike length of the anomaly and whether there are additional geochemical trends."
All assays for the program remain pending.
About the Castle Rock property
The Castle Rock property covers 3,108 hectares on Northern Vancouver Island, approximately 70 km northwest of Campbell River, BC (Figure 1). It was acquired by Trailbreaker in 2022 and was recently consolidated through an option agreement (see August 8, 2023 news release ).
The claims cover five BC Minfile occurrences along a district-scale structure that is >5 km long, with newly identified gold ± copper-enriched intrusions. These Minfile occurrences are relatively new discoveries, mostly due to access created by recent logging activity.
Northern Vancouver Island is host to several large copper-gold (Cu-Au) porphyry deposits including Northisle's Hushamu deposit (Inferred Resource of 5.57 Moz AuEq) 1 , and BHP Billiton's past producing Island Copper porphyry copper deposit (has produced >2.7 B lb Cu and >1.0 Moz Au) 1 .
At the Castle Rock property, gold is dominantly hosted in Jurassic granodiorite dykes emplaced along a regional-scale fault zone separating Lower to Middle Triassic Daonella Bed sedimentary rocks from Upper Triassic Karmutsen Formation basalts.
Figure 1: Location of the Castle Rock property on Vancouver Island 1 .
2023 exploration at the Heart and Flan zones
The Heart zone was the primary focus of the 2023 exploration program. The Heart showing (upon which the zone is centered) was discovered in 2012 and consists of a brecciated granodiorite dyke containing 5% to 10% combined pyrite and chalcopyrite. Historic chip sampling returned assays of 2.0 g/t Au over 30 metres 2 .
During 2022, Trailbreaker completed a channel sampling program at the Heart showing which returned values up to 0.68 g/t Au over 13.11 m, including a subinterval of 1.85 g/t Au over 2.92 m. A small soil geochemical survey outlined a 400 m x 50 m, northwest-southeast trending gold-in-soil anomaly. This is interpreted to represent the surface footprint of the gold-bearing dyke exposed at the Heart showing. Soil values up to 5.44 g/t Au were returned, and the anomaly remains open. This area is referred to as the Heart zone.
During the 2023 program, the exploration team expanded the soil grid, now covering 3.2 km x 1.5 km with 497 soil samples (see Figure 2). Additional prospecting was also done along trend of the Heart zone to explore for similar mineralization to that of the main Heart showing.
The soil survey was also extended to cover the Flan zone, located approximately 1.5 km west of the Heart zone. The zone was originally discovered in 2000 and comprises numerous high-grade boulders assaying up to 135 g/t Au 3 . Prospecting at the Flan zone during the 2023 program uncovered significant pyrrhotite-chalcopyrite mineralization hosted in a mafic volcanic unit. While the boulders were originally interpreted as sourced from the Heart zone, the mineralized volcanic rocks may represent a recently exposed bedrock source discovered in 2023 within 200 metres of the historic location of the boulders.
Figure 2: 2023 sample locations at the Castle Rock property with inset showing 2022 results at the Heart zone.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD
Daithi Mac Gearailt
President and Chief Executive Officer
Carl Schulze, P. Geo., Consulting Geologist with Aurora Geosciences Ltd, is a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 for Trailbreaker's BC and Yukon exploration projects, and has reviewed and approved the technical information in this release.
Other
For new information about the Company's projects, please visit Trailbreaker's website at TrailbreakerResources.com and sign up to receive news. For further information, follow Trailbreaker's tweets at Twitter.com/TrailbreakerLtd , use the ‘Contact' section of our website, or contact us at (604) 681-1820 or at info@trailbreakerresources.com .
