LGD: CA |
LGDTF: US |
contactBanner

 

Drilling extends silver mineralization 100 metres north; new zone of oxide gold identified

VANCOUVER, B.C. – Pilot Gold Inc. (PLG - TSX) (“Pilot Gold” or the “Company”) is pleased to report that drilling focused on the near-surface zone of silver-only mineralization at the KCD target, TV Tower continues to return strong silver results, including 90.2 g/t silver (Ag) over 91.5 metres in step-out drilling to the north.

With these results, the silver zone has expanded to cover an area measuring approximately 600 by 600 metres and remains open to the north. Recent silver highlights include:

Step-out highlights:

  • 90.2 g/t Ag over 91.5 metres in KCD-151R*, including 176 g/t Ag over 34.5 metres 
  • 43.6 g/t Ag over 61.5 metres in KCD-149R

Infill highlights:

  • 51.4 g/t Ag over 77.5 metres in KCD-148, including 94.8 g/t Ag over 29.7 metres
  • 37.2 g/t Ag over 95.2 metres in KCD-157, including 111 g/t Ag over 11.7 metres

In addition to strong step-out and infill results in the silver zone, drill hole KCD-164 returned high grade gold, silver and copper in the northwestern portion of the KCD gold zone. Mineralization resembles that observed in the original high-grade discovery breccia zone. Highlights include:

  • 6.99 g/t Au, 150 g/t Ag, 10.1% Cu over 5.0 metres in KCD-164, including
    • 14.3 g/t Au, 494 g/t Ag, 35.1% Cu over 1.1 metres

“Pilot Gold’s 2013 program at KCD has been very successful to date, with the drilled footprint of high-grade gold and silver mineralization continuing to grow with each step-out and strong infill holes providing increased confidence in the target’s potential,” said Matt Lennox-King, President and CEO, Pilot Gold.

Pilot Gold is advancing KCD towards resource definition while continuing to develop the district-scale potential across TV Tower. Drilling is planned for 2013 at other high-priority targets including Kayali and Karaayi.

New zone of gold mineralization:
Several of these recent drill holes also reveal near-surface, oxidized, gold-bearing intercepts from three drill sites spaced approximately 100 metres apart, overlying the silver zone. These oxide intercepts are related to a silicified tuff horizon exposed for over 300 metres along a WNW-ESE trending ridge at the top of KCD (see map link). Previous surface rock sampling in this area returned up to 1.1 g/t Au, which is also marked by elevated gold in soil immediately down-slope to the south of the ridge exposures. Based on the distribution of intercepts, the new oxide gold zone dips gently northward and is open to the northwest. Mapping and sampling of this gold zone is in progress.

Oxide gold intercepts include:

  • 0.56 g/t Au over 18.0 metres in KCD-165R
  • 0.57 g/t Au over 9.0 metres in KCD-156R
  • 0.87 g/t Au over 7.0 metres in KCD-155
  • 0.71 g/t Au over 6.0 metres in KCD-158

All true widths are 50-100% of reported widths unless otherwise stated. All intervals of no sampling have been assigned zero grade for the purposes of compositing.

For a comprehensive table of results related to silver mineralization, please click:
http://www.pilotgold.com/sites/default/files/KCD_PR_Ag_Table_final.pdf

For a comprehensive table of results related to gold mineralization, please click:
http://www.pilotgold.com/sites/default/files/KCD_PR_Au_Table_final.pdf

For a map highlighting recent drilling, please click:
http://www.pilotgold.com/sites/default/files/PR_08_28_2013_final.pdf

The 2013 program at KCD is focused on infill and step-out drilling of the silver zone, and testing the gold zone down-dip to the north and along strike to the west-northwest. The drill results from KCD form part of an aggressive exploration program consisting of approximately 15,000 metres of diamond core and RC drilling, geologic modeling and ongoing surface work. Sixty-seven holes have been completed at KCD this year, with assays pending for nine holes. As the KCD drill program comes to a close, drilling will focus on the nearby Kayali bulk tonnage, oxide gold system and the adjacent Karaayi target. Approximately 2,835 metres have been completed in 11 drill holes at Kayali in 2013, with assays pending for all holes. A surface program is underway at the recently acquired Karaayi target, with drilling planned before year-end.

About TV Tower:
TV Tower is a joint venture between Pilot Gold (40%) and Teck Madencilik Sanayi Ticaret A.S. (60%), a Turkish subsidiary of Teck Resources Limited (“Teck”). Pilot Gold is project operator at TV Tower and can increase its interest in the project to 60%, through sole funding of exploration over a three-year period. (See press release dated September 12, 2012 for full details of the deal terms.)

Located on the Biga Peninsula of northwest Turkey, the TV Tower project encompasses 71 square kilometres. It contains a large number of targets ranging from high- and low-sulphidation epithermal gold-silver to porphyry gold-copper. The project has an extensive road network and targets to date all lie on land administered by Turkey’s Ministry of Forestry. It is located immediately west of the Kirazli gold project (Alamos Gold) and approximately 10 kilometres northwest of the Halilaga copper-gold project (Teck/Pilot Gold).

First pass drilling in 2010 resulted in new discoveries at the KCD and Kayali epithermal gold systems. Ongoing exploration by Pilot Gold continues to uncover robust new targets, including the bonanza-grade Columbaz low sulphidation epithermal vein system that returned 39 g/t gold and 290 g/t silver in 2012 rock chip sampling.

