TSX:NHK
TORONTO, Dec. 13, 2017 /CNW/ - Nighthawk Gold Corp.
("Nighthawk" or the "Company") (TSX: NHK; OTCQX:
MIMZF) is pleased to report drill results from its 100% owned
Colomac Gold Project located within its Indin Lake Gold Property,
Northwest Territories, Canada. The
Company recently completed a 26,168 metre drill program primarily
focused on resource expansion opportunities within the Colomac Main
and Goldcrest sills, with continued delineation of high-grade gold
Zone 1.5, and ongoing exploration for additional higher-grade
domains within the Colomac area sills.
Drill results are reported for thirteen holes testing the
Goldcrest sill ("Goldcrest"), totaling 3,308 metres, (Table 1,
Figure 1) to follow-up on Nighthawk's successful 2014 and 2016
drill programs, including the further evaluation and definition of
a higher-grade zone discovered in 2014. Several new occurrences of
strong mineralization over significant widths were intercepted.
Highlights include intersections of 22.40 metres of 5.40 grams per
tonne gold ("gpt" "Au"), including 10.20 metres of 8.48 gpt Au, and
5.80 metres of 13.68 gpt Au; and 9.50 metres of 22.41 gpt Au,
including 5.35 metres of 39.42 gpt Au. Drilling to date has
broadened Goldcrest mineralization along strike and to new depths,
highlighting its burgeoning capacity for growth.
Goldcrest Drilling Highlights:
- Hole G17-09 intersected 22.40 metres of 5.40 gpt Au, including
10.20 metres of 8.48 gpt Au, and 5.80 metres of 13.68 gpt Au;
- Hole G17-02B intersected 9.50
metres (5.50 metre true width) of 22.41 gpt Au, including 5.35
metres of 39.42 gpt Au;
- Hole G17-01B intersected 13.60
metres (9.00 metre true width) of 2.88 gpt Au, including 9.70
metres of 3.95 gpt Au, and 4.60 metres of 5.54 gpt Au;
- Current drilling has confirmed and expanded on the high-grade
gold zone discovered in 2014 (holes G14-04, 04B and G14-05, 05B, see press releases dated September 25, 2014);
- Holes G17-01, 01B and G17-02,
02B infilled sections within the
high-grade zone and have established an internal continuity of
mineralization for the zone that now extends for 125 metres in
strike to a depth of 180 metres.
Note: All assays are uncut (see
Table 1)
Dr. Michael Byron, President and
CEO commented, "The Goldcrest sill is identical to the Colomac Main
sill except for having a smaller mineralized strike length of 2.5
kilometres, however there are several exciting unexplored areas
that may ultimately lead to its expansion. Although Goldcrest North
appears separated from the main Goldcrest intrusion, we have not
ruled out that a connection between the two exists, and are now
developing targets to address this opportunity. In addition, we
have only just begun to explore the 1.5-kilometre section of the
sill to the south of the main Goldcrest body. Both areas
represent high priority prospects for new discovery and resource
expansion. The exploration model recently developed for the
localization of high-grade zones within the Colomac Main sill, such
as Zone 1.5, is being applied to all Colomac area sills. With
target definition currently underway, we anxiously await initiation
of our 2018 drill program."
Table 1. Colomac Drill Results (uncut)
Hole
ID
|
Collar
Orientations
(degrees)
|
Intersection
(Metres)
|
Core
Length
|
True
Width
|
Gold
Grade
|
Azimuth
|
Dip
|
From
|
To
|
(Metres)*
|
(Metres)
|
gpt
|
G17-01
|
110
|
-50
|
131.00
|
151.00
|
20.00
|
15.00
|
1.61
|
including
|
135.00
|
138.60
|
3.60
|
|
2.00
|
including
|
143.90
|
151.00
|
7.10
|
|
2.86
|
including
|
150.30
|
151.00
|
0.70
|
|
18.90
|
G17-01B
|
110
|
-60
|
139.60
|
141.70
|
2.10
|
|
1.02
|
|
159.00
|
172.60
|
13.60
|
9.00
|
2.88
|
including
|
160.90
|
162.60
|
1.70
|
|
7.23
|
including
|
160.90
|
170.60
|
9.70
|
|
3.95
|
including
|
166.00
|
170.60
|
4.60
|
|
5.54
|
including
|
167.50
|
