High-Grade Gold Mineralization Extended at Depth and Along Strike at Tijirit in Mauritania

MONTREAL, Sept. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ - ALGOLD RESOURCES LTD. (ALG.V) ("Algold" or the "Corporation") today announced additional assay results from the diamond ("DDH") and reverse-circulation ("RC") drilling carried out on its Tijirit property ("Tijirit") in Mauritania as part of the Corporation's Phase III 25,000-meter drilling campaign. The results, which include 6.84 g/t Au over 15 meters, continue to demonstrate the high-grade nature and the continuity of the mineralization, both near surface and at depth, over the 3.5-kilometer strike length of the Eleonore zone (Figure 1).

Highlights*

• RC T17RC107 (Eleonore South) – 6.84 g/t Au over 15 m, including 24.00 g/t Au over 4 m, approximately 40 meters below the surface and 2.16 g/t Au over 8 m, including 6.04 g/t Au over 2 m, approximately 100 meters below the surface (Figure 2).
• RC T17RC122 (Eleonore South – new sub-zone) – 8.16 g/t Au over 5 m, including 28.00 g/t Au over 1 m, approximately 50 meters below the surface (Figure 2).
• DDH T17RD139 (Eleonore South) – 21.53 g/t Au over 1.8 m at approximately 115 meters below the surface (Figure 2).
• DDH T17RD002 (Eleonore South) – 10.24 g/t Au over 3.7 m at approximately 130 meters below the surface (Figure 2).
• DDH T17DD016 (Eleonore North) – 14.62 g/t Au over 3.3 m at approximately 85 meters below the surface (Figure 3) (Photo 1).
• RC T17RC109 (Eleonore North) – 5.76 g/t Au over 2 m at approximately 95 meters vertical depth (Figure 3). This hole extends the Eleonore North zone by 100 meters.
• RC T17RC115 (Eleonore Central) – 2.70 g/t Au over 7 m, including 8.06 g/t Au over 2 m, at approximately 35 meters below the surface (Figure 4).

*All intersections reported are down-hole lengths.

Eleonore South

Hole T16RC107 (section E8300), located approximately 50 meters south of T17RC045 (14.1 g/t Au over 10 m, referenced in Algold's press release dated April 25, 2017) returned two significant near-surface mineralized intervals. Hole T16RC107 was orientated at a more optimal bearing than T17RC045 and served to confirm the north to north-northeast strike direction of the mineralization. With surface outcrop masked by a transported overburden, the intersection of these gold-bearing structures confirms the continuity of high-grade mineralization associated with kilometer-long shear zones at Eleonore South zone. 

Sixty meters south of hole T17RC107, diamond tail hole T17RD002 (section 8200) was drilled to test for potential plunging high-grade structures. The hole successfully intersected the vertically dipping mineralized zone identified in hole T17RC003 and although the result was not significant, it does suggest that higher-grade, wider mineralized plunges are possible. Mineralization was also confirmed 50 meters north of hole T17RC045 in hole T17RC112, (Section E8400), which remains open along strike to the north.

Five hundred meters south of hole T17RC045, diamond tail hole T17RD139 (section E7880) intersected two gold-rich zones, on the same structure, 116 meters and 140 meters below the surface. Screen fire assays confirmed the presence of coarse gold (>105µm) as shown in Photo 2 below.

Hole T17RC122 represents a new discovery and the most easterly mineralized area intersected at Eleonore South. The area displays an assemblage similar to other Eleonore mineralization identified to date with quartz, biotite and pyrite associated with local shearing.  The structure is believed to be dipping near vertically. Results of recent drilling carried out to test the strike and down-dip extensions of the structure are still pending.

Eleonore North

In DDH T17DD016, (section 9840) a steeply-dipping visible gold-bearing quartz vein was intersected at 109 meters.  The gold was finely disseminated along the selvages of a chlorite-biotite-pyrrhotite alteration zone. The core drill hole confirms the vertical dip of the structure and is the deepest intersection on this vein to date, at 85 meters below the surface. The vein remains open at depth.

Hole T17RC109 (section 10600) intersected a high-grade quartz vein on the shallow-dipping northern most vein, currently identified in the main Eleonore area.  This hole confirms that the mineralization is still open at depth, with this intercept being 50 meters down dip of the mineralization intersected in hole T17RC059.

Drilling Program

The Phase III 20,000-meter RC and 5,000-meter DDH drilling program was initiated on February 1, 2017 with the objective to further delineate the high-grade gold deposit. The Phase III drilling program concluded on August 25, 2017 with 182 RC holes, 18 DDH and 30 RC pre-collar/diamond tails completed for a total of 24,205 meters of RC and 5,930 meters of diamond drilling.

As of September 1, 2017, Algold had collected 16,188 samples (excluding QA/QC) as part of the Phase III drilling program, with 9,522 samples having been sent to the SGS Bamako facilities for analysis. Algold is in receipt of 8,975 assay results, with 7,213 samples still pending (excluding QA/QC).

In order to reduce future processing time for assay results analysis, a Mobile Site Preparation Unit (MSPU) managed by SGS has been installed on the Tijirit property. The MSPU laboratory became operational in late August and is expected to increase efficiency and reduce lag time in the preparation and shipment of assay samples, thereby reducing overall turnaround time for assay results.