Drilling delivers broad zones of gold
mineralization with internal higher-grade cores at Zone 1.0 and
Zone 2.0
TORONTO, Oct. 25, 2017 /CNW/ - Nighthawk Gold Corp.
("Nighthawk" or the "Company") (TSX: NHK; OTCQX:
MIMZF) today announced additional drill results from its wholly
owned Colomac Gold Project located within its Indin Lake Gold
Property, Northwest Territories,
Canada.
Drilling at Zone 1.0 and Zone 2.0 has intersected broad zones of
gold mineralization with internal higher-grade intervals (Table 1 ;
Figures 1 to 5). Drill hole C17-17B delivered one of the best
intercepts to-date from the northern region of Zone 2.0, returning
89.10 metres (50.00 metre true width) grading 1.52 grams per tonne
gold ("gpt" "Au"), including 12.00 metres of 5.02 gpt gold, and
including 6.40 metres of 8.61 gpt gold. Drilling has also
been successful in extending Zone 1.0 to depth, and hole C17-19
yielded the zone's best intercept of 48.50 metres (45.00 metres
true width) grading 1.88 gpt gold, including 20.00 metres of 3.07
gpt gold, and including 9.85 metres of 5.08 gpt gold. The zone
remains open down plunge and along strike to the north for
expansion.
Colomac Drilling Highlights:
Zone 2.0
- Hole C17-17B intersected 89.10 metres (50.00 metre true width)
of 1.52 gpt Au, including 12.00 metres of 5.02 gpt Au, and
including 6.40 metres of 8.61 gpt Au;
- C17-17B confirms that the mineralized widths, and internal
higher-grade core previously intersected in 2012 drilling to the
south, extend further north and remain open – presenting another
high-grade Au target within the Colomac sill;
Zone 1.0
- Hole C17-19, returned the best intercept to date at Zone 1.0 -
48.50 metres (45 metres true width) of 1.88 gpt Au, including 20.00
metres of 3.07 gpt Au, and including 9.85 metres of 5.08 gpt
Au;
- Zone 1.0 appears to widen from 70.00 metres true width close to
surface to 115.00 metres at depth; a similar expansion was reported
for Zone 1.5 where the mineralized true width had tripled to depth
(see September 18, 2017 news
release).
Note: All assays are uncut (see Table 1)
Dr. Michael Byron, President and
CEO commented, "This has been a pivotal year of growth for
Nighthawk as we successfully completed our most ambitious and
extensive exploration campaign to date at Colomac and throughout
our vast Indin Lake Property. We have made substantial advancements
towards understanding the key factors that contribute to the
formation of higher grade gold zones such as Zone 1.5, and have
applied that knowledge to ongoing target generation throughout the
Colomac area sills. This includes our most recent drilling at Zone
1.0 and Zone 2.0, where we have been exploring for higher grade
domains internal to their more extensive mineralized
envelopes. Previous drilling in both zones returned broad
intersections of continuous gold mineralization with internal
higher-grade portions, and the results released today include some
of the best intersections to date from both zones. Results such as
these continue to highlight the potential for discovery of
additional high-grade zones along Colomac's sixteen kilometres of
underexplored mineralized sill."
We have an additional 10,000 metres of drilling to be released
before the end of the year, which will include results from Zone
1.5, Goldcrest and Grizzly Bear, as well as from drilling and
prospecting work completed on our regional land package. We look
forward to providing these updates as they become available."
