Vancouver, B.C., January 22, 2024: SNOWLINE GOLD CORP (TSX-V: SGD) (OTC: SNWGF) (the “Company” or “Snowline”) is pleased to announce the appointment of Brian Hegarty to its management team as Vice President of Sustainability and External Relations.
“We are excited to have Brian Hegarty join our team at a key juncture for Snowline, with a major gold discovery in hand at our Rogue Project’s Valley target and a large, target-rich mineral claim portfolio taking shape around it,” said Scott Berdahl, CEO & Director of Snowline. “Mr. Hegarty brings highly relevant experience to the Company along with a complementary skillset to strengthen our commitment to our core values of community building, environmental respect and integrity. His appointment reflects a strategic focus on generating positive external impacts through Snowline’s activities while building shareholder value through the de-risking and progression of the Valley target past the exploration stage, in an environmentally sound manner.”
Mr. Hegarty has more than 15 years’ experience in Indigenous, environmental and regulatory affairs, focussed on mining in the Yukon. He began his career working as a project manager on development stage projects preparing for environmental assessment with BC Hydro and Port Metro Vancouver in BC, followed by the Kudz Ze Kayah mine development in the Yukon. Most recently, he served as Vice President at C3 Alliance Corp, a Canadian-based consultancy that works with First Nations communities, resource companies and government to identify and enact mutually beneficial solutions for resource development. Prior to this, he worked as a consultant to Newcrest Mining on the implementation of their project agreements with First Nations on their operating Canadian assets, and as Vice President of the Dena Nezziddi Development Corporation, the economic and business development arm of the Yukon-based Ross River Dena Council, who are a Kaska Nation. Mr. Hegarty holds an MSc in Environmental and Infrastructure Planning from the University of Groningen, and a BSc in Spatial Planning and Environmental Management from the Technological University Dublin.
The new role will focus primarily on advancement and de-risking of the Valley target and other targets in areas beyond of geological exploration, with key responsibilities including strengthening existing working relationships with First Nations, governments, communities and other key contacts, overseeing advanced permitting, planning and managing environmental baseline work, and engaging with technical advisors on other aspects of early project development.
ABOUT ROGUE
The Valley target on Snowline’s flagship Rogue Project is a newly discovered, bulk tonnage style, reduced intrusion-related gold system (RIRGS), with geological similarities to multi-million-ounce deposits currently in production such as Kinross’s Fort Knox Mine in Alaska and Victoria Gold’s Eagle Mine in the Yukon. Early drill results demonstrate unusually high gold grades for such a system, present near surface across drill intersections of hundreds of metres. Gold is associated with bismuthinite and telluride minerals hosted in sheeted quartz vein arrays within and along the margins of a one-kilometer-scale, mid-Cretaceous aged Mayo-suite intrusion. Valley is an early-stage exploration project without a resource estimate, and while initial results are encouraging, the presence or absence of an economically viable orebody cannot be determined until additional work is completed.
The Rogue Project area hosts multiple intrusions similar to Valley along with widespread gold anomalism in stream sediment, soil and rock samples. Elsewhere, RIRGS deposits are known to occur in clusters. The Rogue Project is thus considered by the Company to have district-scale potential for additional reduced intrusion-related gold systems.
ABOUT SNOWLINE GOLD CORP.
Snowline Gold Corp. is a Yukon Territory focused gold exploration company with an eight-project portfolio covering >333,000 ha. The Company is exploring its flagship >94,000 ha Rogue gold project in the highly prospective yet underexplored Selwyn Basin. Snowline’s project portfolio sits within the prolific Tintina Gold Province, host to multiple million-ounce-plus gold mines and deposits including Kinross’s Fort Knox Mine, Newmont’s Coffee deposit, and Victoria Gold’s Eagle Mine. The Company’s first-mover land position and extensive database provide a unique opportunity for investors to be part of multiple discoveries and the creation of a new gold district.
Figure 1 – Project location map for Snowline Gold’s eastern Selwyn Basin properties: Rogue, Einarson, Ursa, Cynthia and Olympus. The Valley target is one of several prospective reduced intrusion-related gold targets on the broader 30 x 60 km Rogue Project.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
This news release contains certain forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the creation of a new arm of the Company, the progression of the Valley target past the exploration stage, the discovery potential within the Valley intrusion, the potential for investors to participate in multiple future discoveries, the Rogue project having district-scale prospectivity, the creation of a new gold district and the Company’s plans and intentions. Wherever possible, words such as “may”, “will”, “should”, “could”, “expect”, “plan”, “intend”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “estimate”, “predict” or “potential” or the negative or other variations of these words, or similar words or phrases, have been used to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements reflect management’s current beliefs and are based on information currently available to management as at the date hereof.
Forward-looking statements involve significant risk, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from the results discussed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among other things: risks related to uncertainties inherent in drill results and the estimation of mineral resources; and risks associated with executing the Company’s plans and intentions. These factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management believes to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure readers that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law.
Hole V-23-070, drilled perpendicular to previous holes, returned 382.4 m averaging 2.12 g/t Au, including 113.4 m of 3.51 g/t Au from surface,demonstrating robust three-dimensional continuity of near-surface mineralization at Valley
Hole V-23-068 and V-23-069 show high grades and strong consistency at the open northeastern edge of known mineralization at Valley, returning 384.6 m averaging 1.24 g/t Au from surface and 437.0 m averaging 1.01 g/t Au (including 2.68 g/t Au over 60.3 m) respectively.
Vancouver, B.C., January 22, 2024: SNOWLINE GOLD CORP (TSX-V: SGD) (OTC: SNWGF) (the “Company” or “Snowline”) is pleased to announce analytical results from additional exploration holes drilled during its 2023 exploration campaign in Canada’s Yukon Territory. At the Rogue Project’s Valley target, hole V-23-070 returned 2.12 g/t Au over 382.4 m downhole, including 3.51 g/t Au over 113.4 m from surface. The hole was drilled to the southeast, making it the first meaningful test of continuity in a direction other than the southwest and northeast azimuths of previous holes. Holes V-23-068 and V-23-069 were drilled in the northeastern part of the target, extending the boundary of strong gold mineralization which remains open in this direction and will be targeted as part of the upcoming 2024 drill campaign at Valley.
Table 1 – Highlight summary of Snowline’s latest assay results. *Interval widths reported; true widths of the system are not yet known.
“The results from hole V-23-070 add a new dimension to our understanding of gold mineralization at our 100%-owned Rogue Project’s Valley target,” said Scott Berdahl, CEO & Director of Snowline. “It is the first hole drilled along the strike of the system to test continuity in that direction, and the results hold up very well. This continuity of mineralization further de-risks Valley by showing connectivity of mineralization between previously drilled sections orientated perpendicular to V-23-070, and by demonstrating that strong gold grades at Valley are largely independent of drilling orientation. Additional holes V-23-068 and V-23-069 continue to build on the known scale of the gold system at Valley, highlighting an open edge of mineralization that we are eager to explore as part of an aggressive drill campaign to advance both Valley and the broader Rogue Plutonic Complex in 2024.”
In addition, the Company will commence an advanced round of metallurgical testing in Q1 2024 to assess optimal processing methods and to quantify processing parameters that will assist in future economic assessments of the Valley target. This testing will primarily use material from a PQ-sized hole drilled as a near twin to V-23-066.
Figure 1 – Cross-section B, showing V-23-070 in the context of adjacent holes along a longitudinal section and a simplified, schematic geological model. This hole demonstrates the consistency of mineralization at Valley regardless of drill hole orientation along with continuity of mineralization between previous, parallel holes. Note that the entire hole is mineralized, with a zone of >1 and >2 g/t Au assays within the final 70 m of the hole, at depth in the southeastern part of the system. Previous holes, drilled to the southwest and northeast, pass into and out of the section, which represents a 100 m thick slice. View looks northwest. See Figure 2 for section location in plan view.
HOLE V-23-070
V-23-070 averages 2.12 g/t Au across 382.4 m downhole from bedrock surface (at 3.7 m downhole) to the end of hole at 386.0 m. The entire hole is mineralized, with the highest sustained grades closest to surface (Table 2). The top 113.4 m of the hole average 3.51 g/t Au, with the top 24.9 m averaging 5.95 g/t Au. Despite localized higher grades, mineralized intervals are carried by consistently anomalous gold values, as indicated by the high remainder values (which exclude higher grade sub-intervals) along with the high capped values (limiting any assay to a maximum of 10 g/t Au) shown in Table 2.
V-23-070 is collared on the same drill site as V-23-064 (308.8 m averaging 2.15 g/t Au, see Snowline news release dated January 3, 2024), which was drilled to the southwest. It is 64 m to the north of V-22-014 (1.45 g/t Au over 285.2 m, see Snowline news release dated November 15, 2022) and 107 m to the southwest of V-22-007 (410.0 m @ 1.89 g/t Au from surface including 3.24 g/t Au over 146.0 m Au starting at 56.0 m depth, see Snowline news release dated November 15, 2022). The hole begins in coarse-grained granodiorite and remains in coarse-grained granodiorite for its entire length, with minor xenoliths and intrusive breccias locally. Quartz vein density is low (averaging 5 veins/metre) and decreases downhole, though this is in part an artifact of the low angle of quartz veins to drill core. Strong mineralization continues to the end of the hole at 386.0 m.
The hole is centrally collared within the core of the near-surface, high-grade mineralization of the Valley target and is the first hole drilled parallel (towards the southeast) to the dominant NW-SE strike of the mineralized trend at Valley. The hole was drilled in this orientation to provide information about the continuity of the system in an orientation that had not previously been tested. This hole strengthens the core of the known boundary of multiple-gram-per-tonne gold mineralization. Continuity of strong mineralization extending to the southeast further demonstrates the open nature of >1 g/t mineralization at Valley.
Figure 2 – Plan view of the Rogue Project’s Valley target showing analytical results from previous and current drilling, along with drill traces of outstanding holes. Note that to display new results, current holes are plotted above previous holes regardless of relative depths. The system remains open in multiple directions, including to depth. Endpoints for sections A (Figure 1) and B (Figure 3) are indicated on the map.
Table 2 – Summary of significant mineralization returned from current holes at Valley. The consistency of strong mineralization on the target is reinforced by the capped values in the rightmost column, wherein any assay result >10 g/t Au is replaced by 10.0 g/t Au to calculate the average interval grades. *Interval widths reported; true widths of the system are not yet known, with different vein generations, orientations, and grade distributions present within various intervals through the bulk tonnage gold target at Valley.
HOLES V-23-068 & V-23-069
Both V-23-068 and V-23-069 form part of a fence of holes across the northwestern part of the well-mineralized, near surface corridor within the Valley intrusion (Figures 2 and 3).
V-23-068 is collared on the same drill site as V-23-063 (342.0 m averaging 1.59 g/t Au, see Snowline news release dated January 3, 2024), though was drilled to the northeast to test the continuity of the system in this orientation. The hole averaged 384.6 m of 1.24 g/t Au, including 1.57 g/t Au over 236.1 m, with both intervals beginning at bedrock surface of 4.4 m. A single 1.0 m interval (116.0-117.0 m) returned 13.3 g/t Au. V-23-069 is the north easternmost hole drilled at Valley to date collared 89 m northeast of V22-029 (558.3 m averaging 1.3 g/t Au, see Snowline news release dated February 24, 2023) and returned 437.0 m of 1.01 g/t Au, beginning at 47.0 m depth, and includes 252.5 m averaging 1.50 g/t Au starting at 142.5 m, which is influence by three >10 g/t Au 1.0 m wide samples between 14.9 g/t Au and 48.10 g/t Au – see Table 2 for the complete summary of results from this release at Valley). Both these holes demonstrate the strong continuity within the well-mineralized gold zone to the northeast.
Figure 3 – Cross-section B, showing V-23-068 & V-23-069 in the context of adjacent holes along section and a simplified, schematic geological model. Both holes returned consistently high gold grades, demonstrating continuity of strong mineralization and shows the system is remains open to the northeast. View looks northwest. Holes V-22-029 and V-22-033 are in front of the section—see Figure 2 for collar locations in plan view.
V-23-068 commences in strong, sheeted gold-bearing quartz vein mineralization (Figure 3) hosted in coarse grained granodiorite from bedrock surface at 4.4 m downhole and continues in predominantly strong mineralization until approximately 387 m downhole, near where quartz vein densities and occurrences of visible gold decrease, corresponding to sporadic narrow intervals with low grade mineralization. From surface, multiple gold-bearing quartz vein orientations are present, with a dominant sheeted vein array striking northwest and steeply dipping to the northeast, as commonly seen in the primary mineralized zone at Valley.
