West Kirkland Mining Provides Nevada Update
- Drill Program to Commence for Resource Expansion Within Permitted Phase 1 of Hasbrouck Gold-Silver Project
- Initial Drilling at Newly-Leased Hill of Gold Property Contracted
- Permitting of Phase 2 Mining at Hasbrouck Pit to Continue in 2017
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Jan 4, 2017) - West Kirkland Mining Inc. (TSX VENTURE:WKM) ("West Kirkland" or the "Company") announces an early-2017 drilling program at the Hasbrouck Gold-Silver Project, which consists of the phase 1 Three Hills pit and the adjacent phase 2 Hasbrouck pit. The Company has contracted Boart-Longyear for drilling services at Three Hills and the recently-leased Hill of Gold properties (see details below).
At Three Hills a 1,300 meter RC drill program will explore targets identified by previous drilling and geophysical surveys to the east of the permitted open pit by stepping out from hole MW14-01 (40 meters @ 1.36 g/t, 55 meters below collar), and TH12R-15 (66 meters @ 3.3 g/t, 76 meters below collar). Drill targets at Three Hills are adjacent to some of the best intercepts on the property. These earlier holes are located within the permitted pit boundary, but are not located within the current Mineral Reserve boundary.
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Step-out and in-fill drilling will also be performed at the recently-leased Hill of Gold property which lies three kilometers immediately south of Three Hills and between the Three Hills and Hasbrouck Mines. Earlier drilling at the Hill of Gold totals 29,926 feet from 83 reverse circulation holes and 6 core holes. A small historical resource was estimated at Hill of Gold based on past results. Core crushed to 1-1/2 inch was tested by McClelland Laboratories Inc. in columns with gold recovery from cyanide leaching projected at 81.0% and 86.7% after 62 to 79 days.
Drilling performed at Hill of Gold in 1993 in the area to be targeted by WKM for follow-up included hole 93-63 which intercepted 32 meters of 0.5 g/t gold, 58 meters below collar, and hole 93-61 which intercepted 41 meters of 1 g/t gold, 70 meters below collar. Drilling in this same area in 1996 included hole HG96-5 which intercepted 29 meters of 1.2 g/t gold, 55 meters below collar and hole HGC96-6 which intercepted 17 meters of 2.9 g/t gold, 59 meters below collar. Modelling by West Kirkland suggests that these intercepts are open for further expansion near surface at potential open-pittable depths. The Hill of Gold host rocks and geological setting of gold mineralization are similar to the Three Hills deposit.
The Hill of Gold property was leased and is now being explored as a target for possible trucking to Three Hills for processing at the permitted heap leach site there.
Hasbrouck Mine Permitting
Advancement of permitting for Phase-2 construction and mining at the Hasbrouck Mine is also to continue in early 2017. Phase-1 construction and mining at the Three Hills Mine is fully permitted at federal and state levels.
The Company has commissioned EM Strategies (formerly Enviroscientists Inc.) to continue permitting the Hasbrouck Mine. This work builds on previous biology and cultural base-line studies with the intent of submitting a Plan of Operation to the BLM in Q3 2017. The Hasbrouck Mine is the second and larger part of the Hasbrouck Gold-Silver Project, and has a Probable Mineral Reserve of 588,000 ounces of gold and 10.6 million ounces of silver, (32 million tonnes at 0.6 g/t gold, 10.2 g/t silver, per Mine Development Associates' Technical Report dated September 1, 2016, www.sedar.com). This work is being commissioned now to ensure that Hasbrouck Mine permits will be in hand when needed before mining at Three Hills is complete.
"The Hasbrouck Mine will require the typical amount of permitting for a mining operation in Nevada, including the completion of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). There appear to be no biological, cultural, hydrology, or geochemistry issues that would otherwise delay or disrupt the timely process of applications for development", states Richard Delong, president of EM Strategies.
About West Kirkland Mining Inc.
West Kirkland owns a 75% interest in the Hasbrouck Gold Project in Tonopah, Nevada. A Pre-Feasibility Study and Environmental Assessment with construction-level drawings and all federal and state permits for the phase-one Three Hills Mine provides a ready-to-construct gold project. West Kirkland also holds a 60% interest in the open pit heap-leach TUG Gold Project in Utah in Joint Venture with Newmont.
On behalf of West Kirkland Mining Inc.
R. Michael Jones, Chief Executive Officer
Quality Assurance and Control, Authors and Qualified Persons Statement
The historical drill hole information reported here is from previous well-known professional operators. These assays are prior to the establishment of NI 43-101. The author is aware of the companies involved in the work and has reviewed the historical reports. Reserves quoted are from NI 43-101 reports as noted.
R. Michael Jones, P. Eng., Chief Executive Officer for West Kirkland, and a non-independent Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101, has reviewed the information contained in this news release and has verified the data for reporting here and for exploration targeting.
Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information
This press release contains forward-looking information or forward-looking statements (collectively "forward-looking information") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information is typically identified by words such as: "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "intend", "estimate", "postulate" and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. Forward-looking information in this news release includes, without limitation, the statements regarding the use of proceeds and the holdings of the Company's major shareholders and other statements that are not historical facts. Information concerning mineral resource/reserve estimates and the economic analysis thereof contained in the prefeasibility study are also forward-looking statements in that they reflect a prediction of the mineralization that would be encountered, and the results of mining it, if a mineral deposit were developed and mined. Although West Kirkland believes that such timing and expenses as set out in this press release are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations and estimates will prove to be correct. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking information provided by the Company is not a guarantee of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking information as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, the state of the financial markets for the Company's equity securities, the state of the market for gold or other minerals that may be produced generally, significant increases in any of the machinery, equipment or supplies required to develop and operate a mine, a significant change in the availability or cost of the labor force required to operate a mine, a significant increases in the cost of transportation for the Company's products, variations in the nature, quality and quantity of any mineral deposits that may be located, the Company's ability to obtain any necessary permits, consents or authorizations required for its activities, to raise the necessary capital or to be fully able to implement its business strategies and other risks associated with the exploration and development of mineral properties. The reader is referred to the Company's public filings for a more complete discussion of such risk factors and their potential effects which may be accessed through the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.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.