169.10
|
1.60
|
|
13.70
|
|
178.80
|
180.60
|
2.01
|
|
1.80
|
G17-02
|
110
|
-45
|
138.00
|
140.00
|
2.00
|
|
0.84
|
|
155.00
|
158.40
|
3.40
|
|
3.71
|
including
|
157.00
|
158.40
|
1.40
|
|
8.16
|
|
163.30
|
177.60
|
14.30
|
11.00
|
1.64
|
including
|
166.50
|
170.00
|
3.50
|
|
2.32
|
including
|
172.70
|
177.60
|
4.90
|
|
2.54
|
including
|
174.00
|
177.60
|
3.60
|
|
2.92
|
G17-02B
|
110
|
-55
|
175.70
|
188.00
|
12.30
|
7.00
|
1.59
|
including
|
175.70
|
183.10
|
7.40
|
|
2.19
|
including
|
179.90
|
183.10
|
3.20
|
|
3.45
|
|
200.20
|
201.60
|
1.40
|
|
0.98
|
|
209.20
|
212.00
|
2.80
|
|
0.76
|
|
213.25
|
214.75
|
1.50
|
|
1.51
|
|
222.30
|
231.80
|
9.50
|
5.50
|
22.41
|
including
|
224.65
|
230.00
|
5.35
|
|
39.42
|
including
|
224.65
|
226.55
|
1.90
|
|
104.71
|
including
|
228.50
|
230.00
|
1.50
|
|
7.71
|
G17-03
|
110
|
-55
|
115.60
|
119.15
|
3.55
|
|
0.87
|
|
151.10
|
161.00
|
9.90
|
|
0.76
|
including
|
158.40
|
161.00
|
2.60
|
|
2.10
|
G17-03B
|
110
|
-65
|
170.60
|
172.60
|
2.00
|
|
2.07
|
|
192.00
|
193.00
|
1.00
|
|
1.60
|
|
196.00
|
196.70
|
0.70
|
|
1.86
|
|
201.70
|
207.50
|
5.80
|
3.50
|
2.75
|
including
|
203.00
|
206.60
|
3.60
|
|
4.04
|
|
227.00
|
228.30
|
1.30
|
|
1.48
|
G17-04
|
110
|
-65
|
164.60
|
165.10
|
0.50
|
|
1.63
|
|
173.10
|
175.80
|
2.70
|
|
0.91
|
|
182.70
|
186.00
|
3.30
|
|
1.23
|
|
191.50
|
192.50
|
1.00
|
|
0.94
|
|
196.50
|
218.60
|
22.10
|
11.00
|
1.16
|
including
|
202.00
|
206.80
|
4.80
|
|
1.70
|
including
|
202.00
|
204.50
|
2.50
|
|
2.23
|
including
|
215.50
|
218.60
|
3.10
|
|
3.73
|
G17-05
|
285
|
-45
|
Geophysical target -
No intercepts
|
G17-06
|
110
|
-45
|
88.00
|
99.60
|
11.60
|
|
1.23
|
including
|
90.80
|
99.60
|
8.80
|
|
1.40
|
including
|
97.00
|
99.60
|
2.60
|
|
1.77
|
G17-06B
|
110
|
-55
|
108.00
|
115.30
|
7.30
|
|
0.96
|
including
|
108.00
|
113.00
|
5.00
|
|
1.27
|
including
|
111.00
|
113.00
|
2.00
|
|
2.32
|
|
124.20
|
126.00
|
1.80
|
|
0.88
|
G17-07
|
105
|
-45
|
145.40
|
147.50
|
2.10
|
|
5.61
|
|
163.90
|
165.20
|
1.30
|
|
0.83
|
|
173.00
|
174.40
|
1.40
|
|
1.51
|
G17-08
|
110
|
-65
|
186.40
|
188.20
|
1.80
|
|
5.57
|
|
257.30
|
259.00
|
1.70
|
|
1.20
|
|
274.60
|
276.00
|
1.40
|
|
3.11
|
|
281.20
|
283.60
|
2.40
|
|
0.91
|
G17-09
|
0
|
-90
|
49.00
|
51.00
|
2.00
|
|
0.95
|
|
55.20
|
57.70
|
2.50
|
|
0.70
|
|
61.70
|
62.30
|
0.60
|
|
1.40
|
|
72.00
|
74.00
|
2.00
|
|
1.36
|
|
81.80
|
104.20
|
22.40
|
|
5.40
|
including
|
85.00
|
95.20
|
10.20
|
|
8.48
|
including
|
89.40
|
95.20
|
5.80
|
|
13.68
|
including
|
92.20
|
95.20
|
3.00
|
|
20.69
|
including
|
97.50
|
103.20
|
5.70
|
|
4.95
|
including
|
101.00
|
103.20
|
2.20
|
|
9.46
|
|
110.80
|
112.10
|
1.30
|
|
1.40
|
|
120.80
|
124.50
|
3.70
|
|
2.71
|
including
|
122.90
|
124.50
|
1.60
|
|
5.35
|
*
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.
|
Goldcrest
Goldcrest is a 2.5-kilometre-long mineralized differentiated
igneous intrusion that includes an additional 1.5 kilometre long
relatively unexplored southern extension. It is parallel to, and
believed to be co-magmatic to the Colomac Main sill located 400
metres to the east. Both sills intruded the host mafic volcanic
sequence and were subsequently folded with tops steeply facing
east. Better gold mineralization is limited to the more silica-rich
upper portions of the sills, an area that is a primary exploration
focus for the Company. Goldcrest hosts the highest average grade in
the current resource estimate at 2.19 gpt gold (see press release
dated June 17, 2013), yet is largely
underexplored off its flanks and to depth, and unlike the Colomac
Main sill, has never been mined, leaving its near-surface
mineralization under-explored. Because of the limited historical
drilling at Goldcrest in comparison with the Colomac Main sill,
substantial opportunities exist for resource growth.