V-23-069 is collared in coarse grained granodiorite with minor xenoliths and dikes of medium grained intrusive rock. The top of the hole encounters low quartz vein densities but further downhole at 192 m strong quartz vein densities (15 veins/metre) are intersected through to 379.0 m where it intersects the finer-grained intrusive, where gold grades are again lower and corresponds to a decrease in quartz vein density. The hole remained in the fine-grained intrusive rock until its termination at 484 m.
REGIONAL DRILLING
Tosh Project, Southwest Yukon
Analytical results have been received for an additional four holes from a Phase I drill program on the Yarrow target at Snowline Gold’s Tosh Project, an orogenic gold project located in the southwestern Yukon. This program represents the first-ever drill testing anywhere on the broader Tosh project area.
Localized, elevated gold values (0.10 to 0.72 g/t Au) were present as rare, generally discrete intervals in all four holes, variously associated with faulting, brecciation and alteration of sedimentary host rocks. The results demonstrate the presence of an orogenic-type gold system. The higher gold and silver grades encountered in surface sampling have yet to be explained by drilling, and multiple kilometers-scale geochemical anomalies at Tosh remain untested by any drilling to date. A summary of mineralized intervals of the current holes is shown in Table 3.
Figure 4 – Map showing the location of the Tosh Project, in the southwest Yukon. Tosh covers a series of untested, kilometers-scale orogenic gold targets with geological similarities to the White Gold district roughly 100 km to the north. Resource figures shown are based on public disclosure from third parties and have not been verified by the Company.
Table 3 – Summary of mineralization returned from current holes the Tosh Project Coordinates are presented in NAD83 Zone 7. *Interval widths reported; true widths of the systems are not yet known.
QA/QC
On receipt from the drill site NQ2-sized drill core was systematically logged for geological attributes, photographed and sampled at Snowline’s 2023 field camp. Sample lengths as small as 0.5 m were used to isolate features of interest, but most samples within moderate to strong mineralization were 1.0 m in length; otherwise, a default 1.5 m downhole sample length was used. Core was cut in half lengthwise along a pre-determined line, with one half (same half, consistently, dictated by orientation line where present or by dominant vein orientation where absent) collected for analysis and one half stored as a record. Field duplicates were collected at regular intervals as ¼ core samples by splitting the ½ core sent for sampling, leaving a consistent record of half core material from duplicate and non-duplicate samples alike. Standard reference materials and blanks were inserted by Snowline personnel at regular intervals into the sample stream. Bagged samples were sealed with security tags to ensure integrity during transport. They were delivered by expeditor to Bureau Veritas’ preparatory facility in Whitehorse, Yukon. Sample preparation was completed in Whitehorse, with analyses completed in Vancouver.
Similar procedures were employed on the Tosh Project, though drill core was transported to Whitehorse in advance of detailed logging and sampling.
Bureau Veritas is accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 and ISO9001 for quality management. Samples were crushed by BV to >85% passing below 2 mm and split using a riffle splitter. 250 g splits were pulverized to >85% passing below 75 microns. A four-acid digest with an inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) finish was used for 59-element analysis on 0.25 g sample pulps (BV code: MA250). All samples were analysed for gold content by fire assay with an atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) finish on 30 g samples (BV code: FA430). Any sample returning >10 g/t Au was reanalysed by fire assay with a gravimetric finish on a 30 g sample (BV code: FA530).
For the purposes of this release, mineralized intervals are defined as runs of mineralization with no break >5.0 m assaying <0.1 g/t Au, including any subsections thereof.
The Rogue Project area hosts multiple intrusions similar to Valley along with widespread gold anomalism in stream sediment, soil and rock samples. Elsewhere, RIRGS deposits are known to occur in clusters. The Rogue Project is considered by the Company to have district-scale potential for additional reduced intrusion-related gold systems.
ABOUT SNOWLINE GOLD CORP.
Snowline Gold Corp. is a Yukon Territory focused gold exploration company with an eight-project portfolio covering >333,000 ha. The Company is exploring its flagship >94,000 ha Rogue gold project in the highly prospective yet underexplored Selwyn Basin. Snowline’s project portfolio sits within the prolific Tintina Gold Province, host to multiple million-ounce-plus gold mines and deposits including Kinross’s Fort Knox Mine, Newmont’s Coffee deposit, and Victoria Gold’s Eagle Mine. The Company’s first-mover land position and extensive database provide a unique opportunity for investors to be part of multiple discoveries and the creation of a new gold district.
Figure 5 – Project location map for Snowline Gold’s eastern Selwyn Basin properties: Rogue, Einarson, Ursa, Cynthia and Olympus. The Valley target is one of several prospective reduced intrusion-related gold targets on the broader 30 x 60 km Rogue Project.
QUALIFIED PERSON
Information in this release has been prepared under supervision of and approved by Thomas K. Branson, M.Sc., P. Geo., VP Exploration of Snowline Gold Corp, as Qualified Person for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
This news release contains certain forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the significance of analytical results, the discovery potential within the Valley intrusion, the potential for investors to participate in multiple future discoveries, the Rogue project having district-scale prospectivity, the creation of a new gold district and the Company’s future plans and intentions. Wherever possible, words such as “may”, “will”, “should”, “could”, “expect”, “plan”, “intend”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “estimate”, “predict” or “potential” or the negative or other variations of these words, or similar words or phrases, have been used to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements reflect management’s current beliefs and are based on information currently available to management as at the date hereof.
Forward-looking statements involve significant risk, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from the results discussed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among other things: risks related to uncertainties inherent in drill results and the estimation of mineral resources; and risks associated with executing the Company’s plans and intentions. These factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management believes to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure readers that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law.
Hole V-23-066 returned 383.0 m averaging 2.00 g/t Au, including 107.5 m of 3.95 g/t Au from surface (with an interval of 16.0 m averaging 7.52 g/t Au), showing strong continuity of multiple-gram-per-tonne, near-surface gold mineralization across a gap in previous drilling.
Holes V-23-065 and V-23-067 show high grades and strong consistency in the eastern part of the Valley target, returning 344.5 m averaging 1.14 g/t Au (including 1.60 g/t Au over 177.5 m) and 418.4 m averaging 1.62 g/t Au (including 2.91 g/t Au over 152.0 m) respectively, with the wider interval for each hole beginning from surface.
Analytical results pending for 2,640 m from 8 holes (including one metallurgical hole at Valley) across two projects—Rogue and Tosh.
Vancouver, B.C., January 15, 2024: SNOWLINE GOLD CORP (TSX-V: SGD) (OTC: SNWGF) (the “Company” or “Snowline”) is pleased to announce analytical results from three additional drill holes from its 2023 exploration campaign at the Valley target on its Rogue Project in Canada’s Yukon Territory. All three holes, collared near the open eastern boundary of Valley’s well-mineralized, near surface gold corridor, returned broad intervals of robust mineralization. Hole V-23-066 averages 2.00 g/t Au over 383.0 m downhole from surface, including 3.95 g/t Au over 107.5 m. Within this is one of the highest-grade sustained intervals seen to date at Valley, averaging 7.52 g/t Au over 16.0 m downhole. Hole V-23-067 averages 1.62 g/t Au over 418.4 m, including 2.91 g/t Au over 152.0 m with a higher grade zone of 5.58 g/t Au over 29.0 m. Assays for more than 2,640 m of diamond drilling from Snowline’s 2023 exploration efforts are forthcoming.
Table 1 –Highlight summary of Snowline’s latest assay results. *Interval widths reported; true widths of the system are not yet known.
“Today’s results highlight the strength and scale of mineralization near the open, eastern edge of the well-mineralized, near surface corridor at our Valley target,” said Scott Berdahl, CEO and Director of Snowline. “V-23-066 is drilled through a gap in the east-central part of the target, carrying an average grade of almost 4 g/t Au over a 107.5 m downhole interval, within a broad interval of consistent, multi-gram gold starting from surface. Such grades are highly atypical of a reduced-intrusion related gold system. Additional strong grades in holes V-23-065 and -067 bolster the known scale of the eastern part of the system, where we are still chasing open boundaries of mineralization at Valley. As we await further drill results and metallurgical studies, this demonstration of robust mineralization in the eastern part of the target highlights a key direction for potential expansion of the Valley system that we will be testing in our upcoming 2024 exploration campaign.”
Figure 1 – Plan view of the Rogue Project’s Valley target showing analytical results from previous and current drilling, along with drill traces of outstanding holes. Note that to display new results, current holes are plotted above previous holes regardless of relative depths. The system remains open in multiple directions, including to depth. Endpoints for sections A (Figure 2) and B (Figure 3) and C (Figure 4) are indicated on the map.
HOLE V-23-067
The entire hole is mineralized. V-23-067 averages 1.62 g/t Au across 418.4 m downhole from bedrock surface (at 3.6 m downhole) to the end of hole at 422.0 m. From 62.0 m downhole, the hole averages 2.91 g/t Au over 152.0 m, including 29.0 m of 5.58 g/t Au (influenced by a 3.0 m run averaging 21.87 g/t Au). Despite localized higher grades, mineralized intervals are carried by consistently anomalous gold values, as indicated by the high remainder values (which exclude higher grade sub-intervals) along with the high capped values (limiting any assay to a maximum of 10 g/t Au) shown in Table 2.
V-23-067 is collared 54 m to the northwest of V-23-065 (this release) and 39 m to the southwest of V-22-007 (410.0 m @ 1.89 g/t Au from surface including 3.24 g/t Au over 146.0 m Au starting at 56.0 m depth, see Snowline news release dated November 15, 2022). This hole is collared in coarse-grained granodiorite and continues in coarse-grained granodiorite, with minor xenoliths and dikes of finer-grained intrusive rock, until intersecting the finer-grained intrusive at 300 m where gold grades are lower with a corresponding decrease in quartz vein density. The hole remained in the fine-grained intrusive rock to 351 m, where it continued to intersect course-grained granodiorite until to the end of the hole at 422 m.
Figure 2 – Cross-section A, showing V-23-067 in the context of adjacent holes along section and a simplified, schematic geological model. This hole demonstrates breadth of consistent mineralization perpendicular to the northwest strike of the system in this area. View looks northwest. See Figure 1 for section location.
V-23-067 is the northeasternmost in a SW-NE fence of holes drilled perpendicular to the NW-SE strike of the mineralized trend at Valley. It extends the known boundary of multiple-gram-per-tonne gold mineralization roughly 65 m to the northeast along this section and demonstrates the open nature of strong mineralization at Valley.
HOLE V-23-066
Hole V-23-066 is collared in coarse-grained granodiorite within the Valley intrusion roughly 48 m northwest of the nearest hole, V-22-007 (410.0 m @ 1.89 g/t Au from surface including 3.24 g/t Au over 146.0 m Au starting at 56.0 m depth, see Snowline news release dated November 15, 2022) and 58 m southeast of V-23-037 (383.8 m @ 2.47 g/t Au including 120.0 m @ 4.06 g/t Au from surface, see Snowline news release dated August 3, 2023).
The hole commences in strong, sheeted gold-bearing quartz vein mineralization (Figure 3) from bedrock surface at 3.5 m downhole and continues in predominantly strong mineralization until approximately 100 m downhole, near where the hole intersects a central, valley-parallel fault at 98 m downhole. Quartz vein densities and occurrences of visible gold increase below the fault, with higher grade mineralization continuing until a second valley-parallel fault at 277 m downhole. Below the second fault, quartz vein densities and occurrences of visible gold decrease along with the gold grade, though low grade mineralization continues to the end of the hole at 386.5 m, where the hole terminates within the intrusion. Multiple gold-bearing quartz vein orientations are present, with a dominant sheeted vein array striking northwest and steeply dipping to the northeast, as commonly seen in the primary mineralized zone at Valley.
Figure 3 – Cross-section B, showing V-23-066 in the context of adjacent holes along or near to the cross section and a simplified, schematic geological model. The middle part of the hole returned consistently high gold grades, demonstrating continuity of strong mineralization through a gap in previous drilling. View looks northwest. Hole V-23-034 is behind the section—see Figure 1 for collar locations in plan view.
Overall, the entire 383 m downhole from bedrock surface averages 2.00 g/t Au, with an internal interval of 107.5 m averaging 3.95 g/t Au beginning from 110.0 m downhole. Within this, the highest grades are seen in the core with a subinterval of 16.0 returning 7.52 g/t Au. The presence of such high and consistent gold grades beginning at surface in a large gap in previous drilling further de-risks the mineral system at Valley, demonstrating strong continuity within the well-mineralized multi-gram gold zone.
A twinned PQ-diameter hole, V-23-MET-001, was drilled from the same drill pad with similar orientation to V-23-066. Material from this hole will be used for additional metallurgical and processing test work over the coming months.