Table 1. Colomac Drill Results (uncut)
Zone
|
Hole
ID
|
Collar
Orientations
(degrees)
|
Intersection
(Metres)
|
Core
Length
|
True
Width
|
Gold
Grade
|
Azimuth
|
Dip
|
From
|
To
|
(Metres)
|
(Metres)
|
gpt
|
2.0
|
C17-17
|
280
|
-45
|
180.10
|
187.20
|
7.10
|
|
1.22
|
|
including
|
182.20
|
186.50
|
4.30
|
|
1.80
|
|
|
200.50
|
208.90
|
8.40
|
|
2.00
|
|
including
|
200.50
|
201.20
|
0.70
|
|
20.90
|
2.0
|
C17-17B
|
280
|
-60
|
203.10
|
292.20
|
89.10
|
50.00
|
1.52
|
|
including
|
217.00
|
286.70
|
69.70
|
|
1.70
|
|
including
|
217.00
|
225.20
|
8.20
|
|
3.04
|
|
including
|
217.00
|
220.00
|
3.00
|
|
6.72
|
|
including
|
252.40
|
290.80
|
38.40
|
|
2.19
|
|
including
|
273.20
|
288.10
|
14.90
|
|
4.28
|
|
including
|
274.70
|
286.70
|
12.00
|
|
5.02
|
|
including
|
280.30
|
286.70
|
6.40
|
|
8.61
|
|
including
|
282.80
|
286.70
|
3.90
|
|
12.84
|
1.0
|
C17-18
|
90
|
-45
|
56.00
|
58.60
|
2.60
|
|
2.86
|
|
|
69.00
|
70.00
|
1.00
|
|
2.17
|
|
|
77.20
|
78.30
|
1.10
|
|
7.17
|
|
|
87.90
|
95.20
|
7.30
|
|
0.99
|
|
|
117.80
|
122.55
|
4.75
|
|
2.10
|
|
including
|
117.80
|
118.75
|
0.95
|
|
6.03
|
1.0
|
C17-18B
|
90
|
-65
|
119.15
|
120.20
|
1.05
|
|
2.96
|
|
|
142.00
|
167.80
|
25.80
|
|
0.91
|
|
including
|
142.00
|
146.80
|
4.80
|
|
1.63
|
|
including
|
162.20
|
167.80
|
5.60
|
|
1.29
|
|
|
182.50
|
202.50
|
20.00
|
10.00
|
2.05
|
|
including
|
193.00
|
202.50
|
9.50
|
|
3.12
|
|
including
|
193.00
|
198.20
|
5.20
|
|
4.38
|
|
including
|
193.00
|
196.00
|
3.00
|
|
6.46
|
|
|
213.60
|
225.80
|
12.20
|
|
2.87
|
|
including
|
216.35
|
225.80
|
9.45
|
|
3.48
|
|
including
|
216.35
|
221.30
|
4.95
|
|
5.51
|
|
including
|
216.35
|
217.90
|
1.55
|
|
14.35
|
1.0
|
C17-19
|
90
|
-45
|
89.70
|
138.20
|
48.50
|
45.00
|
1.88
|
|
including
|
89.70
|
125.90
|
36.20
|
|
2.22
|
|
including
|
89.70
|
109.70
|
20.00
|
|
3.07
|
|
including
|
91.65
|
101.50
|
9.85
|
|
5.08
|
|
including
|
91.65
|
95.80
|
4.15
|
|
8.55
|
|
including
|
91.65
|
93.20
|
1.55
|
|
21.12
|
|
including
|
119.00
|
125.90
|
6.90
|
|
1.92
|
1.0
|
C17-19B
|
90
|
-70
|
133.75
|
138.00
|
4.25
|
|
1.13
|
|
|
205.50
|
210.70
|
5.20
|
|
1.68
|
|
including
|
205.50
|
207.50
|
2.00
|
|
4.01
|
|
|
229.70
|
239.00
|
9.30
|
|
0.89
|
|
|
271.00
|
277.00
|
6.00
|
|
1.75
|
|
|
398.50
|