References
1) https://cmscontent.nrs.gov.bc.ca/geoscience/PublicationCatalogue/InformationCircular/BCGS_IC2014-04.pdf
2) https://minfile.gov.bc.ca/Summary.aspx?minfilno=092L%20%20399
3) https://minfile.gov.bc.ca/Summary.aspx?minfilno=092L%20%20396
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements contained in this news release that are not historical facts are "forward-looking information" or "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "Forward-Looking Information") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-Looking Information includes, but is not limited to, disclosure regarding possible events, conditions or financial performance that is based on assumptions about future economic conditions and courses of action; expectations regarding future exploration and drilling programs and receipt of related permitting. In certain cases, Forward-Looking Information can be identified by the use of words and phrases such as "anticipates", "expects", "understanding", "has agreed to" or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "would", "occur" or "be achieved". Although Trailbreaker has attempted to identify important factors that could affect Trailbreaker and may cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in Forward-Looking Information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. In making the forward-looking statements in this news release, if any, Trailbreaker has applied several material assumptions, including the assumption that general business and economic conditions will not change in a materially adverse manner. There can be no assurance that Forward-Looking Information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on Forward-Looking Information. Except as required by law, Trailbreaker does not assume any obligation to release publicly any revisions to Forward-Looking Information contained in this news release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
| Trailbreaker Resources Ltd. | ||
| 650 W. Georgia Street, #2110 | ||
| Vancouver, British Columbia | ||
| Canada, V6B 4N9 | ||
| Telephone: | 604 681 1820 | |
| Facsimile: | 604 681 1864 | |
| https://www.TrailbreakerResources.com | ||
| https://twitter.com/TrailbreakerLtd. | ||
Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:
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Trailbreaker Resources Ltd. (TBK.V) ("Trailbreaker" or "the Company") is pleased to announce results from its 2023 surficial exploration program at the Golden Sable property in south-central British Columbia (BC). Efforts were focused on investigating a historic 3-kilometre-long gold-in-soil anomaly. The program was successful in extending the anomaly a further 1 kilometre to the southeast, where it remains open.
Daithi Mac Gearailt, CEO of Trailbreaker, commented: "This was an excellent first-pass evaluation of a property with known gold mineralization. There is a very significant gold-in-soil trend here, with historic drilling to verify the presence of gold mineralization in bedrock."
About the Golden Sable property
The 2,852-hectare Golden Sable property is located 75 km northeast of Kamloops, BC, and 20 km south of Bridge Lake, BC. It is easily accessible via Highway 24 and the Bonaparte Forest Service Road. Golden Sable comprises two main areas, Golden Sable (GS) East and GS West, which are contiguous (see Figure 1 and May 29, 2023 news release ).
The Golden Sable property covers an intrusion-related gold target. The claims lie within the Quesnel tectonic terrane that hosts many of British Columbia's active and past-producing gold mines. Middle to Upper Triassic Nicola Group volcanics and sedimentary rocks comprise the majority of the underlying bedrock geology. The property also straddles the margins of a large, early Jurassic hornblende-biotite granodiorite pluton with prevalent younger mafic and andesitic dikes.
From 2006 to 2013 Amarc Resources delineated the 3-kilometre-long soil anomaly on the GS West block, which was subsequently drill tested by Sable Resources in 2018.
The inaugural, 1,339-metre drill program conducted by Sable Resources on the GS West block encountered gold mineralization in 5 of 7 drill holes. Results include an intersection of 0.83 g/t gold (Au) over 24.0m, including 2.4 g/t gold over 4.0m. Gold mineralization was found to be associated with mafic and intermediate dike swarms trending northwest – southeast along the granitic contacts.
No follow-up drilling has been conducted to date, and the majority of the gold-in-soil anomaly remains untested.
Figure 1: Location of Trailbreaker's Golden Sable property.
Trailbreaker's 2023 exploration program
The 2023 surficial exploration program was designed to evaluate the quality of the historic soil sample locations, locate the historic drill holes, map and prospect available outcrops, and continue soil sampling to the southeast of the GS West historic gold-in-soil trend.
The program was successful in extending the GS West gold-in-soil anomaly 1 km farther to the southeast, where it remains open. Assaying of the soil samples within this trend returned values up to 242 ppb Au (see Figure 2).
A tightly-spaced soil sample grid was also performed over historic soil samples in the area of drilling to evaluate the consistency and quality of previous results. Assay results within this grid returned values up to 601 ppb Au and displayed a similar anomalous signature to that of the historic soil sampling, confirming the validity of the historic anomaly.
Geological mapping revealed outcrops of granite and andesitic dikes within the gold-in-soil trend. Significant pyrite mineralization occurs in the area of the historic drilling.