Table 2 – Summary of significant mineralization returned from current holes at Valley. The consistency of strong mineralization on the target is reinforced by the capped values in the rightmost column, wherein any assay result >10 g/t Au is replaced by 10.0 g/t Au to calculate the average interval grades. *Interval widths reported; true widths of the system are not yet known, with different vein generations, orientations, and grade distributions present within various intervals through the bulk tonnage gold target at Valley.
HOLE V-23-065
V-23-065 is collared 69 m to the southwest of V-22-027 (481.5 m @ 0.69 g/t Au, starting from 11.5 m depth, see Snowline news release dated May 2, 2023), and 83 m to the northeast of V-23-036 (414.5 m @ 1.53 g/t Au starting at 4.0 m depth, see Snowline news release dated July 18, 2023), with all three holes forming a fence across the southeastern part of the well-mineralized, near-surface corridor within the Valley intrusion (Figure 3). This hole is collared in coarse-grained granodiorite, with minor xenoliths and dikes of finer-grained intrusive rock, until intersecting the finer-grained intrusive at 343 m where gold grades are lower with a corresponding decrease in quartz vein density. The hole remained in the fine-grained intrusive rock until its termination at 428.0 m.
The hole exhibits a moderately strong mineralized interval, demonstrating the strength and scale of the system in this area. V-23-065 averages 1.14 g/t Au across 344.5.0 m downhole from bedrock surface (at 5.4 m downhole), with an internal interval of 1.60 g/t Au over 177.5 m from 58.0 m downhole. A second mineralized interval begins just below this, averaging 0.54 g/t Au over 72.0 m from 356.0 m downhole, continuing to the end of the hole.
V-23-065 adds breadth to the known extent of near-surface >1 g/t Au mineralization in the eastern part of the Valley gold system, which remains open. This hole and the others in this release demonstrate the robustness of the system, as drilling has yet to define the edges of the well-mineralized, near-surface corridor within the Valley intrusion (Figure 4).
Figure 4 – Cross-section C, showing V-23-065 in the context of adjacent holes along section and a simplified, schematic geological model. This hole demonstrates the breadth of consistent mineralization perpendicular to the northwest strike of the system in this area. Note that V-22-027 is drilled in front of the section, while V-23-065 is plotted on top to highlight the present results. View looks northwest. See Figure 1 for section location and the relative NW-SE locations of the hole traces.
QA/QC
On receipt from the drill site NQ2-sized drill core was systematically logged for geological attributes, photographed and sampled at Snowline’s 2023 field camp. Sample lengths as small as 0.5 m were used to isolate features of interest, but most samples within moderate to strong mineralization were 1.0 m in length; otherwise, a default 1.5 m downhole sample length was used. Core was cut in half lengthwise along a pre-determined line, with one half (same half, consistently, dictated by orientation line where present or by dominant vein orientation where absent) collected for analysis and one half stored as a record. Field duplicates were collected at regular intervals as ¼ core samples by splitting the ½ core sent for sampling, leaving a consistent record of half core material from duplicate and non-duplicate samples alike. Standard reference materials and blanks were inserted by Snowline personnel at regular intervals into the sample stream. Bagged samples were sealed with security tags to ensure integrity during transport. They were delivered by expeditor to Bureau Veritas’ preparatory facility in Whitehorse, Yukon. Sample preparation was completed in Whitehorse, with analyses completed in Vancouver.
Bureau Veritas is accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 and ISO9001 for quality management. Samples were crushed by BV to >85% passing below 2 mm and split using a riffle splitter. 250 g splits were pulverized to >85% passing below 75 microns. A four-acid digest with an inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) finish was used for 59-element analysis on 0.25 g sample pulps (BV code: MA250). All samples were analysed for gold content by fire assay with an atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) finish on 30 g samples (BV code: FA430). Any sample returning >10 g/t Au was reanalysed by fire assay with a gravimetric finish on a 30 g sample (BV code: FA530).
For the purposes of this release, mineralized intervals are defined as runs of mineralization with no break >5.0 m assaying <0.1 g/t Au, including any subsections thereof.
ABOUT ROGUE
The Valley target on Snowline’s flagship Rogue Project is a newly discovered, bulk tonnage style, reduced intrusion-related gold system (RIRGS), with geological similarities to multi-million-ounce deposits currently in production such as Kinross’s Fort Knox Mine in Alaska and Victoria Gold’s Eagle Mine in the Yukon. Early drill results demonstrate unusually high gold grades for such a system, present near surface across drill intersections of hundreds of metres. Gold is associated with bismuthinite and telluride minerals hosted in sheeted quartz vein arrays within and along the margins of a one-kilometer-scale, mid-Cretaceous aged Mayo-suite intrusion. Valley is an early-stage exploration project without a resource estimate, and while initial results are encouraging, the presence or absence of an economically viable orebody cannot be determined until additional work is completed.
The Rogue Project area hosts multiple intrusions similar to Valley along with widespread gold anomalism in stream sediment, soil and rock samples. Elsewhere, RIRGS deposits are known to occur in clusters. The Rogue Project is thus considered by the Company to have district-scale potential for additional reduced intrusion-related gold systems.
ABOUT SNOWLINE GOLD CORP.
Snowline Gold Corp. is a Yukon Territory focused gold exploration company with an eight-project portfolio covering >333,000 ha. The Company is exploring its flagship >94,000 ha Rogue gold project in the highly prospective yet underexplored Selwyn Basin. Snowline’s project portfolio sits within the prolific Tintina Gold Province, host to multiple million-ounce-plus gold mines and deposits including Kinross’s Fort Knox Mine, Newmont’s Coffee deposit, and Victoria Gold’s Eagle Mine. The Company’s first-mover land position and extensive database provide a unique opportunity for investors to be part of multiple discoveries and the creation of a new gold district.
Figure 5 – Project location map for Snowline Gold’s eastern Selwyn Basin properties: Rogue, Einarson, Ursa, Cynthia and Olympus. The Valley target is one of several prospective reduced intrusion-related gold targets on the broader 30 x 60 km Rogue Project.
QUALIFIED PERSON
Information in this release has been prepared under supervision of and approved by Thomas K. Branson, M.Sc., P. Geo., VP Exploration of Snowline Gold Corp, as Qualified Person for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
This news release contains certain forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the significance of analytical results, cost-effective production of gold, the discovery potential within the Valley intrusion, the potential for investors to participate in multiple future discoveries, the Rogue project having district-scale prospectivity, the creation of a new gold district and the Company’s future plans and intentions. Wherever possible, words such as “may”, “will”, “should”, “could”, “expect”, “plan”, “intend”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “estimate”, “predict” or “potential” or the negative or other variations of these words, or similar words or phrases, have been used to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements reflect management’s current beliefs and are based on information currently available to management as at the date hereof.
Forward-looking statements involve significant risk, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from the results discussed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among other things: risks related to uncertainties inherent in drill results and the estimation of mineral resources; and risks associated with executing the Company’s plans and intentions. These factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management believes to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure readers that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law.
Hole V-23-064 returned 308.8 m averaging 2.15 g/t Au, including 180.3 m of 3.23 g/t Au from surface (with the top 68.3 m averaging 5.03 g/t Au), showing strong continuity of multiple-gram-per-tonne, near-surface gold mineralization across gap in previous drilling
Hole V-23-062 and V-23-063 show high grades and strong consistency in the northwestern part of the Valley target, returning 417.0 m averaging 1.41 g/t Au (including 2.25 g/t Au over 110.0 m) and 342.0 m averaging 1.59 g/t Au (including 2.00 g/t Au over 189.5 m) respectively, with both intervals beginning from surface
Analytical results pending for 3,850 m from 11 holes (including one metallurgical hole at Valley) across two projects—Rogue and Tosh.
Vancouver, B.C., January 3, 2024: SNOWLINE GOLD CORP (TSX-V: SGD) (OTC: SNWGF) (the “Company” or “Snowline”) is pleased to announce analytical results from additional exploration holes drilled during its 2023 exploration campaign in Canada’s Yukon Territory. Hole V-23-064 returned 2.15 g/t Au over 308.8 m downhole, including 3.23 g/t Au over 180.3 m from surface, demonstrating strong consistency of near-surface, multiple-gram-per-tonne-gold mineralization within a gap in previous drilling at the Rogue Project’s Valley target. Holes V-23-062 and V-23-063 were drilled in the northwestern part of the target and add dimensionality and consistency to known mineralization in that direction. Assays for more than 3,850 m of diamond drilling from Snowline’s 2023 exploration efforts are forthcoming.
Table 1 – Highlight summary of Snowline’s latest assay results. *Interval widths reported; true widths of the system are not yet known.
“The latest results from the Rogue Project’s Valley target further emphasize the continuity of strong, near-surface gold mineralization present across a wide area,” said Scott Berdahl, CEO & Director of Snowline. “V-23-064 is drilled through one of the largest remaining gaps in the central part of the target, carrying an average grade of >3 g/t Au over a 180 m downhole interval from surface. As is generally the case at Valley—and as seen in holes drilled in every direction around V-23-064—mineralization is remarkably consistent. Every single assay in the first 100 m downhole returned >1.0 g/t Au. On the high side, only three samples in V-23-064 returned >10 g/t Au, so the intervals are not heavily influenced by outliers but are carried instead by consistent grade. Additional holes V-23-062 and 063 bolster the known scale of the northern part of the system, where we are still chasing open boundaries to mineralization. With results for six holes remaining from the 2023 drill program at Valley, we are excited by the large robust mineral system taking shape at the target.”
Figure 1 – Plan view of the Rogue Project’s Valley target showing analytical results from previous and current drilling, along with drill traces of outstanding holes. Note that to display new results, current holes are plotted above previous holes regardless of relative depths. The system remains open in multiple directions, including to depth. Endpoints for sections A (Figure 3) and B (Figure 2) are indicated on the map.
HOLE V-23-064
Hole V-23-064 is collared in coarse-grained granodiorite within the Valley intrusion roughly 66 m north of the nearest hole, V-22-014 (285.2 m @ 1.45 g/t Au including 128.2 m @ 2.48 g/t Au from surface, see Snowline news release dated November 15, 2022) and 85 m southeast of V-23-039 (553.8 m @ 2.48 g/t Au including 183.3 m @ 4.34 g/t Au from surface, see Snowline news release dated August 3, 2023).
The hole commences in strong, sheeted gold-bearing quartz vein mineralization (Figure 2) from bedrock surface at 3.2 m downhole and continues in predominantly strong mineralization until approximately 188 m downhole, near where the hole intersects a central, valley-parallel fault at 170 m downhole. Quartz vein densities and occurrences of visible gold drop off below the fault, but lower grade mineralization continues until the hole exits the intrusion into hornfels sedimentary rocks 309 m downhole. Multiple gold-bearing quartz vein orientations are present, with a dominant sheeted vein array striking northwest and steeply dipping to the northeast, as commonly seen in the primary mineralized zone at Valley.
Figure 2 – Cross-section B, showing V-23-064 in the context of adjacent holes along or near to the cross section and a simplified, schematic geological model. The upper part of the hole returned consistently high gold grades, demonstrating continuity of strong mineralization through a gap in previous drilling. View looks northwest. Note that hole V-22-014 is located in the foreground of the section, and it exits the intrusion lower in the hole than suggested by its projection onto the geology of the current section. Similarly, V-23-052 is behind the section. See Figure 1 for collar locations in plan view.
Overall, the top 308.8 m downhole from bedrock surface averages 2.15 g/t Au, with an internal interval of 180.3 m averaging 3.23 g/t Au also beginning from surface. Within this, the highest grades are seen at or near surface, with the top 68.3 m downhole averaging 5.03 g/t Au. The presence of such high and consistent gold grades beginning at surface in a large gap in previous drilling further de-risks the mineral system at Valley, demonstrating strong continuity within the well-mineralized zone.
Table 2 – Summary of significant mineralization returned from current holes at Valley. The consistency of strong mineralization on the target is reinforced by the capped values in the rightmost column, wherein any assay result >10 g/t Au is replaced by 10.0 g/t Au to calculate the average interval grades. *Interval widths reported; true widths of the system are not yet known, with different vein generations, orientations, and grade distributions present within various intervals through the bulk tonnage gold target at Valley.
HOLES V-23-062 & V-23-063
Both V-23-062 and V-23-063 from part of a fence of holes across the northwestern part of the well-mineralized, near-surface corridor within the Valley intrusion (Figures 1 & 3). Both holes are collared in coarse grained granodiorite and continue in coarse grained granodiorite, with minor xenoliths and dikes of finer-grained intrusive rock, until exiting into hornfels sedimentary rocks from the southwestern edge of the intrusion.