In 2014, Nighthawk carried out its initial drill program at
Goldcrest, highlighted by the intersection of the first documented
higher-grade gold shoot, as hole G14-04 intersected 19.60 metres of
4.19 gpt gold, including 7.90 metres of 7.85 gpt gold. At a similar
depth, hole G14-05 intersected 20.25 metres of 4.83 gpt gold,
including 5.21 metres of 10.21 gpt gold (see press release dated
September 25, 2014). This
drilling extended known mineralization an additional 125 metres
north (see press release November 26,
2014), where it appears to have a similar northern plunge as
was recently defined for high-grade gold Zone 1.5 within the
Colomac Main sill (see press release dated August 24, 2017).
Resumption of drilling at Goldcrest in 2016 excluded areas
originally tested in 2014 and continued exploring for broad, near
surface, potential high-grade gold zones, within relatively
unexplored areas both north and south of areas tested by the 2014
drilling, as well as within Goldcrest North (October 12, 2016; November
24, 2016 news releases). The latter is a detached portion of
the main Goldcrest sill located 600 metres to the northeast. Prior
to 2016, Goldcrest North had never been drilled by Nighthawk, yet
it contains near surface mineralization captured in the present
resource.
In the current program, holes were laid out over the central
700-metre portion of the Goldcrest Main sill (Figure 1), exploring
higher-grade mineralization to depth and along strike, or infilling
gaps in drill coverage. Holes G17-01 and G17-01B were drilled beneath mineralization
intersected by a shallow historical hole, and 50 metres north of
Nighthawk's previously drilled holes G14-05 and G14-05B, testing the shallow northward plunge of
newly discovered high-grade mineralization intersected by the two
2014 holes (see press release dated September 25, 2014). Hole G17-01, the
shallower of the two, intersected 20.00 metres of 1.61 gpt gold,
including 7.10 metres of 2.86 gpt gold within 100 metres of
surface, while the steeper hole (50 metres deeper),
G17-01B, intersected 13.60 metres of
2.88 gpt Au, including 9.70 metres of 3.95 gpt Au, and 4.60 metres
of 5.54 gpt Au (Figure 2), effectively infilling mineralization on
this section and establishing continuity of higher grades an
additional 50 metres northward and down plunge of the G14-05,
05B holes.
Holes G17-02 and G17-02B were
drilled from a common setup 65 metres south of holes
G17-01,01B (Figure 1) to test the
area between high-grade intercepts reported in holes
G14-05,05B and G14-04,04B (see press release dated September 25, 2014), and below near-surface
historical intercepts. The shallow hole, G17-02, intercepted 14.30
metres of 1.64 gpt gold, including 4.90 metres of 2.54 gpt gold
within 120 metres of surface, while the steeper hole (50 metres
deeper), G17-02B, intersected an
up-hole interval of 12.30 metres of 1.59 gpt Au, including 3.20
metres of 3.45 gpt Au, and a deeper downhole cut of 9.50 metres of
22.41 gpt Au, including 5.35 metres of 39.42 gpt Au (Figure 3),
infilling the drill section and confirming continuity of
mineralization between the 2014 sections.
G17-09 was drilled as a vertical hole along a section of the
sill that was drilled by holes G14-05 and G14-05B. At this location the sill had yet to
be fully tested closer to surface where some high-grade
mineralization was reported in historical drilling. G17-09
was drilled to explore this shallow region above mineralization
intersected by G14-05 and G14-05B. Although it recorded near surface
narrow intercepts of lower grade material, at depth, starting at
81.80 metres vertical, it intersected better mineralization of
22.40 metres of 5.40 gpt Au, including 10.20 metres of 8.48 gpt Au,
and 5.80 metres of 13.68 gpt Au (Figure 4).
Drilling to date has been very successful in advancing Goldcrest
mineralization along strike and to greater depths, confirming its
potential to host new discoveries and for ongoing resource
expansion. All drill results for the Colomac Main sill and
Goldcrest sill have now been released (24,473 metres). The
remaining results are forthcoming and will include Nighthawk's
first drilling at its Grizzly Bear deposit (part of the current
Colomac resource), and at its North Inca gold deposit located
within the Leta Arm mineralized corridor, 15 kilometres
south-southwest of Colomac.
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.
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.
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.
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.