413.00
|
14.50
|
|
0.84
|
|
including
|
411.00
|
413.00
|
2.00
|
|
4.15
|
|
|
480.80
|
485.30
|
4.50
|
|
1.46
|
|
including
|
483.00
|
485.30
|
2.30
|
|
2.63
|
1.0
|
C17-20
|
90
|
-60
|
148.00
|
151.00
|
3.00
|
|
0.99
|
|
|
159.15
|
160.00
|
0.85
|
|
3.38
|
|
|
165.00
|
179.10
|
14.10
|
|
1.18
|
|
including
|
173.00
|
178.40
|
5.40
|
|
2.53
|
|
including
|
175.80
|
178.40
|
2.60
|
|
4.07
|
|
|
213.70
|
253.90
|
40.20
|
21.00
|
1.01
|
|
including
|
213.70
|
221.50
|
7.80
|
|
1.46
|
|
including
|
243.00
|
253.90
|
10.90
|
|
1.69
|
|
including
|
251.80
|
253.90
|
2.10
|
|
5.07
|
|
|
273.00
|
280.70
|
7.70
|
|
2.04
|
|
including
|
275.00
|
278.80
|
3.80
|
|
3.93
|
|
including
|
276.80
|
278.80
|
2.00
|
|
6.72
|
|
|
346.00
|
347.00
|
1.00
|
|
7.84
|
1.0
|
C17-22
|
70
|
-60
|
239.50
|
264.40
|
24.90
|
15.00
|
1.78
|
|
including
|
255.30
|
264.40
|
9.10
|
|
2.80
|
|
including
|
255.30
|
261.60
|
6.30
|
|
3.20
|
|
|
268.60
|
281.80
|
13.20
|
|
1.33
|
|
including
|
277.50
|
281.80
|
4.30
|
|
3.18
|
|
including
|
277.50
|
279.00
|
1.50
|
|
7.95
|
|
|
287.70
|
291.00
|
3.30
|
|
1.47
|
|
|
339.30
|
343.70
|
4.40
|
|
1.96
|
1.0
|
C17-23
|
95
|
-45
|
89.60
|
96.90
|
7.30
|
|
2.50
|
|
including
|
89.60
|
93.15
|
3.55
|
|
4.20
|
|
|
109.80
|
111.80
|
2.00
|
|
1.31
|
1.0
|
C17-24
|
170
|
-45
|
19.00
|
22.15
|
3.15
|
|
3.61
|
|
|
42.50
|
45.00
|
2.50
|
|
1.39
|
|
|
85.40
|
88.60
|
3.20
|
|
1.02
|
|
|
117.65
|
120.00
|
2.35
|
|
1.24
|
|
|
126.00
|
128.00
|
2.00
|
|
1.58
|
|
|
138.00
|
140.25
|
2.25
|
|
0.93
|
|
|
144.90
|
151.20
|
6.30
|
|
0.90
|
|
including
|
149.75
|
151.20
|
1.45
|
|
1.37
|
|
|
167.40
|
168.55
|
1.15
|
|
1.28
|
|
|
171.50
|
203.20
|
31.70
|
22.00
|
1.42
|
|
including
|
171.50
|
185.85
|
14.35
|
|
2.06
|
|
including
|
178.65
|
182.10
|
3.45
|
|
5.81
|
|
including
|
179.20
|
181.25
|
2.05
|
|
8.89
|
|
including
|
200.15
|
203.20
|
3.05
|
|
2.87
|
|
|
232.80
|
241.40
|
8.60
|
|
1.26
|
|
including
|
232.80
|
239.55
|
6.75
|
|
1.41
|
|
including
|
232.80
|
234.00
|
1.20
|
|
5.31
|
|
|
284.00
|
285.00
|
1.00
|
|
2.39
|
|
* Lengths are
reported as core lengths. True widths vary depending on drill hole
dip; most holes are laid out to intersect the sill close to
perpendicular therefore true widths are approximately 60% to 80% of
core lengths.