The two holes exhibit the strongest mineralized intervals seen thus far within that fence, demonstrating the strength and scale of the system in this area. V-23-062 averages 1.41 g/t Au across 417.0 m downhole from bedrock surface (at 4.5 m downhole), with an internal interval of 2.25 g/t Au over 110.0 m, including 3.0 m averaging 16.83 g/t Au. V-23-063 averages 1.59 g/t Au over 342.0 m from bedrock surface (also at 4.5 m downhole), with an internal interval of 2.00 g/t Au over 189.5 m from 21.0 m downhole. Despite localized higher grades in both holes, mineralized intervals are carried by consistently anomalous gold values, as indicated by the high remainder values (excluding higher grade sub-intervals) along with the high capped values (limiting any assay to a maximum of 10 g/t Au) shown in Table 2.
Both V-23-062 and V-23-063 add breadth to the known extent of near-surface >1 g/t Au and > 2 g/t Au mineralization in the northwest part of the Valley gold system, which remains open.
Figure 3 – Cross-section B, showing V-23-062 & V-23-063 in the context of adjacent holes along section and a simplified, schematic geological model. Both holes, drilled as part of a fence across the northwestern part of the Valley target, demonstrates breadth of consistent mineralization perpendicular to the northwest strike of the system in this area. View looks northwest. See Figure 1 for section location.
REGIONAL DRILLING
Cliff Project, Southwest Yukon
Analytical results have been received for an additional two holes from a Phase I drill program at Snowline Gold’s Cliff Project, an orogenic gold project located in the southwestern Yukon. Elevated gold values were present in association with sparse quartz veins in the two holes, but the >1.0 g/t Au assays (up to 6.64 g/t Au over 1.9 m downhole) seen in previous holes from this drill program were not encountered in the current holes. A summary is provided in Table 3.
Table 3 – Summary of mineralization returned from current holes at Snowline’s Cliff Project, an early-stage orogenic gold target located in the southwestern Yukon Territory. Various lesser intervals are present but not listed. *Interval widths reported; true widths have not been determined.
QA/QC
On receipt from the drill site NQ2-sized drill core was systematically logged for geological attributes, photographed and sampled at Snowline’s 2023 field camp. Sample lengths as small as 0.5 m were used to isolate features of interest, but most samples within moderate to strong mineralization were 1.0 m in length; otherwise, a default 1.5 m downhole sample length was used. Core was cut in half lengthwise along a pre-determined line, with one half (same half, consistently, dictated by orientation line where present or by dominant vein orientation where absent) collected for analysis and one half stored as a record. Field duplicates were collected at regular intervals as ¼ core samples by splitting the ½ core sent for sampling, leaving a consistent record of half core material from duplicate and non-duplicate samples alike. Standard reference materials and blanks were inserted by Snowline personnel at regular intervals into the sample stream. Bagged samples were sealed with security tags to ensure integrity during transport. They were delivered by expeditor to Bureau Veritas’ preparatory facility in Whitehorse, Yukon. Sample preparation was completed in Whitehorse, with analyses completed in Vancouver.
Similar procedures were employed on the Cliff Project, though drill core was transported to Whitehorse in advance of detailed logging and sampling.
Bureau Veritas is accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 and ISO9001 for quality management. Samples were crushed by BV to >85% passing below 2 mm and split using a riffle splitter. 250 g splits were pulverized to >85% passing below 75 microns. A four-acid digest with an inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) finish was used for 59-element analysis on 0.25 g sample pulps (BV code: MA250). All samples were analysed for gold content by fire assay with an atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) finish on 30 g samples (BV code: FA430). Any sample returning >10 g/t Au was reanalysed by fire assay with a gravimetric finish on a 30 g sample (BV code: FA530).
For the purposes of this release, mineralized intervals are defined as runs of mineralization with no break >5.0 m assaying <0.1 g/t Au, including any subsections thereof.
ERRATA
In compiling previously released drill hole information, the Company noticed typographical errors in the drill hole coordinates reported in news release summary tables for two holes from the 2022 field season, V-22-028 (February 3, 2023 release) and V-22-031 (December 2, 2022 release). For correct UTM coordinates for these collar sites, please refer to the Company’s June 13, 2023 technical report on the Rogue Project. The typos appeared in the news release summary tables only and did not affect locations shown on plan maps nor the cross sections highlighting accompanying the tables in the same news releases.
ABOUT ROGUE
The Valley target on Snowline’s flagship Rogue Project is a newly discovered, bulk tonnage style, reduced intrusion-related gold system (RIRGS), with geological similarities to multi-million-ounce deposits currently in production such as Kinross’s Fort Knox Mine in Alaska and Victoria Gold’s Eagle Mine in the Yukon. Early drill results demonstrate unusually high gold grades for such a system, present near surface across drill intersections of hundreds of metres. Gold is associated with bismuthinite and telluride minerals hosted in sheeted quartz vein arrays within and along the margins of a one-kilometer-scale, mid-Cretaceous aged Mayo-suite intrusion. Valley is an early-stage exploration project without a resource estimate, and while initial results are encouraging, the presence or absence of an economically viable orebody cannot be determined until additional work is completed.
The Rogue Project area hosts multiple intrusions similar to Valley along with widespread gold anomalism in stream sediment, soil and rock samples. Elsewhere, RIRGS deposits are known to occur in clusters. The Rogue Project is thus considered by the Company to have district-scale potential for additional reduced intrusion-related gold systems.
ABOUT SNOWLINE GOLD CORP.
Snowline Gold Corp. is a Yukon Territory focused gold exploration company with an eight-project portfolio covering >333,000 ha. The Company is exploring its flagship >94,000 ha Rogue gold project in the highly prospective yet underexplored Selwyn Basin. Snowline’s project portfolio sits within the prolific Tintina Gold Province, host to multiple million-ounce-plus gold mines and deposits including Kinross’s Fort Knox Mine, Newmont’s Coffee deposit, and Victoria Gold’s Eagle Mine. The Company’s first-mover land position and extensive database provide a unique opportunity for investors to be part of multiple discoveries and the creation of a new gold district.
Figure 4 – Project location map for Snowline Gold’s eastern Selwyn Basin properties: Rogue, Einarson, Ursa, Cynthia and Olympus. The Valley target is one of several prospective reduced intrusion-related gold targets on the broader 30 x 60 km Rogue Project.
QUALIFIED PERSON
Information in this release has been prepared under supervision of and approved by Thomas K. Branson, M.Sc., P. Geo., VP Exploration of Snowline Gold Corp, as Qualified Person for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
This news release contains certain forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the significance of analytical results, the discovery potential within the Valley intrusion, the potential for investors to participate in multiple future discoveries, the Rogue project having district-scale prospectivity, the creation of a new gold district and the Company’s future plans and intentions. Wherever possible, words such as “may”, “will”, “should”, “could”, “expect”, “plan”, “intend”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “estimate”, “predict” or “potential” or the negative or other variations of these words, or similar words or phrases, have been used to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements reflect management’s current beliefs and are based on information currently available to management as at the date hereof.
Forward-looking statements involve significant risk, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from the results discussed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among other things: risks related to uncertainties inherent in drill results and the estimation of mineral resources; and risks associated with executing the Company’s plans and intentions. These factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management believes to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure readers that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law.
Vancouver, B.C., December 29, 2023: SNOWLINE GOLD CORP (TSX-V: SGD) (OTC: SNWGF) (the “Company” or “Snowline”) is pleased to provide a summary of key activities and achievements over the past calendar year. The scale and strength of the Valley gold target on the Company’s Rogue Project has quickly come into focus on the back of a safe, productive and efficient 16,000 m drill program at Valley, with clear upside potential both at the target level and the regional scale. All five of five Phase I drill programs completed by the Company in this district on five different targets to date have hit instances of visible gold and zones of anomalous gold mineralization, demonstrating widespread regional fertility. In total, the Company drilled 22,000 m in 2023 across 6 targets. Extensive surface exploration has advanced additional untested targets and led to the identification of new targets. With more than $35M in the treasury, the Company is well positioned for an active and rigorous exploration campaign in 2024 on its >330,000 ha land position in the fertile Selwyn Basin.
Snowline’s top 5 highlights from 2023:
Consistently Strong Results: Drill results from the Valley target consistently show robust grade, scale and continuity of gold mineralization beginning at or near surface, with highlight intervals averaging 2.48 g/t Au over 553.8 m (drill hole V-23-039) and 2.46 g/t Au over 519.6 m (V-23-061)—both from surface; these are the best drill intersections on an interval-by-grade basis that the Company is aware of from any gold project in the history of the Yukon
Positive Metallurgy: Initial metallurgical tests demonstrate high gold recoveries and non-refractory gold mineralization at Valley; recoveries from non-optimized, conventional processing techniques averaged 94.1% (bottle roll cyanidation), 95.4% (flotation) and 95.7% (carbon-in-leach) on 75-micron grinds
Environmental Stewardship: Received the 2023 Robert E. Leckie Award for Excellence in Environmental Stewardship from the Government of Yukon in recognition of the Company’s efforts in early-stage baseline environmental monitoring, renewable energy system installation and use, progressive reclamation of disturbed sites, reclamation of an abandoned exploration camp from the 1990s, and active research for effective, site-specific reclamation strategies for future development
Financial Strength: Raised a total of $35.7M at an average 75% premium to market in two financings, allowing for non-dilutive growth through an increased exploration program
Value Creation: 70% appreciation in share priceto date from January 1, 2023, delivering considerable returns to SGD shareholders for the third consecutive year since Snowline’s launch in 2021 (133% appreciation in 2021, 333% in 2022).
“Our work in 2023 highlights the unique nature of the gold discovery at the Valley target on our Rogue Project,” said Scott Berdahl, CEO & Director of Snowline. “The remarkable consistency and continuity of strong gold values at Valley across hundreds of meters of length, width and depth beginning from surface—with clean, non-refractory mineralization—makes not just for an exciting discovery story, but for a special asset with hallmarks of a system capable of delivering sustainable value to shareholders and to local economies for decades to come. Additional surface work and drilling on other targets suggest strong regional fertility across much of our >3,300 km2 property portfolio and the potential for Valley-style mineralization at multiple other targets within the Rogue Plutonic Complex. I would like to congratulate our entire team on an incredible year, and to thank our investors, service providers, suppliers, consultants and partners who have made this possible and who continue to support us as we advance our targets and grow as a company.”
Additional highlights from 2023 include:
B2Gold’s validation of Snowline’s discovery success, with the former building a 9.9% stake in Snowline during 2023 through a combination of direct investment and on-market equity acquisition
Formal coverage initiated by six independent industry analysts
Institutional ownership growth to over 17% of outstanding shares
Consolidation of the Rogue Plutonic Complex—a highly prospective regional geological feature roughly 30 x 60 km in size defined by a cluster of intrusions with genetic and temporal associations to the Valley intrusion—through direct staking and the purchase of select pre-existing mineral interests
Appointment of Calum Morrison—former CFO of Great Bear Resources (acquired by Kinross in 2022 for C$1.8B) and former CEO of Great Bear Royalties (acquired by Royal Gold in 2022 for C$200M)—to strengthen Snowline’s Board of Directors, and the appointment of Thomas Branson, P.Geo., to VP Exploration
TSX-V listing established to provide exposure to a broader landscape of investors
State-of-the-artdata management system and database developed in-house for efficient real-time data collaboration between multiple projects, camps and field sites
Permanent, year-round office established in Whitehorse, Yukon to facilitate exploration and potential future development of projects
Advancement of all Yukon projects, with extensive geological, geophysical and geochemical surface programs safely and successfully completed in Snowline’s biggest exploration campaign to date, moving new targets towards drill readiness across Snowline’s extensive Yukon exploration portfolio.
Figure 1 – Plan maps of the Valley intrusion showing drill results reported as of year-end 2022 (top) and 2023 (bottom). In just one year, the Company’s understanding of the mineralized system at Valley has increased substantially, with the scale, grade and consistency of the gold mineralization considerably de-risking the target. Note that the two figures use different scales and have use different symbologies for collar locations. Roughly 25% of total drilling from the Valley target in 2023 is still outstanding, with results expected in early Q1 2024.
Figure 2 – Reflected light micrograph of abundant gold grains in V-22-007 at 269.8 m downhole. Gold occurs primarily in its native form, as fine grains along grain boundaries near small clusters of sulphide minerals in quartz veins. This yields non-refractory gold and high gold recoveries from multiple different conventional processing methods, adding flexibility to processing options. Scale bar (bottom right) shows 100 microns, or 0.1 mm. Py=Pyrite (FeS2), Cpy=Chalcopyrite (CuFeS2), Gn=Galena (PbS), Hed=Hedleyite (Bi7Te3), Lil=Lillianite (Pb3Bi2S6).
2024 EXPLORATION PLANS
With a strong treasury, three diamond drills parked on site at Valley and plans to mobilize a fourth drill, Snowline is looking forward to another highly active exploration season in 2024. Through the year, the Company will adhere to its commitment to safe, environmentally sound, and socially responsible exploration, building on its economic engagement within the Yukon and further strengthening lines of communication, engagement and collaboration with First Nations and Yukon communities.
