4 minute read
Advancing Canada’s only Carlin-type gold district
Realgar and Orpiment at the Osiris Deposit.
In 2010, ATAC Resources Ltd. made a new grassroots discovery at the east end of its 185-kilometre-long Rackla Gold Property. Carlin-type gold is a mineralization style previously thought to be unique to Nevada, where the Carlin trend itself lies. The discovery had all the hallmarks, from abundant and visually striking realgar and orpiment in limestone host rocks at surface, to extensive geochemical anomalism in gold, with associated pathfinder elements. With a late-season drill campaign quickly assembled, the first hole returned 4.65 g/t gold over 65.20 metres, and ATAC knew they were onto something big.
Over the following years, the company continued to aggressively explore the immediate area, while conducting extensive grassroots exploration across the broader district-scale land package. Due to the remote nature of the project, a significant investment in infrastructure was carried out, with construction of an airstrip and a 50-person camp. Drilling continued in the following seasons, with more phenomenal results, including 18.44 g/t gold over 42.93 metres drilled in 2012. With four primary zones of mineralization identified, work shifted to definition drilling, with the goal of preparing an initial resource estimate.
In 2018, the company defined a maiden inferred resource for the Osiris deposit, reporting a total of 1.7 million ounces of gold at a grade of 4.23 g/t. This resource comprised both open-pit and underground components, at the four primary zones: Conrad, Osiris, Ibis, and Sunrise. Mineralization demonstrates strong
continuity across a large vertical extent, with surface results at Sunrise at 1,800 metres elevation down to the deepest Conrad drilling at 600 metres elevation. All zones remain open at depth and further potential exists along strike. Despite the remote nature of the project, all-in discovery costs for the resource were C$32/ounce, a globally competitive cost.
The company also made a series of additional discoveries 10 kilometres to the west at the Anubis cluster. While work is
at a much earlier stage in this area, 13 gold-bearing targets have already been identified, with sporadic drilling along 2.5 kilometres of the Anubis fault – a key mineralizing structure. Results in this area include 19.85 g/t gold over 8.51 metres, demonstrating the strength of the system.
While the project has seen minimal work since 2018, with
Golden Pursuit Resources Ltd. is actively exploring in the Gordon Lake area of the Northwest Territories. The Gordon Lake area is an historic gold mining area that saw numerous small mines and exploration projects developed between the 1930s and the 1980s. Golden Pursuit has consolidated all these projects for the first time and is applying modern methods to this historic district.
ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF ROB CAMPBELL
improving market conditions in the gold sector, the company will be getting back to drilling this season with an eye to building on the existing resource base. A priority for follow-up is a 2018 drill hole at the Sunrise zone which returned 12.95 g/t gold over 26.70 metres outside the existing resource boundary. Funding is in place and the drill should be turning by early June.
“We’re very excited to be back on the ground working out at Osiris,” said Graham Downs, ATAC’s president & CEO. “This project has immense district-scale potential, with gold discoveries along a 25-kilometre trend. Anchored by our resource at Osiris, we see a bright future for the project, with many more discoveries yet to be made.”
For more information on ATAC and their projects, visit www. atacresources.com. 7
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