16 July 2020
Seabridge Gold reports today that core drilling has commenced at its 100%-0wned Iskut project in British Columbia to test below the Quartz Rise Lithocap for a gold-copper porphyry mineral system similar to those on Seabridge’s nearby KSM Project. The Iskut target has been developed over the past three years by making intensive use of geophysical tools, surface mapping and sampling and preliminary drilling. Rigorous procedures are being followed in this year’s program to minimize the risks associated with COVID-19.
Two shallow drill campaigns discovered a promising diatreme below the Quartz Rise Lithocap located southeast of the old high-grade Johnny Mountain Mine. Elevated surface gold and copper concentrations situated within a large, intense induced polarization anomaly found in close association with magnetic anomalies have helped to define the target location below and west of the well-developed lithocap. Up to 8,000 meters of core will now be drilled to evaluate about 750 meters of strike and more than 800 meters of vertical projection evident in the geophysical data.
Seabridge Chairman and CEO Rudi Fronk commented: “Seabridge acquired the large land package at Iskut because we saw clear evidence of a porphyry system with many of the characteristics of our giant KSM project in rocks of the same age. We are excited that we now have the opportunity to test these ideas. We wrestled with the challenge of implementing a drill program this season during the COVID-19 pandemic but our team has worked closely with our Tahltan Nation partners, the BC Health Ministry, suppliers and other exploration companies in the area to develop effective procedures for operating in the current global health crisis. Crews have new, clearly defined obligations to protect each other against infection and the spread of the virus, all of which have been embraced by our team.”