The scale and nature of the 2024 program will be finalized early in the coming year, but the program will have two primary objectives: 1) to advance the Rogue Project’s Valley target, which remains open, both through exploration and through a push towards collecting requisite information for economic assessment and rigorous baseline with a focus on future advanced permitting, and 2) to follow up on promising results from other targets on Rogue and on the Company’s surrounding property positions with the goal of establishing a new gold district.
As of December 2023, the Company is permitted to build and operate a second 50-person camp on site at the Valley target, in additional to its current “Forks” camp 17 km away. Construction of the Valley camp in 2024 will facilitate efficient exploration at Valley and free resources for robust exploration of additional regional targets.
Figure 3 – A subset of Snowline Gold’s 2023 field team, during a morning meeting at the Company’s Forks camp.
ABOUT SNOWLINE GOLD CORP.
Snowline Gold Corp. is a Yukon Territory focused gold exploration company with an eight-project portfolio covering >333,000 ha. The Company is exploring its flagship >94,000 ha Rogue gold project in the highly prospective yet underexplored Selwyn Basin. Snowline’s project portfolio sits within the prolific Tintina Gold Province, host to multiple million-ounce-plus gold mines and deposits including Kinross’s Fort Knox Mine, Newmont’s Coffee deposit, and Victoria Gold’s Eagle Mine. The Company’s first-mover land position and extensive database provide a unique opportunity for investors to be part of multiple discoveries and the creation of a new gold district.
QUALIFIED PERSON
Information in this release has been prepared under supervision of and approved by Thomas K. Branson, M.Sc., P. Geo., VP Exploration of Snowline Gold Corp, as Qualified Person for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101.
Figure 5 – Project location mapfor Snowline Gold’s eastern Selwyn Basin properties:Rogue, Einarson, Ursa, Cynthia and Olympus. The Valley target is one of several prospective reduced intrusion-related gold targets on the broader 30 x 60 km Rogue Project.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
This news release contains certain forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the significance of analytical results, construction of the Valley camp in 2024, future advanced permitting and development activities, the potential for investors to participate in multiple future discoveries, the Rogue project having district-scale prospectivity, the creation of a new gold district and the Company’s future plans and intentions. Wherever possible, words such as “may”, “will”, “should”, “could”, “expect”, “plan”, “intend”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “estimate”, “predict” or “potential” or the negative or other variations of these words, or similar words or phrases, have been used to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements reflect management’s current beliefs and are based on information currently available to management as at the date hereof.
Forward-looking statements involve significant risk, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from the results discussed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among other things: risks related to uncertainties inherent in drill results and the estimation of mineral resources; and risks associated with executing the Company’s plans and intentions. These factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management believes to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure readers that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law.
Vancouver, B.C., December 22, 2023: SNOWLINE GOLD CORP (TSX-V: SGD) (OTC: SNWGF) (the “Company” or “Snowline”) announces that it has granted a total of 2,470,000 options and 51,825 restricted share units (together, the “Equity Incentive Awards”) to various employees, consultants, directors, and officers of the Company. The Equity Incentive Awards have been granted pursuant to the Company’s Omnibus Incentive Plan and are subject to vesting provisions. The options have an exercise price of $4.92 per share and will expire five years from the date of grant.
ABOUT SNOWLINE GOLD CORP.
Snowline Gold Corp. is a Yukon Territory focused gold exploration company with an eight-project portfolio covering >333,000 ha. The Company is exploring its flagship >94,000 ha Rogue gold project in the highly prospective yet underexplored Selwyn Basin. Snowline’s project portfolio sits within the prolific Tintina Gold Province, host to multiple million-ounce-plus gold mines and deposits including Kinross’s Fort Knox Mine, Newmont’s Coffee deposit, and Victoria Gold’s Eagle Mine. The Company’s first-mover land position and extensive database provide a unique opportunity for investors to be part of multiple discoveries and the creation of a new gold district.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
This news release contains certain forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the significance of analytical results, the relationship between vein densities, visible gold and resultant analytical gold grades, cost-effective production of gold, the discovery potential within the Valley intrusion, the potential for investors to participate in multiple future discoveries, the Rogue project having district-scale prospectivity, the creation of a new gold district and the Company’s future plans and intentions. Wherever possible, words such as “may”, “will”, “should”, “could”, “expect”, “plan”, “intend”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “estimate”, “predict” or “potential” or the negative or other variations of these words, or similar words or phrases, have been used to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements reflect management’s current beliefs and are based on information currently available to management as at the date hereof.
Forward-looking statements involve significant risk, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from the results discussed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among other things: risks related to uncertainties inherent in drill results and the estimation of mineral resources; and risks associated with executing the Company’s plans and intentions. These factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management believes to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure readers that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law.
Hole V-23-061 returned 519.6 m averaging 2.46 g/t Au, including 3.60 g/t Au over 265.6 m from surface, the strongest near-surface mineralization (upper 250 vertical metres) encountered to date on the Rogue Project’s Valley target
Hole V-23-059 and V-23-060 demonstrate strong continuity and breadth in the southeastern part of the Valley system, returning 429.6 m averaging 1.01 g/t Au from surface (including 1.91 g/t Au over 133.0 m) and 109.5 m averaging 1.02 g/t Au respectively.
Analytical results pending for 5,475 m from 16 holes (including one metallurgical hole at Valley) across 3 targets in addition to results of extensive surface exploration campaign.
Vancouver, B.C., December 6, 2023: SNOWLINE GOLD CORP (TSX-V: SGD) (OTC: SNWGF) (the “Company” or “Snowline”) is pleased to announce analytical results from additional exploration holes drilled on its Rogue Project in Canada’s Yukon Territory. Hole V-23-061 returned 2.46 g/t Au over 519.6 m from surface, including 3.60 g/t Au over 265.6 m downhole, demonstrating a strong consistency of near-surface, multiple-gram-per-tonne-gold mineralization. Holes V-23-059 and V-23-060 were drilled within the southeast extension of the system and add dimensionality and consistency to known mineralization in that direction. Assays for more than 5,475 m of diamond drilling from Snowline’s 2023 exploration efforts remain pending.
Table 1 – Highlight summary of Snowline’s latest assay results. *Interval widths reported; true widths of the system are not yet known.
“The Valley discovery on our 100%-owned, district-scale Rogue Project continues to demonstrate strong, continuous gold mineralization across a large area from surface,” said Scott Berdahl, CEO & Director of Snowline. “Hole V-23-061 returned the strongest gold interval we’ve seen near surface in any hole to date, highlighting the favorable characteristics of the Valley system for efficient mining—namely strong, consistent mineralization with the highest grades beginning at or near surface in a topographically advantageous position. With December upon us, we have much to look forward to in terms of additional drill results, surface exploration results, advanced metallurgical testing and of course an aggressive exploration season ahead in 2024 on Valley and other targets across our >330,000 ha land position.”
Figure 1 – Plan view of the Rogue Project’s Valley target showing analytical results from previous and current drilling, along with drill traces of outstanding holes. Note that to display new results, current holes are plotted above previous holes regardless of relative depths. The system remains open in multiple directions, including to depth. Endpoints for sections A (Figure 2) and B (Figure 4) are indicated on the map.
HOLE V-23-061
Hole V-23-061 is collared in coarse-grained granodiorite within the Valley intrusion roughly 60 m northeast of V-22-039 (553.8 m @ 2.48 g/t Au including 183.3 m @ 4.34 g/t Au from surface, see Snowline news release dated August 3, 2023) and 51 m southwest of V-23-037 (383.8 m @ 2.47 g/t Au from surface including 120.0 m @ 4.06 g/t Au, same news release). It continues in coarse-grained granodiorite for the length of the hole, intersecting two small (1 m scale) dikes of fine-grained granodiorite (Figure 2). The hole commences in strong, sheeted gold-bearing quartz vein mineralization (Figure 3) from bedrock surface at 5.5 m downhole and continues in strong mineralization until approximately 270 m downhole, where the hole intersects a central, valley-parallel fault. Quartz vein densities drop off below the fault, but lower grade mineralization continues for the remainder of the hole. Vein orientations in the lower part of the hole generally run at low angles to the drill core, whereas in the upper part of the hole they are consistent with the dominant, steeply dipping northwest striking vein array seen across the Valley intrusion.
Figure 2 – Cross-section A, showing V-23-061 in the context of adjacent holes and a simplified, schematic geological model. V-23-061 was collared between two of the strongest holes drilled at Valley to date – V-23-037 and V-23-039. It intersected a broad zone of consistent, near-surface, multiple-gram per tonne mineralization stronger than any previous intersection in the upper part of the Valley gold system to date. View looks northwest. See Figure 1 for section location.
Overall, the top 519.6 m downhole from bedrock surface average 2.46 g/t Au, with an internal interval of 265.6 m averaging 3.60 g/t Au also beginning from surface. This sub interval is the strongest near-surface (upper 250 vertical metres from bedrock surface) mineralized intersection from the Valley target to date. Within this, a zone of sustained higher grades beginning at 149.0 m downhole averages 6.47 g/t Au over 47.5 m.
As seen in Figure 2, the consistency of strong, near-surface mineralization in V-23-061 is emphasized by the even distribution of grades. Within the top 265.6 m interval downhole from bedrock surface, 90% of assays (measured by core length) returned >1 g/t Au and no assays returned <0.4 g/t Au. As with many other holes at Valley, capping mineralization at 10 g/t Au has only a minor effect on grades—in the near surface interval, the capped average is 3.4% lower, at 3.48 g/t Au instead of 3.60 g/t Au over the 265.6 m downhole interval. Within this, the 143.0 m downhole stretch from 68.5 m to 211.5 m represents the longest interval to date at Valley without a single assay value <1.0 g/t Au. Nearly half (46.1%) of the assays within this interval are above 4.0 g/t Au, and 82.8% returned greater than 2.0 g/t Au. (The average grade over this 143.0 m interval is 4.54 g/t Au.)
Towards the bottom of the broader 519.6 m interval, beginning at 514.0 m downhole, a quartz vein roughly 2 cm wide running subparallel to the core for approximately 1 metre was intersected, with abundant millimetre to sub-millimetre scale instances of visible gold. This interval yielded 154.7 g/t Au across 1.0 m downhole (with a localized true width closer to the 5.1 cm diameter of the drill core).
The hole ends with a second interval of mineralization beginning at 534.0 m downhole and averaging 0.35 g/t Au over 64.0 m. Gold values within this interval have higher variance, owing to the lower vein density and the subparallel orientation of the veins to the drilling direction.
Table 2 – Summary of significant mineralization returned from current holes at Valley. The consistency of strong mineralization on the target is reinforced by the capped values in the rightmost column, wherein any assay result >10 g/t Au is replaced by 10.0 g/t Au to calculate the average interval grades. *Interval widths reported; true widths of the system are not yet known, with different vein generations, orientations, and grade distributions present within various intervals through the bulk tonnage gold target at Valley. The 154.70 g/t Au value in V-23-061 is a relatively isolated instance of a narrow (~2 cm), gold-rich vein running near parallel to core over along one meter of core length.
Figure 3 – High quartz vein density observed in V-23-061, from 129.3 m to 160.0 m downhole, as seen in a September 11, 2023 news release. This 30.7 m downhole interval averages 5.87 g/t Au and includes the top of a 47.5 m interval averaging 6.47 g/t Au from 149.0 m downhole. Orange flagging marks instances of trace visible gold. Multiple generations of quartz veins can be seen cutting the core at different orientations. NQ2 sized drill core shown is 5.1 cm in diameter.
HOLE V-23-059
Hole V-23-059 is collared in coarse-grained granodiorite of the Valley stock, on section between V-23-044 (295.9 m @ 1.32 g/t Au from surface including 157.0 m @ 2.03 g/t Au, see Snowline news release dated September 11, 2023) roughly 132 m to its southwest and V-22-027 (481.5 m @ 0.69 g/t Au including 250.0 m @ 1.01 g/t Au, see Snowline news release dated January 18, 2023) roughly 108 m to its northwest (Figures 1 and 4).
The hole encountered sheeted gold-bearing quartz vein mineralization from bedrock surface at 6.9 m downhole. The full interval of continuous mineralization within the hole averages 1.01 g/t Au over 429.6 m from bedrock surface, with a higher-grade zone averaging 1.97 g/t Au over 105.5 m from 112.0 m downhole. A second interval of lower grade mineralization (0.28 g/t Au over 44.0 m from 450.0 m downhole) is present near the edge of the intrusion. The hole exits the intrusion at 507.0 m downhole into primarily non-mineralized hornfels.
Gold grades in V-23-059 are not affected by grade capping at 10 g/t Au, demonstrating the consistent nature of mineralization across the broad mineralized interval.