Figure 2: 2023 exploration at Golden Sable West.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD
Daithi Mac Gearailt
President and Chief Executive Officer
Carl Schulze, P. Geo., Consulting Geologist with Aurora Geosciences Ltd, is a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 for Trailbreaker's BC and Yukon exploration projects, and has reviewed and approved the technical information in this release.
OTHER
For new information about the Company's projects, please visit Trailbreaker's website at TrailbreakerResources.com and sign up to receive news. For further information, follow Trailbreaker's tweets at Twitter.com/TrailbreakerLtd , use the ‘Contact' section of our website, or contact us at (604) 681-1820 or at info@trailbreakerresources.com .
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements contained in this news release that are not historical facts are "forward-looking information" or "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "Forward-Looking Information") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-Looking Information includes, but is not limited to, disclosure regarding possible events, conditions or financial performance that is based on assumptions about future economic conditions and courses of action; expectations regarding future exploration and drilling programs and receipt of related permitting. In certain cases, Forward-Looking Information can be identified by the use of words and phrases such as "anticipates", "expects", "understanding", "has agreed to" or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "would", "occur" or "be achieved". Although Trailbreaker has attempted to identify important factors that could affect Trailbreaker and may cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in Forward-Looking Information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. In making the forward-looking statements in this news release, if any, Trailbreaker has applied several material assumptions, including the assumption that general business and economic conditions will not change in a materially adverse manner. There can be no assurance that Forward-Looking Information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on Forward-Looking Information. Except as required by law, Trailbreaker does not assume any obligation to release publicly any revisions to Forward-Looking Information contained in this news release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
Telephone: 604 681 1820
Facsimile: 604 681 1864
https://www.TrailbreakerResources.com
https://twitter.com/TrailbreakerLtd
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Read on for more on what factors moved the gold price in Q4, followed by a look back at the entire year.
The gold price began Q4 at US$2,660.30, but quickly saw a retraction to US$2,608.40 on October 9. However, the decline didn't last, and gold again rose, setting a new record high of US$2,785.40 on October 30.
The surge upward was fueled by a weaker-than-expected September US consumer price index report, which showed annual inflation of 2.4 percent and monthly inflation of 0.2 percent. These numbers were higher than analysts' forecasts of 2.3 and 0.1 percent, raising expectations that the Fed would cut rates at its November meeting.
Gold was in retreat to start November, dropping to US$2,664 on November 6 after Trump’s victory. The next day, it briefly surged above the US$2,700 mark as the Fed cut interest rates by 25 basis points on November 7.
By November 15, the price of gold had fallen to its quarterly low of US$2,562.50.
The end of the month saw gold leap to US$2,715.80 on November 22. Following this peak, gold entered December below the US$2,700 mark, closing at US$2,660.50 on December 9.
Gold price, Q4 2024.
Chart via Trading Economics.
Geopolitical impacts have been important to gold in Q4.
In addition to Trump's re-election, which has caused turmoil in various forms, on November 17 the US authorized Ukraine to use ATACMS long-range missiles to attack targets deeper into Russian territory. The UK and France mirrored this move, giving Ukraine the green light to use long-range missiles in the ongoing conflict.
Tensions continued to ratchet up in the days following as Russia announced it was lowering the threshold for nuclear retaliation to include conventional attacks from countries backed by nuclear nations. In a demonstration of its capabilities, Russia launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile for the first time on November 21. While the missile appeared only to carry inert warheads, it is capable of delivering both conventional and nuclear armaments.
The threat of a significant escalation has bolstered gold’s appeal as a safe-haven asset and store of value.
Gold set its first record price of the year at US$2,251.37 on March 31.
Central bank buying, notably China's purchase of 22 metric tons of gold in the first two months of the year, supported the price. Turkey, Kazakhstan and India also significantly increased their holdings at the start of the year.
Further momentum came from Chinese wholesale demand, which jumped to 271 metric tons in January, the strongest ever recorded. Investors were turning to the yellow metal as a defense against falling real estate and stock prices. At that time, the country's stocks had lost nearly US$5 trillion in value over the past three years.
Gold price, Q1 2024.
Chart via Trading Economics.