|
Colomac Zone 2.0
Drilling within the northern part of Zone 2.0 (located 500
metres south of high-grade gold Zone 1.5), probed a significant gap
in drill coverage at shallow depths below the former producing open
pit, and continued testing areas north of the broad band of
mineralization intersected by hole C12-01B that returned 128.00
metres grading 1.36 gpt Au, including, 46.15 metres of 2.81 gpt Au,
and 8.65 metres of 6.83 gpt Au (see June 20,
2012 news release). Hole C17-17B, ranks among the best
intercepts to-date from this area of Zone 2.0 (Figure 1), returning
89.10 metres (50.00 metre true width) grading 1.52 gpt Au,
including 12.00 metres of 5.02 gpt Au, and including 6.40 metres of
8.61 gpt Au. This intercept confirms that the mineralized widths,
and internal higher-grade domain discovered by hole C12-01B (see
press release dated June 12, 2012),
extends an additional 50 metres north – presenting another
high-grade plunging gold target within the Colomac sill that
remains open along strike and down plunge. Hole C17-17
intersected the sill 85 metres above hole C17-17B and did not
return the same intensity of mineralization (Figure 2). It is
believed that the upper hole pierced an area above the better
plunging mineralized shoot cut by C17-17B. The Company is
currently updating its geological models of the area to better
visualize the mineralized domains, and to assist in planning future
drilling to track the higher-grade opportunities within this area
of Zone 2.0.
Colomac Zone 1.0
Zone 1.0 lies near the northern end of the Colomac sill, about
2.0 kilometres north of high-grade Zone 1.5 (Figure 1). It was
identified as a high-grade zone candidate based on its fault
displaced position relative to the sill; one of the key structural
factors believed indicative of these distinct higher-grade domains.
In 2015, discovery hole C15-03 (see press release dated
October 26, 2015) intersected 43.10
metres of 1.13 gpt Au, including 8.45 metres of 2.23 gpt Au, and
13.80 metres of 1.50 gpt Au, including 4.55 metres of 3.67 gpt Au,
confirming the zone's potential and highlighted the exciting
opportunities for discovery of additional high-grade gold zones
within the 2.0 kilometres of unexplored sill between Zone 1.0 and
high-grade Zone 1.5 (Figure 1).
Eight of the ten drill holes announced today followed up on the
results of the maiden 2015 drill campaign. Drill holes C17-19 and
C17-19B (Figure 3) vertically bracketed hole C15-03, testing for
mineralization closer to surface and to depth on the section. The
shallower hole, C17-19, returned the best intercept to date from
Zone 1.0 of 48.50 metres (45 metres true width) grading 1.88 gpt
Au, including 20.00 metres of 3.07 gpt Au, and including 9.85
metres of 5.08 gpt Au. The zone also appears to widen at
depth from a near surface true width of 70.00 metres (C17-19) to
115.00 metres at a vertical depth of 460 metres (C17-19B). A
similar expansion was noted at Zone 1.5 where recent drilling
showed that the mineralized true width had tripled to depth (see
September 18, 2017 news
release). Hole C17-19B cut a section of the sill 250 metres
below C17-19, intersecting a region of lesser mineralization than
was intersected by C17-19. Models are being updated to help define
and explore the better mineralized heart of Zone 1.0.
Sectional holes C17-18 and C17-18B were drilled 50 metres north
of C17-19 and C17-19B, bracketing hole C15-01 (Figure 4). The
steeper hole, C17-18B, cut 20.00 metres of 2.05 gpt Au, including
12.20 metres of 2.87 gpt Au, and including 9.45 metres of 3.48 gpt
Au, and including 4.95 metres of 5.51 gpt Au, successfully filling
the section and extending mineralization an additional 50 metres to
depth. Given the known plunge geometry of the high-grade core to
Zone 1.5 (see press release dated September
18, 2017), and that the principle controls for the
localization of such zones are probably consistent within the sill,
it is believed that better mineralization at Zone 1.0 would have a
similar plunge as the core of high-grade Zone 1.5. Thus, the
opportunity to continue expanding Zone 1.0 lies open to the north
and down plunge (Figure 5).
Project Update
Just over 16,400 metres of the Company's 26,168 metre 2017 drill
program have now been reported. The remaining drill
results will be released once the data has been received and
compiled. Extensive prospecting and mapping programs were
completed over the past field season directed at generating new
drill targets within the Colomac, Goldcrest, and recently
discovered Nice Lake sill (see press
release dated February, 2017), and to advance to drill stage many
of Nighthawk's regional showings and deposits.