Both V-23-059 and V-23-060 add breadth to the known extent of near-surface >1 g/t Au (to nearly 2.0 g/t Au in the case of V-23-059) mineralization in the southeast extension of the Valley gold system.
Figure 4 – Cross-section B, showing V-23-059 in the context of adjacent holes and a simplified, schematic geological model. The hole demonstrates breadth of consistent mineralization perpendicular to the northwest strike of the system in southeastern part of Valley, including a 106.5 m run of mineralization at 1.97 g/t Au, potentially extending the zone of 2.03 g/t mineralization seen in previous hoe V-23-044. View looks northwest. See Figure 1 for section location.
REGIONAL DRILLING
Gracie Target, Rogue Project
At Gracie, assays for G-23-008 and G-23-009 have been received (Table 3). These holes were drilled in the western and southern parts of the zone of hornfels at Gracie, away from the primary planned hole locations which were postponed due to technical conditions at the pad sites. Both holes intersected long runs of hornfels sandstones, siltstones and cherts, with rare quartz veins and varying degrees of silicification along with biotite and chlorite alteration. Gold values were generally low, with elevated to anomalous gold values of up to 1.57 g/t over 0.8 m.
The results will be used alongside previous drilling, geophysics, surface geochemistry and mapping to determine an optimal follow-up drilling strategy for the Gracie target.
Table 3 – Summary of mineralization returned from current holes at Gracie. Various lesser intervals are present but not listed. *Interval widths reported; true widths have not been determined.
QA/QC
On receipt from the drill site NQ2-sized drill core was systematically logged for geological attributes, photographed and sampled at Snowline’s 2023 field camp. Sample lengths as small as 0.5 m were used to isolate features of interest, but most samples within moderate to strong mineralization were 1.0 m in length; otherwise, a default 1.5 m downhole sample length was used. Core was cut in half lengthwise along a pre-determined line, with one half (same half, consistently, dictated by orientation line where present or by dominant vein orientation where absent) collected for analysis and one half stored as a record. Field duplicates were collected at regular intervals as ¼ core samples by splitting the ½ core sent for sampling, leaving a consistent record of half core material from duplicate and non-duplicate samples alike. Standard reference materials and blanks were inserted by Snowline personnel at regular intervals into the sample stream. Bagged samples were sealed with security tags to ensure integrity during transport. They were delivered by expeditor to Bureau Veritas’ preparatory facility in Whitehorse, Yukon. Sample preparation was completed in Whitehorse, with analyses completed in Vancouver.
Similar procedures were employed on the Tosh Project, though drill core was transported to Whitehorse in advance of detailed logging and sampling.
Bureau Veritas is accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 and ISO9001 for quality management. Samples were crushed by BV to >85% passing below 2 mm and split using a riffle splitter. 250 g splits were pulverized to >85% passing below 75 microns. A four-acid digest with an inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) finish was used for 59-element analysis on 0.25 g sample pulps (BV code: MA250). All samples were analysed for gold content by fire assay with an atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) finish on 30 g samples (BV code: FA430). Any sample returning >10 g/t Au was reanalysed by fire assay with a gravimetric finish on a 30 g sample (BV code: FA530).
For the purposes of this release, mineralized intervals are defined as runs of mineralization with no break >5.0 m assaying <0.1 g/t Au, including any subsections thereof.
ABOUT ROGUE
The Valley target on Snowline’s flagship Rogue Project is a newly discovered, bulk tonnage style, reduced intrusion-related gold system (RIRGS), with geological similarities to multi-million-ounce deposits currently in production such as Kinross’s Fort Knox Mine in Alaska and Victoria Gold’s Eagle Mine in the Yukon. Early drill results demonstrate unusually high gold grades for such a system, present near surface across drill intersections of hundreds of metres. Gold is associated with bismuthinite and telluride minerals hosted in sheeted quartz vein arrays within and along the margins of a one-kilometer-scale, mid-Cretaceous aged Mayo-suite intrusion. Valley is an early-stage exploration project without a resource estimate, and while initial results are encouraging, the presence or absence of an economically viable orebody cannot be determined until additional work is completed.
The Rogue Project area hosts multiple intrusions similar to Valley along with widespread gold anomalism in stream sediment, soil and rock samples. Elsewhere, RIRGS deposits are known to occur in clusters. The Rogue Project is thus considered by the Company to have district-scale potential for additional reduced intrusion-related gold systems.
ABOUT SNOWLINE GOLD CORP.
Snowline Gold Corp. is a Yukon Territory focused gold exploration company with an eight-project portfolio covering >333,000 ha. The Company is exploring its flagship >94,000 ha Rogue gold project in the highly prospective yet underexplored Selwyn Basin. Snowline’s project portfolio sits within the prolific Tintina Gold Province, host to multiple million-ounce-plus gold mines and deposits including Kinross’s Fort Knox Mine, Newmont’s Coffee deposit, and Victoria Gold’s Eagle Mine. The Company’s first-mover land position and extensive database provide a unique opportunity for investors to be part of multiple discoveries and the creation of a new gold district.
Figure 5 – Project location map for Snowline Gold’s eastern Selwyn Basin properties: Rogue, Einarson, Ursa, Cynthia and Olympus. The Valley target is one of several prospective reduced intrusion-related gold targets on the broader 30 x 60 km Rogue Project.
QUALIFIED PERSON
Information in this release has been prepared under supervision of and approved by Thomas K. Branson, M.Sc., P. Geo., VP Exploration of Snowline Gold Corp, as Qualified Person for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
This news release contains certain forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the significance of analytical results, cost-effective production of gold, the discovery potential within the Valley intrusion, the potential for investors to participate in multiple future discoveries, the Rogue project having district-scale prospectivity, the creation of a new gold district and the Company’s future plans and intentions. Wherever possible, words such as “may”, “will”, “should”, “could”, “expect”, “plan”, “intend”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “estimate”, “predict” or “potential” or the negative or other variations of these words, or similar words or phrases, have been used to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements reflect management’s current beliefs and are based on information currently available to management as at the date hereof.
Forward-looking statements involve significant risk, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from the results discussed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among other things: risks related to uncertainties inherent in drill results and the estimation of mineral resources; and risks associated with executing the Company’s plans and intentions. These factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management believes to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure readers that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law.
Vancouver, B.C., November 27, 2023: SNOWLINE GOLD CORP (TSX-V: SGD) (OTC: SNWGF) (the “Company” or “Snowline”) is honoured to announce its receipt of the 2023 Robert E. Leckie Award for Excellence in Environmental Stewardship from the Government of Yukon.
“I would like to thank the awards committee and to thank and congratulate Snowline’s entire team—including our industry and First Nations partners—on this recognition of our ongoing efforts towards environmental stewardship and ultimately of the culture of integrity, accountability and respect that our team works so hard to instill,” said Scott Berdahl, CEO & Director of Snowline. “There is an irony underlying many mineral explorers working in the Yukon. Although we work in a development-focused industry, we are driven by a passion for the natural world, a passion that gets us out on the land and away from more conventional office-based work. As a company, we recognize the intrinsic value of a strong natural environment and the Yukon’s wild spaces. We also recognize the importance and necessity of metals to modern society. Thus, we seek to find a balance, striving to lay the foundation for a strong local economy that can support healthy communities and high quality of life while ensuring the Yukon’s vast wilderness can be enjoyed and relied upon for generations to come.”
John Streicker, the Yukon’s Minister of Energy, Mines & Resources, stated: “Our government is committed to supporting sustainable, responsible mining and mineral exploration across the Yukon. Congratulations to Snowline Gold Corporation for winning this year’s Leckie Award, an honour that recognizes their values and commitment. The company’s work near Mayo is an example of how exploration can be done in a way that promotes environmental stewardship and meaningful collaboration with First Nations partners.”
The awards committee recognised various efforts and initiatives undertaken by the Company, including progressive reclamation of its surface disturbances, drill pad site optimization to minimize clearing, clean-up of a long-abandoned third-party exploration camp on its claims, and several projects launched in collaboration with Yukon Seed and Restoration (YSR), a First Nation of Nacho Nyak Dun majority-owned environmental business. The projects with YSR include pre-disturbance botanical inventories for multiple work sites, local collection of native seed banks for future reclamation of surface disturbances, and the establishment of trial reclamation plots to assess the on-site effectiveness of various applications of these local seeds for rapid and effective revegetation.
In addition, Snowline’s main exploration camp is primarily powered by a 27.5 kW solar array, providing clean, on-site energy production that replaces and offsets carbon emissions that would otherwise come from hydrocarbons. The solar array and associated equipment are leased from the First Nations owned Nacho Nyak Dun Development Corporation and are installed and maintained by the Yukon renewable energy company Solvest. Snowline has also initiated key environmental baseline studies, including water quality, hydrology, and wildlife surveying at and near its Rogue Project’s Valley discovery from a very early stage in the exploration process.
Figure 1 – Reclamation of an abandoned third-party exploration camp on Snowline’s mineral tenure. Top: Site during cleanup – deconstructing a tent platform. Middle: Site following cleanup, before burning of combustible materials. Bottom: Metals and other non-combustible debris were slung by helicopter from site for disposal at proper facilities.
Figure 2 – Solar power facility at Snowline’s “Forks” Camp. The 27.5 kW facility provides most of the electrical power used by the camp during the exploration season, including power to several core cutting saws. The equipment is under lease from the Nacho Nyak Dun Development Corporation under a 5-year partnership to provide renewable energy to the Company.
The Leckie Award is presented in up to three categories each year, with recognition for socially responsible practices, environmental stewardship, and innovation in mining in Canada’s Yukon Territory. The awards committee comprises representatives from the Council of Yukon First Nations, the Yukon Chamber of Mines, the Klondike Placer Miner’s Association, and the Government of Yukon. The award was presented on November 20 at the Yukon Geoscience convention in Whitehorse, Yukon.
Figure 3 – Representatives from Snowline at the 2023 Yukon Geoscience awards banquet on November 20, 2023, in Whitehorse, Yukon. From left to right: Sergio Gamonal (Chief Geologist), Dr. Craig Hart (Chair & Independent Director), Dr. Gregor Hahn (Geologist), Dr. Nicolas Piette-Lauziere (Geologist), Scott Berdahl (CEO & Director), Thomas Branson (VP Exploration), Zoe Goodyear (Database Manager) & Sarah Weber (Independent Director).
ROBERT E. LECKIE
Robert “Bob” E. Leckie (1957-1999) was a geographer and mining inspector who moved north from Alberta to serve in the Yukon’s Mayo Mining District from 1987 through 1999. His legacy stems from a passion for innovation, collaboration between governments and industry, and the development of progressive land use practices for mining and reclamation.
ABOUT SNOWLINE GOLD CORP.
Snowline Gold Corp. is a Yukon Territory focused gold exploration company with an eight-project portfolio covering >333,000 ha. The Company is exploring its flagship >94,000 ha Rogue gold project in the highly prospective yet underexplored Selwyn Basin. Snowline’s project portfolio sits within the prolific Tintina Gold Province, host to multiple million-ounce-plus gold mines and deposits including Kinross’s Fort Knox Mine, Newmont’s Coffee deposit, and Victoria Gold’s Eagle Mine. The Company’s first-mover land position and extensive database provide a unique opportunity for investors to be part of multiple discoveries and the creation of a new gold district.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
This news release contains certain forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the potential to participate in multiple future discoveries, the creation of a new gold district and the Company’s future plans and intentions. Wherever possible, words such as “may”, “will”, “should”, “could”, “expect”, “plan”, “intend”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “estimate”, “predict” or “potential” or the negative or other variations of these words, or similar words or phrases, have been used to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements reflect management’s current beliefs and are based on information currently available to management as at the date hereof.
Forward-looking statements involve significant risk, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from the results discussed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among other things: risks related to uncertainties inherent in drill results and the estimation of mineral resources; and risks associated with executing the Company’s plans and intentions. These factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management believes to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure readers that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law.
Hole V-23-056 returned 372.9 m averaging 1.45 g/t Au, including 2.07 g/t Au over 212.4 m from surface, demonstrating strong continuity of near-surface >2 g/t Au grades across a large area on the Rogue Project’s Valley target
Hole V-23-055 returned 359.4 m averaging 1.34 g/t Aufrom surface including 1.71 g/t Au over 132.5 m, extending near-surface >1 g/t Au mineralization by over 100 m towards the open northeast edge of the mineralized system at Valley
Analytical results pending for 8,300 m from 21 holes (including one metallurgical hole at Valley) across 4 targets in addition to results of extensive surface exploration campaign.