“As central banks continue to be significant buyers and geopolitical risks and global uncertainties drive investors towards the perceived safety of gold, the current environment underscores gold’s importance as a strategic asset for portfolio diversification and risk mitigation. Therefore, while there may have been a perception of western disinterest in gold, recent developments indicate a sustained and broad-based demand for the precious metal,” Joe Cavatoni, market strategist, Americas, told the Investing News Network (INN) in an email at the time.
The gold price saw increasing momentum in Q2, setting a new all-time of US$2,450.05 on May 20.
Gains through the quarter were influenced by strong central bank demand. Investor sentiment toward the yellow metal also shifted, with outflows from western exchange-traded funds starting to slow.
Although European funds still saw significant declines, it wasn’t all bad news — the US-based SPDR Gold Shares (NYSE:GLD), the Sprott Physical Gold Trust (NYSE:PHYS), Ireland’s Royal Mint Responsibly Sourced Physical Gold ETC (LSE:RMAU) and Switzerland’s UBS ETF Gold (SWX:AUUSI) all saw increases.
Gold price, Q2 2024.
Chart via Trading Economics.
In a May interview with INN, Jeff Clark, editor of Paydirt Prospector, noted several other market dynamics that caused the price of gold to rise dramatically. He said the real starting point for the precious metal's gains was the end of February, when the Fed indicated it was expecting three or four rate cuts in 2024.
“All of a sudden, gold was off to the races. It jumped so high that suddenly, you had some short covering that needed to happen then as well. So you had short covering, which means they’re buying. And then you had momentum chasers and traders jumping all in. That was a pretty good spike ... that's what kind of started all of this,” he said.
Gold set another record price during the third quarter, reaching US$2,672.51 on September 26.
The high came just a week after the conclusion of the Fed's September meeting, when it announced a jumbo 50 basis point cut to the federal funds rate. While the People’s Bank of China maintained its pause on gold purchases in the third quarter, it granted several regional banks new import quotas in August.
Gold price, Q3 2024.
Chart via Trading Economics.
David Barrett, CEO of the UK division of global brokerage firm EBC Financial Group, suggested at the time that Fed rate cuts were less of a factor for gold than central bank buying. “I still see the global central bank buying as the main driver — as it has been over the last 15 years. This demand removes supply from the market. They are the ultimate buy-and-hold participants and have been buying massive amounts,” he told INN via email.
The quarter also saw significant merger and acquisition activity, with South Africa-based Gold Fields (NYSE:GFI,JSE:GFI) announcing plans to acquire Canada’s Osisko Mining (TSX:OSK) for C$2.16 billion, and South African gold miner AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) agreeing to purchase UK-based Centamin (TSX:CEE,LSE:CEY) for US$2.5 billion.
Overall, uncertainty has been a key driver for gold in 2024.
Central banks have continued to increase their physical holdings against an increasingly polarized political landscape. The most recent data from the World Gold Council shows that they added 186 metric tons of gold to their coffers during the third quarter, with the National Bank of Poland leading the way with 42 metric tons.
The World Gold Council notes that on a rolling four-quarter basis, central bank buying has slowed to 909 metric tons — that's compared to 1,215 metric tons one year ago.
Investors also began returning to the precious metal throughout 2024 as geopolitical tensions and fragile economies pushed them toward gold as a safe haven to help shield their portfolios from volatility.
With the world’s largest economy set to welcome Trump back to the White House in 2025, there are many unknowns. His economic policies could cause inflation to begin creeping up. In contrast, his foreign policies could create new ripples through global trade and financial markets given that he campaigned on more protectionist policies.
Don't forget to follow us @INN_Resource for real-time updates!
Securities Disclosure: I, Dean Belder, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Editorial Disclosure: The Investing News Network does not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the information reported in the interviews it conducts. The opinions expressed in these interviews do not reflect the opinions of the Investing News Network and do not constitute investment advice. All readers are encouraged to perform their own due diligence.
A gold-focused emerging gold producer with a clear pathway to production growth, Brightstar Resources presents a compelling investment case driven by its mining and development hubs strategy and a district-scale resource opportunity.