Recent progress on how structure influences the localization of
higher-grade domains within the sills has helped generate new
priority targets. One of these is shown on Figure 1, where
the sill north of Zone 1.5 appears to be offset and disrupted by a
northwest trending fault. This new target lies within the
highly prospective 2.0-kilometre section of the Colomac sill,
between high-grade gold Zone 1.5 and Zone 1.0, which has never been
explored by Nighthawk. The Company is currently working on
generating similar opportunities throughout the three main Colomac
area sills, as well as other targets throughout its Indin Lake Gold
Property, all of which will be tested in the upcoming 2018 drill
program.
Technical Information
Nighthawk has implemented a quality-control program to comply
with best practices in the sampling and analysis of drill
core. Drill core samples were transported in security-sealed
bags for analyses at ALS Chemex Assay Laboratory in Vancouver, BC ("ALS Chemex"). ALS Chemex
is an ISO 9001:2000 certified laboratory. Pulp and metallics
assaying for gold was conducted on the entire pulverized
sample.
As part of its QA/QC program, Nighthawk inserts external gold
standards (low to high grade) and blanks every 20 samples in
addition to the standards, blanks, and pulp duplicates inserted by
ALS Chemex.
About Nighthawk
Nighthawk is a Canadian-based gold exploration company with 100%
ownership of a district scale land position within the Indin Lake
Greenstone Belt, located approximately 200 kilometres north of
Yellowknife, Northwest
Territories, Canada. Nighthawk is focused on advancing the
Colomac Gold Project with a current inferred resource of 2.1
million ounces of gold (39.8 million tonnes at an average grade of
1.64 grams per tonne), as well as advancing its other regional gold
deposits and showings within this Archean gold camp.
The Company has an experienced and dedicated team and is well
funded to complete its goals and objectives over the next 18-24
months.
Qualified Person
Dr. Michael J. Byron, Ph.D.,
P.Geo., President & Chief Executive Officer of Nighthawk, who
is the "Qualified Person" as defined by NI 43-101 for this project,
has reviewed and approved of the technical disclosure contained in
this news release. Please refer to NI 43-101 technical report
"Technical Report and mineral resource estimate update on the
Colomac Property of the Indin Lake Project", dated June 17, 2013, as filed under the company's
profile on www.sedar.com.
Neither the Toronto Stock Exchange has neither reviewed nor
accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news
release.
Forward-Looking Information
This news release contains "forward-looking information" within
the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation.
Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to,
information with respect to the Company's drilling program,
exploration plans, and the timing and results thereof. Generally,
forward-looking information can be identified by the use of
forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects", or "does
not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates",
"forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", or "does not anticipate", or
"believes" or variations of such words and phrases or state that
certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would",
"might", or "will be taken", "occur", or "be achieved".
Forward-looking information is based on the opinions and
estimates of management at the date the information is made, and is
based on a number of assumptions and is subject to known and
unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the
actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of
Nighthawk to be materially different from those expressed or
implied by such forward-looking information, including risks
associated with the exploration, development and mining such as
economic factors as they effect exploration, future commodity
prices, changes in foreign exchange and interest rates, actual
results of current exploration activities, government regulation,
political or economic developments, environmental risks, permitting
timelines, capital expenditures, operating or technical
difficulties in connection with development activities, employee
relations, the speculative nature of gold exploration and
development, including the risks of diminishing quantities of
grades of reserves, contests over title to properties, and changes
in project parameters as plans continue to be refined as well as
those risk factors discussed in Nighthawk's annual information form
for the year ended December 31, 2016,
available on www.sedar.com. Although Nighthawk has attempted
to identify important factors that could cause actual results to
differ materially from those contained in forward-looking
information, there may be other factors that cause results not to
be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance
that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results
and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in
such information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue
reliance on forward-looking information. Nighthawk does not
undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in
accordance with applicable securities laws.
SOURCE Nighthawk Gold Corp.