Vancouver, B.C., November 9, 2023: SNOWLINE GOLD CORP (TSX-V: SGD) (OTC: SNWGF) (the “Company” or “Snowline”) is pleased to announce further analytical results from exploration holes drilled on its Rogue Project in Canada’s Yukon Territory. Holes drilled within the Valley intrusion show consistent gold mineralization across broad intervals from surface. Hole V-23-055 averages 1.34 g/t over 359.4 m downhole from surface and expands the known limits of near-surface >1 g/t mineralization by >100 m from previous hole V-23-047. Hole V-23-056 averages 2.07 g/t Au over 212.4 m downhole from surface, within a broader mineralized interval of 1.45 g/t Au over 372.9 m, demonstrating strong grade continuity between previous widely spaced holes with significant >2 g/t Au intervals that also begin at surface. Assays for more than 8,300 m of diamond drilling from Snowline’s 2023 exploration efforts remain pending.
Table 1 – Highlight summary of Snowline’s latest assay results. *Interval widths reported; true widths of the system are not yet known.
“The latest results from our Rogue Project’s Valley target further de-risk the discovery, adding to the known footprint of near-surface gold mineralization and demonstrating strong consistency of higher (>2 g/t Au) gold grades,” said Scott Berdahl, CEO & Director of Snowline. “Intervals of hundreds of metres averaging >1 g/t Au or even multiple grams per tonne gold have not only become the norm at Valley but are without exception among 32 holes drilled to date within a core area spanning up to 600 m by up to 400 m in the western part of the intrusion. This consistency results in higher efficiency and reduced risk in exploration, as well as in subsequent deposit modelling, in project development, and ultimately in responsibly and cost-effectively producing gold. We eagerly await assay results for 12 additional holes drilled in and around this zone at Valley, along with additional holes and surface work from other parts of our >330,000 ha land position.”
HOLE V-23-056
Hole V-23-056 is collared in coarse-grained granodiorite within the Valley intrusion roughly 59 m east of V-22-014 (285.2 m @ 1.45 g/t Au including 128.2 m @ 2.48 g/t Au from surface, see Snowline news release dated November 15, 2022) and 44 m west of V-23-036 (414.5 m @ 1.53 g/t Au from surface including 143.5 m @ 2.92 g/t Au, see Snowline news release dated July 18, 2023).
The hole commences in strong sheeted gold-bearing quartz vein mineralization from bedrock surface at 2.6 m downhole, averaging 2.07 g/t Au across the next 212.4 m. This marks the top of a broader 372.9 m downhole interval averaging 1.45 g/t Au overall. The highest sustained grades in the hole begin at 52.5 m downhole, averaging 3.50 g/t Au over the following 42.5 m. The hole exits the intrusion into weakly mineralized hornfels at 376.7 m downhole, marking the end of the consistently mineralized interval.
Figure 2 – Cross-section B, showing V-23-056 in the context of adjacent holes and a simplified, schematic geological model. Top: Analytical results received to date and still pending (thin black lines with blue collars). Bottom: Vein densities alongside instances of trace visible gold observed during logging. V-23-056 carries strong gold grades from surface to greater depths than expected based on adjacent hole V-22-014. Note that V-22-014 and V-23-036 are respectively behind and in front of the section, and thus they appear closer to V-23-056 in the section view than they are (see Figure 1). The high vein densities and visible gold count in V-23-067 suggest the near-surface system is still open to the east.
The consistency of mineralization in V-23-056 is highlighted by its capped values (Table 2), which—setting any >10 g/t Au assays equal to 10 g/t Au—remain unchanged. The highest assay value ran 9.35 g/t Au over 1.5 m from 87.0 m downhole. Consistency is further highlighted by the distribution of grades. Within the top 212.4 m interval, 77% of assays (measured by core length) returned >1 g/t Au and no assays returned <0.2 g/t Au. Within the higher-grade zone averaging 3.50 g/t Au over 42.5 m, all assays returned >1.3 g/t Au.
The results of V-23-056 demonstrate the integrity and spatial continuity of >2 g/t Au, near-surface mineralization towards the southeastern part of the Valley gold system.
HOLE V-23-055
Hole V-23-055 is collared in coarse-grained granodiorite of the Valley stock, roughly 101 m across strike from and along section with the nearest hole, V-23-047 (228.6 m @ 1.62 g/t Au from surface including 100.5 m @ 2.56 g/t Au, see Snowline news release dated September 11, 2023).
The hole encountered strong sheeted gold-bearing quartz vein mineralization from bedrock surface at 3.1 m downhole. The main interval of mineralization within the hole averages 1.34 g/t Au over 359.4 m from bedrock surface, with a higher-grade zone averaging 1.71 g/t Au over 132.5 m from 89.0 m downhole. The hole exits the intrusion at 352.1 m, and lower grade mineralization continues into the surrounding hornfels (averaging 0.16 g/t Au across 23.0 m from 369.0 m downhole, and the hole ends with the final 1.0 m @ 0.30 g/t Au).
As with V-23-056, gold grades in V-23-055 are not affected by grade capping at 10 g/t Au, demonstrating the consistent nature of mineralization across the broad mineralized interval.
The hole increases the known extent of broad, at-surface >1 g/t Au mineralization by >100 m from the nearest holes to the southwest, south and southeast, all of which carry similar or stronger gold intersections beginning from surface.
Table 2 – Summary of significant mineralization returned from current holes at Valley. The consistency of strong mineralization on the target is reinforced by the capped values in the rightmost column, wherein any assay result >10 g/t Au is replaced by 10.0 g/t Au to calculate the average interval grades. V-23-057 & V-23-058 were drilled well outside of the Valley intrusion to test for possible extensions of the broader intrusion-related gold system based on geological observations. *Interval widths reported; true widths of the system are not yet known, with different vein generations, orientations, and grade distributions present within various intervals through the bulk tonnage gold target at Valley.
Figure 3 – Cross-section A, showing V-23-055 in the context of adjacent holes and a simplified, schematic geological model. Top: Analytical results received to date and still pending (thin black lines with blue collars). Bottom: Vein densities alongside instances of trace visible gold observed during logging. The mineralized intersection from surface extends the known limit of at-surface >1 g/t Au mineralization by >100 m from the nearest previous hole, V-23-047, and it demonstrates a strong continuity to depth, with mineralization dropping off only after the hole leaves the Valley intrusion into surrounding hornfels.
REGIONAL DRILLING
Satellite Target Drilling, Rogue Project
At Cujo, a single-hole Phase I drill program intersected a broad zone of low to moderate spatial density quartz veins with trace visible gold in a coarse-grained granodiorite. Multiple intervals of low-grade gold mineralization are present (Table 3), including 32.0 m @ 0.38 g/t Au from 90.0 m downhole and 10.0 m @ 0.42 g/t Au from 225.0 m downhole. The entire hole averaged 0.11 g/t Au over 407.4 m. The results compliment surface work demonstrating the presence of a gold-bearing reduced intrusion at Cujo. Further work will seek to determine whether consistent higher grades are present within the intrusion.
At Gracie, assays for G-23-007 have been received. This hole was drilled away from the primary anomaly, targeting mineralized dikes observed on surface. The dikes were not encountered in the drill hole, and no gold values >1 g/t Au were returned from the hole, with elevated gold results occurring as rare, isolated instances. Higher bismuth values—an important pathfinder element for Valley-like intrusion-related gold systems—are present in this hole than in any of the 6 holes previously drilled at Gracie. Analytical results for an additional 2 holes from Gracie remain pending.
Tosh Project Drilling
Analytical results have been received for two holes from a six-hole Phase I diamond drill program at the Yarrow target on Snowline’s Tosh Project, in the southwestern Yukon. This program represents the first-ever drill testing anywhere on the broader Tosh project area.
Localized, elevated gold values (0.10 to 0.46 g/t Au) were present as rare, discrete intervals in both holes, variously associated with faulting, brecciation and, in T-23-005, lenses of semi-massive sulphides in metamorphosed sedimentary host rocks. Three semi-massive sulphide zones, up to 0.2 m in thickness, carried anomalous silver (9.50 to 48.4 g/t Ag), copper (165 ppm to 0.27% Cu) and zinc (>1% detection limit) across broader downhole sample interval widths (0.7 m to 0.9 m). Dominant minerals are pyrite and pyrrhotite.
These initial results at Tosh demonstrate the presence of multiple styles of mineralization and the potential for multiple gold depositional events. Assays are pending for an additional four holes from the 2023 drill program.
Figure 4 – Map showing the location of the Tosh Project, in the southwest Yukon. Tosh covers a series of untested, kilometers-scale orogenic gold targets with geological similarities to the White Gold district roughly 100 km to the north. Resource figures shown are based on public disclosure from third parties and have not been verified by the Company.
Table 3 – Summary of mineralization returned from current holes on satellite targets and projects. “T-23-xyz” holes were drilled on the Tosh Project, whereas “CU-23-xyz”and “G-23-xyz” holes were drilled on the Cujo and Gracie targets respectively, both on the Rogue Project. Various lesser intervals are present but not listed. Coordinates are presented in NAD83 Zone 7 for the Tosh project (T-23-001 and T-23-005) and in NAD83 Zone 9 for the Gracie and Reid targets. **Interval widths reported; true widths of the systems are not yet known.
QA/QC
On receipt from the drill site NQ2-sized drill core was systematically logged for geological attributes, photographed and sampled at Snowline’s 2023 field camp. Sample lengths as small as 0.5 m were used to isolate features of interest, but most samples within moderate to strong mineralization were 1.0 m in length; otherwise, a default 1.5 m downhole sample length was used. Core was cut in half lengthwise along a pre-determined line, with one half (same half, consistently, dictated by orientation line where present or by dominant vein orientation where absent) collected for analysis and one half stored as a record. Field duplicates were collected at regular intervals as ¼ core samples by splitting the ½ core sent for sampling, leaving a consistent record of half core material from duplicate and non-duplicate samples alike. Standard reference materials and blanks were inserted by Snowline personnel at regular intervals into the sample stream. Bagged samples were sealed with security tags to ensure integrity during transport. They were delivered by expeditor to Bureau Veritas’ preparatory facility in Whitehorse, Yukon. Sample preparation was completed in Whitehorse, with analyses completed in Vancouver.
Similar procedures were employed on the Tosh Project, though drill core was transported to Whitehorse in advance of detailed logging and sampling.
Bureau Veritas is accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 and ISO9001 for quality management. Samples were crushed by BV to >85% passing below 2 mm and split using a riffle splitter. 250 g splits were pulverized to >85% passing below 75 microns. A four-acid digest with an inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) finish was used for 59-element analysis on 0.25 g sample pulps (BV code: MA250). All samples were analysed for gold content by fire assay with an atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) finish on 30 g samples (BV code: FA430). Any sample returning >10 g/t Au was reanalysed by fire assay with a gravimetric finish on a 30 g sample (BV code: FA530).
For the purposes of this release, mineralized intervals are defined as runs of mineralization with no break >5.0 m assaying <0.1 g/t Au, including any subsections thereof.
ABOUT ROGUE
The Valley target on Snowline’s flagship Rogue Project is a newly discovered, bulk tonnage style, reduced intrusion-related gold system (RIRGS), with geological similarities to multi-million-ounce deposits currently in production such as Kinross’s Fort Knox Mine in Alaska and Victoria Gold’s Eagle Mine in the Yukon. Early drill results demonstrate unusually high gold grades for such a system, present near surface across drill intersections of hundreds of metres. Gold is associated with bismuthinite and telluride minerals hosted in sheeted quartz vein arrays within and along the margins of a one-kilometer-scale, mid-Cretaceous aged Mayo-suite intrusion. Valley is an early-stage exploration project without a resource estimate, and while initial results are encouraging, the presence or absence of an economically viable orebody cannot be determined until additional work is completed.
The Rogue Project area hosts multiple intrusions similar to Valley along with widespread gold anomalism in stream sediment, soil and rock samples. Elsewhere, RIRGS deposits are known to occur in clusters. The Rogue Project is thus considered by the Company to have district-scale potential for additional reduced intrusion-related gold systems.
ABOUT SNOWLINE GOLD CORP.
Snowline Gold Corp. is a Yukon Territory focused gold exploration company with an eight-project portfolio covering >333,000 ha. The Company is exploring its flagship >94,000 ha Rogue gold project in the highly prospective yet underexplored Selwyn Basin. Snowline’s project portfolio sits within the prolific Tintina Gold Province, host to multiple million-ounce-plus gold mines and deposits including Kinross’s Fort Knox Mine, Newmont’s Coffee deposit, and Victoria Gold’s Eagle Mine. The Company’s first-mover land position and extensive database provide a unique opportunity for investors to be part of multiple discoveries and the creation of a new gold district.
Figure 5 – Project location map for Snowline Gold’s eastern Selwyn Basin properties: Rogue, Einarson, Ursa, Cynthia and Olympus. The Valley target is one of several prospective reduced intrusion-related gold targets on the broader 30 x 60 km Rogue Project.