The price of gold stays strong. In April 2024, the yellow metal’s price passed US$2,400 per ounce for the first time. The reason is multifaceted. The world teeters on the brink of a severe recession while some markets attribute the increase to safe haven rush. Amidst ballooning interest rates, bank failures and falling bond yields, demand for gold continues to rise. At this precise moment, gold is simultaneously an excellent portfolio diversifier and a compelling hedge against ongoing inflation — particularly if one invests in the right company.
Brightstar Resources (ASX:BTR) aims to be that company. An emerging mining and development company, Brightstar occupies a strategic land position of roughly 1,200 square kilometers in the Sandstone Greenstone Belt, 300 square kilometers in the Laverton Tectonic Belt and 80 square kilometers of the Menzies Shear Zone.
The company also owns an existing processing facility that can potentially provide tremendous shareholder value in a low-capital cost restart scenario.
That plant, once fully refurbished and operational, could prove a key differentiator for the company, enabling fast gold production at a low capital cost. This is especially noteworthy given that many other gold companies trading on the ASX are largely focused on greenfield exploration and development. Even once those companies discover a promising resource, mining and processing facilities would still need to be built, undertakings which can incur significant upfront capital costs and take several years.
Brightstar's Laverton gold assets are all centered on a 100 percent-owned 300-square-kilometer tenure in the Laverton Tectonic Zone and all within 70 kilometers of the Laverton Processing Plant. Additionally, all resources within this zone are open along strike and at depth. Only minor drilling programs have been conducted in recent years, paving the way for significant exploration upside with the potential for further regional and greenfields discoveries.
Brightstar also owns 100 percent of the Menzies Gold Project, a contiguous land package of granted mining leases over a strike length of roughly 20 kilometers along the Menzies Shear Zone and adjacent to the Goldfields Highway.
In 2023 and 2024, the company announced a mineral resource upgrade to the Cork Tree Well deposit (Laverton gold project) and also delivered two maiden mineral resource estimates at the Link Zone and Aspacia deposits (Menzies gold project). This has grown the total group MRE by approximately 150 koz gold through organic exploration.
The company has also acquired 100 percent of the shares and options of Linden Gold Alliance, a gold producer, developer and explorer with existing mineral resources of 350 koz @ 2.1 g/t gold near Brightstar in the Laverton district. Brightstar’s MRE has reached 1.1 Moz gold across the Menzies and Laverton projects, with an additional 0.35 Moz gold in resources added after the successful acquisition of Linden Gold Alliance.
In August 2024, Brightstar entered into a scheme implementation deed to acquire 100 percent of Alto Metals (ASX:AME), which owns the Sandstone gold project located in East Murchison. The project has a current mineral resource of 1.05 Moz of gold at 1.5 g/t.
Brightstar also completed the acquisition of the gold rights at the Montague East gold project (MEGP) from Gateway Mining Limited (ASX:GML). The project is located 70 km from the Sandstone gold project. The acquisition adds a further 9.6 Mt @ 1.6 g/t gold for 0.5 Moz gold to Brightstar’s JORC Mineral Resource Estimate, giving the company a total mineral endowment of 38.3 Mt @ 1.6 g/t gold for 2.0 Moz gold.
The acquisition of the MGEP from Gateway Mining and 100 percent of Alto’s shares creates a third district-scale resource base for the company called the Sandstone Hub. Upon consolidation of the Laverton, Menzies and Sandstone hubs, Brightstar’s mineral resources would reach 3 Moz at 1.5g/t gold.
Subsequent to the deal with Alto Metals, Brightstar entered into a $4 million drill-for-equity agreement with Topdrill to aggressively advance the consolidated Sandstone gold project. The deal strengthens Brightstar's financial capacity to fulfill its multi-hub exploration and development strategy, which includes the Menzies, Laverton and Sandstone hubs.
Brightstar’s Laverton hub is comprised of the Cork Tree Well, Beta and Alpha project areas with the addition of the Second Fortune gold mine and the Jasper Hills projects.
The Menzies Hub comprises a tenement holding of a contiguous land package of granted mining leases over a strike length of more than 20 km. The majority of deposits hosted along the Menzies Shear Zone are located adjacent to Goldfields Highway in Menzies (130km north of Kalgoorlie).
