Results from Athena Gold’s (CSE: ATHA) fall drill program conducted at its Excelsior Springs Project in Nevada have finally been released. The program, consisting of nine drill holes across 800 metres in aggregate, was focused on stepping out from a discovery hole drilled in a spring 2022 drill program.
Drilling was focused on stepping out from drill hole DB-23, which last spring intersected 5.2 g/t gold and 8.9 g/t silver over 34 metres, and represented the best drill result the firm had achieved to date on the project. Highlights from the step-out drill program include:
- DH22-01: 6.05 g/t gold, 17.4 g/t silver over 27.4 metres from a depth of 39.6 metres
- Including 10.20 g/t gold, 30.8 g/t silver over 10.7 metres
- DH22-02: 4.49 g/t gold, 27.3 g/t silver over 15.2 metres from a depth of 41.1 metres
- Including 7.29 g/t gold, 44.2 g/t silver over 9.1 metres
- DH22-05: 0.40 g/t gold, 3.30 g/t silver over 15.2 metres from a depth of 0.0 metres
Drill hole DH22-01 was drilled to the east of hole DB-23, and intersected the thickest high-grade interval found at the Excelsior project to date. Hole DH22-02 meanwhile was a western extension to DB-23. Together, the two holes, along with the discovery hole, are said to have confirmed a new near surface high-grade oxide gold discovery, in a region now being called the Western Slope Zone. The zone is said to be on the edge of an untested “sizeable geophysical anomaly.”
“This new discovery has been named the ‘Western Slope’ after one of the historic claim names for this area and remains open up and down dip and along potential strike length extensions of at least 130 meters to the west and 300 meters to the east,” commented CEO John Power. “Now that we better understand the strike and dip, we have high expectations for our 2023 drill program that is planned for early spring.”
The current working model suggests that the Excelsior Springs project has an intrusion-related gold, or IRG, deposit, similar to the Tintina Gold Province found in Yukon and Alaska. The project as a whole sits within the Walker Lane trend of Nevada, where numerous major gold producers are currently active.
A 2023 drill program is said to be currently in the planning stages, with further details to be released over the oncoming weeks. The program is currently anticipated to begin in the spring.
Athena Gold last traded at $0.10 on the CSE.
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