QUALIFIED PERSON
Information in this release has been prepared under supervision of and approved by Thomas K. Branson, M.Sc., P. Geo., VP Exploration of Snowline Gold Corp, as Qualified Person for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD
Scott Berdahl CEO & Director
For further information, please contact: Snowline Gold Corp.+1 778 650 5485 info@snowlinegold.com
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
This news release contains certain forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the significance of analytical results, the relationship between vein densities, visible gold and resultant analytical gold grades, cost-effective production of gold, the discovery potential within the Valley intrusion, the potential for investors to participate in multiple future discoveries, the Rogue project having district-scale prospectivity, the creation of a new gold district and the Company’s future plans and intentions. Wherever possible, words such as “may”, “will”, “should”, “could”, “expect”, “plan”, “intend”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “estimate”, “predict” or “potential” or the negative or other variations of these words, or similar words or phrases, have been used to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements reflect management’s current beliefs and are based on information currently available to management as at the date hereof.
Forward-looking statements involve significant risk, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from the results discussed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among other things: risks related to uncertainties inherent in drill results and the estimation of mineral resources; and risks associated with executing the Company’s plans and intentions. These factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management believes to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure readers that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law.
Hole V-23-054 returned 424.0 m averaging 1.43 g/t Au from surface, including 1.85 g/t Au over 186.5 m, expanding the known width of mineralization across the southern extent of the Valley target and opening another area of deep mineralization
Hole V-23-053 returned 387.0 m averaging 1.04 g/t Au including 1.61 g/t Au over 153.0 m showing strong grade continuity on western edge of system
Analytical results pending for more than half of 2023 drilling (>11,400 m remain, from 31 holes across 5 targets) in addition to those of extensive surface exploration campaign.
Vancouver, B.C., October 19, 2023: SNOWLINE GOLD CORP (TSX-V: SGD) (OTC: SNWGF) (the “Company” or “Snowline”) is pleased to announce analytical results received from two additional exploration holes drilled on its Rogue Project’s Valley target in Canada’s Yukon Territory. Both holes—drilled to the northeast as opposed to the usual southwest orientation of holes at Valley—demonstrated consistent and considerable widths of strong mineralization in different parts of the system. Hole V-23-054 returned 424.0 m of 1.43 g/t Au, downhole from bedrock surface, expanding the known width of mineralization across the southern extent of the well mineralized zone at Valley. In a separate interval in the same hole, the final 30.0 m downhole length averaged 0.70 g/t Au, representing a newly recognized area of deep mineralization at Valley that remains open. Both holes ended in mineralization. Assays for more than 11,400 m of diamond drilling from Snowline’s 2023 exploration efforts remain pending.
Table 1 – Highlight summary of Snowline’s latest assay results. *Interval widths reported; true widths of the system are not yet known.
“The current set of drill results includes yet another hole, in yet another part of the Valley intrusion, that expands the extent of known mineralization with an unusually high-grade intersection for a reduced intrusion-related gold system carried over hundreds of metres from surface,” said Scott Berdahl, CEO & Director of Snowline. “We weren’t expecting the length and intensity of gold mineralization encountered in V-23-054, nor to see it extend to depth in the southeastern part of the system, revealing a potential new zone of mineralization. Once again we are impressed by the scale and continuity of our Rogue Project’s Valley target, which remains open in multiple areas. We are keen to see how our understanding of the system evolves with the large quantity of drill assays that are forthcoming for the target.”
Figure 1 – Plan view of the Rogue Project’s Valley target showing analytical results from previous and current drilling, along with approximate traces of current holes. Current results expand the already wide distribution of unusually high grades for a reduced intrusion-related gold system at Valley, with mineralized intervals beginning at or near surface. Note the consistency of grades within holes and between holes across a large area. The system remains open to the northeast and at depth in multiple locations.
HOLE V-23-054
Hole V-23-054 is collared in coarse-grained granodiorite within the Valley intrusion as an 84 m step along strike to the southeast of the nearest hole, V-22-028 (363.5 m @ 1.40 g/t Au from surface including 129.9 m @ 2.03 g/t Au, see Snowline news release dated February 3, 2023). The hole is drilled to the northeast to efficiently test the near-surface southwestern margin of the Valley intrusion, and it tests the northeastern part of the mineralized corridor at depth in an orientation that crosscuts the dominant northwest strike of sheeted quartz veins.
From bedrock surface at 23.5 m downhole, an interval of continuous mineralization averages 1.43 g/t Au over the next 424.0 m, with a zone of generally higher grades averaging 1.85 g/t Au over 186.5 m from 66.0 m downhole. Two notable higher-grade zones average 4.73 and 4.79 g/t Au over 7.5 m and 9.0 m respectively, from 202.0 and 305.5 m downhole. A second mineralized interval begins 9.0 m downhole from the end of the first and continues to the end of the hole at 497.0 m depth, averaging 0.54 g/t Au over 40.5 m (Table 2) and ending in mineralization. The final 30 m of the hole average 0.70 g/t Au. As with previous holes at Valley, mineralization within these intervals is remarkably consistent. Capping values at 10 g/t Au drops the overall grade of the first interval by just 0.73% from 1.43 g/t Au to 1.42 g/t Au, and does not affect the grade of the second interval.
The results of V-23-054 demonstrate a robust width to strong grades in the southeastern part of the well-mineralized, near-surface corridor at Valley. In addition, the mineralization and grades seen in the bottom of the first interval and through the second interval reveal a new and open zone within the Valley intrusion where strong, consistent gold grades are present at depth.
Figure 2 – Cross-section B, showing V-23-054 in the context of adjacent holes and a simplified, schematic geological model. Top: Analytical results received to date and still pending (thin black lines with blue collars). Bottom: Vein densities alongside instances of trace visible gold observed during logging. The overall width of mineralization encountered in V-23-054 and the associated depth of mineralization on the northeastern part of the section were unexpected based on previous holes. Both demonstrate considerable tonnage of mineralized rock.
HOLE V-23-053
Hole V-23-053 is collared in hornfels sedimentary rock west of the Valley intrusion and is drilled to the northeast, roughly perpendicular to the general southwest orientation of most drill holes to date at Valley. A mineralized interval begins in the hornsfels and continues to the end of the hole, averaging 0.97 g/t Au over 424.5 m from 58.5 m downhole. Grades increase when the drill trace crosses into coarse-grained granodiorite of the Valley intrusion at 80.5 m downhole, averaging 1.04 g/t Au over 387.0 m downhole, including 153.0 m at 1.61 g/t Au from 172.0 m downhole. The hole crosses into a fine-grained porphyritic phase of the intrusion at 333.0 m depth and stays in this phase to the end of hole. The hole ends in mineralization, with the final 30.0 m of the hole averaging 0.50 g/t Au.
Figure 3 – Cross-section A, showing V-23-053 in the context of adjacent holes and a simplified, schematic geological model. Top: Analytical results received to date and still pending (thin black lines with blue collars). Bottom: Vein densities alongside instances of trace visible gold observed during logging. V-23-053 shows strong gold grades within the coarse-grained granodiorite. Note that V-22-032 and in particular the bottom of V-23-050 are located in the background of the section, well behind the trace of V-23-053.
Gold grades in V-23-053 are not affected by grade capping at 10 g/t Au (highest assay is 9.62 g/t Au over 1.5 m from 412.0 m downhole), demonstrating the consistent nature of mineralization across the broad mineralized interval.
The consistent gold grades encountered in the hole suggest strong grade continuity between holes drilled in the roughly perpendicular southwest orientation. They also provide further evidence that a zone of mineralization, open to expansion, extends to depth along the western edge of the Valley intrusion, potentially as a halo around the fine-grained porphyritic phase encountered in the bottom of the hole.
Table 2 – Summary of significant mineralization returned from current holes at Valley. The consistency of strong mineralization on the target is reinforced by the capped values in the rightmost column, wherein any assay result >10 g/t Au is replaced by 10.0 g/t Au to calculate the average interval grades. The high results demonstrate uniform gold mineralization that is not “smeared” across a given interval by isolated high-grade samples. *Interval widths reported; true widths of the system are not yet known, with different vein generations, orientations, and grade distributions present within various intervals through the bulk tonnage gold target at Valley.
QA/QC
On receipt from the drill site NQ2-sized drill core was systematically logged for geological attributes, photographed and sampled at Snowline’s 2023 field camp. Sample lengths as small as 0.5 m were used to isolate features of interest, but most samples within moderate to strong mineralization were 1.0 m in length; otherwise, a default 1.5 m downhole sample length was used. Core was cut in half lengthwise along a pre-determined line, with one half (same half, consistently, dictated by orientation line where present or by dominant vein orientation where absent) collected for analysis and one half stored as a record. Field duplicates were collected at regular intervals as ¼ core samples by splitting the ½ core sent for sampling, leaving a consistent record of half core material from duplicate and non-duplicate samples alike. Standard reference materials and blanks were inserted by Snowline personnel at regular intervals into the sample stream. Bagged samples were sealed with security tags to ensure integrity during transport. They were delivered by expeditor to Bureau Veritas’ preparatory facility in Whitehorse, Yukon. Sample preparation was completed in Whitehorse, with analyses completed in Vancouver.
Bureau Veritas is accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 and ISO9001 for quality management. Samples were crushed by BV to >85% passing below 2 mm and split using a riffle splitter. 250 g splits were pulverized to >85% passing below 75 microns. A four-acid digest with an inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) finish was used for 59-element analysis on 0.25 g sample pulps (BV code: MA250). All samples were analysed for gold content by fire assay with an atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) finish on 30 g samples (BV code: FA430). Any sample returning >10 g/t Au was reanalysed by fire assay with a gravimetric finish on a 30 g sample (BV code: FA530).
For the purposes of this release, mineralized intervals are defined as runs of mineralization with no break >5.0 m assaying <0.1 g/t Au, including any subsections thereof.
ABOUT ROGUE
The Valley target on Snowline’s flagship Rogue Project is a newly discovered, bulk tonnage style, reduced intrusion-related gold system (RIRGS), with geological similarities to multi-million-ounce deposits currently in production such as Kinross’s Fort Knox Mine in Alaska and Victoria Gold’s Eagle Mine in the Yukon. Early drill results demonstrate unusually high gold grades for such a system, present near surface across drill intersections of hundreds of metres. Gold is associated with bismuthinite and telluride minerals hosted in sheeted quartz vein arrays within and along the margins of a one-kilometer-scale, mid-Cretaceous aged Mayo-suite intrusion. Valley is an early-stage exploration project without a resource estimate, and while initial results are encouraging, the presence or absence of an economically viable orebody cannot be determined until additional work is completed.
The Rogue Project area hosts multiple intrusions similar to Valley along with widespread gold anomalism in stream sediment, soil and rock samples. Elsewhere, RIRGS deposits are known to occur in clusters. The Rogue Project is thus considered by the Company to have district-scale potential for additional reduced intrusion-related gold systems.
ABOUT SNOWLINE GOLD CORP.
Snowline Gold Corp. is a Yukon Territory focused gold exploration company with an eight-project portfolio covering >333,000 ha. The Company is exploring its flagship >94,000 ha Rogue gold project in the highly prospective yet underexplored Selwyn Basin. Snowline’s project portfolio sits within the prolific Tintina Gold Province, host to multiple million-ounce-plus gold mines and deposits including Kinross’s Fort Knox Mine, Newmont’s Coffee deposit, and Victoria Gold’s Eagle Mine. The Company’s first-mover land position and extensive database provide a unique opportunity for investors to be part of multiple discoveries and the creation of a new gold district.
Figure 4 – Project location map for Snowline Gold’s eastern Selwyn Basin properties: Rogue, Einarson, Ursa, Cynthia and Olympus. The Valley target is one of several prospective reduced intrusion-related gold targets on the broader 30 x 60 km Rogue Project.
QUALIFIED PERSON
Information in this release has been prepared under supervision of and approved by Thomas K. Branson, M.Sc., P. Geo., VP Exploration of Snowline Gold Corp, as Qualified Person for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
This news release contains certain forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the significance of analytical results, the relationship between vein densities, visible gold and resultant analytical gold grades, the discovery potential within the Valley intrusion, the potential for investors to participate in multiple future discoveries, the Rogue project having district-scale prospectivity, the creation of a new gold district and the Company’s future plans and intentions. Wherever possible, words such as “may”, “will”, “should”, “could”, “expect”, “plan”, “intend”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “estimate”, “predict” or “potential” or the negative or other variations of these words, or similar words or phrases, have been used to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements reflect management’s current beliefs and are based on information currently available to management as at the date hereof.
Forward-looking statements involve significant risk, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from the results discussed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among other things: risks related to uncertainties inherent in drill results and the estimation of mineral resources; and risks associated with executing the Company’s plans and intentions. These factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management believes to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure readers that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law.