The consolidated Sandstone project is over 100 km from existing third-party milling operations in the Murchison. This third processing hub boasts Alto’s Sandstone project with a mineral resource of 1.05 Moz at 1.4 g/t gold and Gateway’s Montague gold project with a mineral resource of 0.5 Moz @ 1.6 g/t gold.
Brightstar aims to fast-track the development timetable through:
Situated close to Brightstar's existing mineral assets at Laverton, the Brightstar Processing Plant provides the company with a considerable operational head start over its peers.
Gold doré bars (BTR005 – BTR016) poured on 9 March 2024
Alex Rovira is a qualified geologist and an experienced investment banker having focused on the metals and mining sector since 2013. Rovira has experience in ASX equity capital markets activities, including capital raisings, IPOs and merger and acquisitions.
Richard Crookes has over 35 years’ experience in the resources and investments industries. He is a geologist by training having previously worked as the chief geologist and mining manager of Ernest Henry Mining in Australia.
Crookes is managing partner of Lionhead Resources, a critical minerals investment fund and formerly an investment director at EMR Capital. Prior to that he was an executive director in Macquarie Bank’s Metals Energy Capital (MEC) division where he managed all aspects of the bank’s principal investments in mining and metals companies.
Andrew Rich is a degree qualified mining engineer from the WA School of Mines and has obtained a WA First Class Mine Managers Certificate. Rich has a strong background in underground gold mining with experience predominantly in the development of underground mines at Ramelius Resources (ASX:RMS) and Westgold Resources (ASX:WGX).
Ashley Fraser is an accomplished mining professional with over 30 years experience across gold and bulk commodities. Fraser was a founder of Orionstone (which merged with Emeco in a $660-million consolidation) and is a founder/owner of Blue Cap Mining and Blue Cap Equities.
Jonathan Downes has over 30 years’ experience in the minerals industry and has worked in various geological and corporate capacities. Experienced with gold and base metals, he has been intimately involved with the exploration process through to production. Downes is currently the managing director of Kaiser Reef, a high grade gold producer, and non-executive director of Cazaly Resources.
Matthew Bowles is a senior corporate finance executive with extensive public corporate advisory, private equity and capital markets experience in the resources sector. Bowles has successfully negotiated domestic and cross border corporate funding, joint venture and M&A transactions for a number of ASX listed companies in Africa, the Americas and Australia. He was previously chief development officer for a West African focused ASX listed company. He commenced his career with Rio Tinto, working in corporate and commercial roles for nine years, before moving to London to work in banking and finance. Since his return to Australia, Bowles has held senior roles with global advisory firms, focusing on the resources sector. Bowles holds a Bachelor of Business, is a member of CPA Australia and a Fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australia.
Dean Vallve holds technical qualifications in geology & mining engineering from the WA School of Mines, an MBA, and a WA First Class Mine Managers Certificate. Vallve was previously in senior mining and study roles at ASX listed mid-cap resources companies Hot Chili (ASX:HCH) and Calidus Resources (ASX:CAI).
Mount Hope Mining (ASX:MHM) is a copper and gold exploration company based in Australia. The company's flagship Mount Hope project in the prolific Cobar Basin is comprised of four tenements spanning 175 sq km. Mount Hope Mining's acquisition of Fisher Resources has provided it with full control over the project.
The Cobar Basin, a region with a longstanding history of copper and gold mining dating back to the 1870s, has seen a flurry of significant mining activities in recent years. In August 2024, Polymetals Resources (ASX:POL) finalized the acquisition of the Endeavor Mine, located 40 kilometers north of Cobar, which boasts JORC-compliant resources of 16.3 million tonnes grading 8 percent zinc, 4.5 percent lead, and 84 grams per ton (g/t) silver. In 2023, Metals Acquisition (NYSE:MTAL) successfully acquired the CSA copper mine from Glencore, further signalling the growing investment attractiveness of the Cobar Basin as a major hub for copper production.
The Mount Hope project has four granted exploration tenements: EL6837, EL8058, EL8290 and EL8654. The region is historically significant for its rich copper and gold deposits and has contributed substantially to Australia’s mining output since the 1870s. Despite its long-standing mining heritage, the southern Cobar Basin remains underexplored, presenting a unique opportunity for Mount Hope Mining to utilize modern exploration techniques to uncover untapped resources.
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