Excellon Resources Inc. (TSX: EXN) has expressed pleasure at the initial findings of the 2022 exploration program conducted at its Kilgore Project in Idaho, USA. Jorge Ortega, the Vice President of Exploration, indicated that they are encouraged by the results they have gathered thus far, as they are helping to comprehend the deposit better and verify the previous data. They have gained insight into the geological elements motivating the high-grade gold mineralization by using oriented core and detailed sampling. Combined with the pending IP/MT survey data, this will be utilized to determine additional drill targets and exploration projects to unlock the total potential of the Kilgore Project.
Kilgore drill project
Located in Clark County, Idaho, Kilgore is a low-sulfidation epithermal gold deposit in an advanced exploration stage. Excellon owns a full, undivided interest in the deposit, which encompasses 6,762 hectares. Kilgore is estimated to have Indicated, Inferred mineral resource estimates (table below), and the 2022 exploratory drill program included six oriented diamond drill holes totaling 2,145 meters. The first hole returned a result of 0.74 g/t Au across 115.60 meters (EX22KG001), including 1.07 g/t Au over 26.93 meters and a peak of 26.5 g/t Au over 0.65 meters. In addition, a 3D induced polarization (IP) and magnetotellurics (MT) geophysical survey was conducted, and property-wide prospecting was completed in 2022.
The Company launched this drill program to identify the possibility of structure-related gold deposits with higher grades at greater depths, mainly in the Aspen formation.
Drill results
The 2022 exploration program at Kilgore is intended to verify the results of previous reverse circulation and historical drilling within the deposit while exploring along the trend and at greater depths. The first diamond drill hole, EX22KG001, aimed to confirm the mineral resource extent already determined by the earlier drilling. Samples indicated a high degree of grade variation, constrained by thin jarosite-filled structures and narrow, high-grade vein networks. Furthermore, the Company carried out a 75-line-kilometer IP and MT survey of high-priority targets along the Kilgore deposit. This survey was conducted to more accurately define mineralization’s structural qualities and establish additional drill targets.
The property-wide exploration at Kilgore has yielded 211 rock samples, with 45 more results. It has been verified that a sizable property area is blanketed in post-mineralization debris. To uncover potential targets in these sections, a combined approach of geophysical analysis, SGH soil sampling, and stream sediment sampling will be executed. In total, 211 with 45 pending samples have been taken from the deposit, containing 71 Spatiotemporal Geochemical Hydrocarbon, 37 traditional ICP-MS, and 37 Mobile Metal Ion samples. All of the samples provided strong geochemical responses, and Activation Laboratories Ltd. experts were able to pinpoint the exact location of the deposit, including the parts of it located beneath the post-mineralization cover. SGH might be the preferred sampling method for properties with post-mineralization covering, as it is highly successful in finding what lies beneath.