TV Tower is an early stage exploration project and does not contain any mineral resource estimates as defined by National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (“NI 43-101”). The potential quantities and grades disclosed herein are conceptual in nature and there has been insufficient exploration to define a mineral resource for the targets disclosed herein. It is uncertain if further exploration will result in these targets yielding a mineral resource.

Moira Smith, Ph.D., P.Geo., Chief Geologist, Pilot Gold, is the Company's designated Qualified Person for this news release within the meaning of NI 43-101 and has reviewed and validated that the information contained in the release is accurate. Drill composites were calculated using cut-offs of 10, 50 and 100 g/t Ag. Drill intersections are reported as drilled thicknesses. True widths of the mineralized intervals are interpreted to be between 50-100% of the reported lengths. Drill samples were assayed by AcmeLabs in Ankara, Turkey and Vancouver, B.C. for gold by Fire Assay of a 30 gram (1 assay ton) charge with ICP-ES or AAS finish, or if over 5.0 g/t were re-assayed and completed with a gravimetric finish. Metallic screen techniques were employed to assay a 12-metre interval in KCD-50. Approximately 500 grams of coarse reject material are pulverized and screened. Two splits of the fine fraction are assayed, as well as all material that does not pass through the screen (the coarse fraction). The final gold assay reported is a weighted average of the coarse and fine fractions. Ag and Cu were determined by aqua regia ICP-MS, with overlimits (>100 ppm Ag or >10,000 ppm Cu) completed by fire assay with gravimetric finish (Ag) or 4-acid digestion with ICP-ES (Cu). QA/QC included the insertion and continual monitoring of numerous standards and blanks into the sample stream, and the collection of duplicate samples at random intervals within each batch.

*R denotes reverse circulation drill hole

About Pilot Gold:
Pilot Gold is a well-funded gold exploration company led by a proven technical team that continues to discover and define high-quality projects featuring strong grades, meaningful size and mining-friendly addresses. Our three key assets include interests in the TV Tower and Halilaga projects in Turkey, and the Kinsley Mountain project in Nevada, each of which has the ability to become a foundational asset. We also have a pipeline of projects characterized by large land positions and district-wide potential that can meet our growth needs for years to come.

For more information, visit www.pilotgold.com or contact:

Investors:
Patrick Reid, VP, Corporate Affairs
Phone: 604-632-4677 or Toll Free 1-877-632-4677
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Media:
Ian Noble, Director, Corporate Communications
Phone: 604-809-8750
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Further information is available in the technical report entitled "Updated Technical Report on the TV Tower Exploration Property, Çanakkale, Western Turkey”, effective July 15, 2012 and dated August 3, 2012, prepared by Paul Gribble, B.Sc., C.Eng., FIMMM, UK Manager, Geology of Tetra Tech WEI Inc., under Pilot Gold’s Issuer Profile on SEDAR (www.sedar.com).

All statements in this press release, other than statements of historical fact, are "forward-looking information" with respect to Pilot Gold within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including statements that address timing of exploration and development plans at the Company’s mineral projects. Forward-looking information is often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "plan", "continue", "planned", "expect", "project", "predict", "potential", "targeting", "intends", "believe", "potential", and similar expressions, or describes a "goal", or variation of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "should", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and is based upon a number of estimates and assumptions of management at the date the statements are made including, among others, assumptions about future prices of gold, copper, silver and other metal prices, currency exchange rates and interest rates, favourable operating conditions, political stability, obtaining governmental approvals and financing on time, obtaining renewals for existing licences and permits and obtaining required licences and permits, labour stability, stability in market conditions, availability of equipment, accuracy of any mineral resources and mineral reserves, successful resolution of disputes and anticipated costs and expenditures. Many assumptions are based on factors and events that are not within the control of Pilot Gold and there is no assurance they will prove to be correct.

Such forward-looking information, including, but not limited to, statements that address reserve or resource potential, potential quantity and/or grade of minerals, potential size of a mineralized zone, potential expansion of mineralization, the timing and results of future resource estimates, proposed timing of exploration and development plans at the Company’s mineral projects, and the estimation of mineral reserves and resources involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievement of Pilot Gold to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking information.

Such factors include, among others, risks related to the interpretation of results at certain of our exploration properties, reliance on technical information provided by our joint venture partners or other third parties as related to any of our exploration properties; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; successfully completing the earn-in on the TV Tower project, including the ability to incur the minimum annual Expenditure Requirements and future issuance of common shares as consideration to complete the earn-in agreement; current economic conditions; future prices of commodities; possible variations in grade or recovery rates; current and proposed exploration and development; the costs and timing of the development of new deposits; failure of equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; the failure of contracted parties to perform; uses of funds in general including future capital expenditures, exploration expenditures and other expenses for specific operations; the timing and success of exploration activities generally; achievement of identified tangible project milestones at TV Tower; delays in permitting; satisfaction of Turkish requirements relating to the periodic submissions of Environmental Impact Assessments; possible claims against the Company or its joint venture partners; labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry; delays in obtaining governmental approvals, financing or in the completion of exploration as well as those factors discussed in the Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2012, dated March 27, 2013 (the “AIF”) in the section entitled "Risk Factors", under Pilot Gold’s SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

Although Pilot Gold has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Pilot Gold disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Further details relating to Pilot Gold are also available in our AIF, available under Pilot Gold’s SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.