VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 16, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pretium Resources Inc. (TSX/NYSE: PVG) (“Pretivm” or the “Company”) announces the results of the 2020 regional grassroots exploration program, including a discovery at the Hanging Glacier Zone, and plans for the Company’s 2021 exploration programs.
The 2020 regional grassroots exploration program included 25,350 meters of diamond drilling completed in four mineralized zones across the 1,200-square kilometer property that surrounds the Brucejack Mine. The highlight from the program was the discovery of epithermal-style gold mineralization in the Hanging Glacier Zone, located four kilometers northwest from the Brucejack Mine. This new zone of gold mineralization demonstrates the district-scale potential at Brucejack. See Table 1 below for assays from the 2020 program.
For a plan view of the 2020 program please see the following link: https://ml.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/ea531186-4a1c-4ae9-886f-a8821cad410a
“This exciting discovery at Hanging Glacier, only four kilometers from the Brucejack Mine, shows the district-scale potential at Brucejack,” said Jacques Perron, President and Chief Executive Officer of Pretivm. “We will significantly increase our resource expansion and exploration efforts in 2021 so we can surface value by extending mineral resources and pursuing the prospects for additional gold mineralization immediately surrounding the Brucejack Mine.”
The results from the 2020 regional grassroots exploration program are summarized by zone below.
Hanging Glacier Zone
The Hanging Glacier Zone comprises two areas – North Hanging Glacier and South Hanging Glacier – defined by anomalous gold in soil samples that extend over 1.5 kilometers by 1.0 kilometer. Drilling at Hanging Glacier tested two high-grade gold in soil anomalies assaying up to 3.21 grams per tonne gold and followed up on mineralization intersected during the 2015 exploration program (see news release dated October 8, 2015).
At North Hanging Glacier, drilling intersected gold mineralization hosted in pyrite localized along a monzonitic porphyry intrusion. The 2020 discovery hole, BR-107, assayed 1.3 grams per tonne gold over 101.0 meters. A 100-meter northwest step out hole, BR-132, assayed 2.1 grams per tonne gold over 102.0 meters, including 9.55 grams per tonne gold over 13.0 meters, showing lateral continuity of the gold mineralization along the porphyry contact. Select drill highlights from North Hanging Glacier include:
- Hole BR-107 intersected 1.30 grams per tonne gold over 101.0 meters, including 3.68 grams per tonne gold over 10.5 meters.
- Hole BR-111 intersected 0.95 grams per tonne gold over 129.9 meters, including 11.09 grams per tonne gold over 3.0 meters.
- Hole BR-132 intersected 2.10 grams per tonne gold over 102.0 meters, including 9.55 grams per tonne gold over 13.0 meters, and 24.95 grams per tonne gold over 1.7 meters.
- Hole BR-137 intersected 0.82 grams per tonne gold over 117.0 meters, including 3.08 grams per tonne gold over 9.0 meters and 17.35 grams per tonne gold over 0.5 meters.
At South Hanging Glacier, drilling intersected broad intervals of low-grade gold hosted in disseminated pyrite. An epithermal-style, quartz-carbonate vein intersected in Hole BR-112 hosted native gold and pyrargyrite, assaying 8.97 grams per tonne gold and 5,150 grams per tonne silver over 1.0 meter. Drilling at South Hanging Glacier is located further from the porphyry contact, showing the potential size of the epithermal system. Select drill highlights from South Hanging Glacier include:
- Hole BR-112 intersected 8.97 grams per tonne gold and 5150 grams per tonne silver over 1.0 meters.
- Hole BR-120 intersected 0.51 grams per tonne gold over 295.4 meters, including 4.93 grams per tonne gold over 6.0 meters.
- Hole BR-122 intersected 0.31 grams per tonne gold over 263.7 meters.
- Hole BR-142 intersected 0.34 grams per tonne gold over 240.2 meters.
A6 Zone
The A6 Anomaly Zone is located approximately 14 kilometers northeast of the Brucejack Mine. Drilling in 2020 included 19 drill holes totaling 11,883 meters, and the results continue to define a large hydrothermal system within an altered rhyolite dome. In West A6, Hole BR-092 intersected a 0.10-meter interval of massive pyrite mineralization. The massive pyrite was not anomalous for precious or base metals, indicating that the current drilling is still distal from a productive hydrothermal vent, requiring additional geophysics.
Koopa Zone
The Koopa Zone is located approximately 30 kilometers east-southeast of the Brucejack Mine. Drilling in 2020 tested deeper parts of the epithermal system. These holes continued to intersect strongly altered Iskut River Formation, and gold and silver mineralization is hosted in two generations of quartz veins. The 2020 drilling results show that veining density and the grade of mineralization continue consistently to depth. Select drill highlights from Koopa include:
- Hole BR-108 intersected 0.94 grams per tonne gold over 1.5 meters and 1675 grams per tonne silver, 2.72 percent lead and 7.23 percent zinc over 1.1 meters.
Haimila Zone
The Haimila Zone is located approximately 23 kilometers southeast of the Brucejack Mine. Drilling in 2020 tested a zone of porphyry-style propylitic alteration. Two holes were drilled, totaling 788 meters. One of these holes, BR-146, intersected narrow quartz and chalcopyrite veins.
2021 Brucejack Drilling and Exploration Programs
Two exploration programs are planned for 2021: a definition and expansion program adjacent to the Brucejack Mine infrastructure, and a near-mine exploration program.
The 2021 Brucejack definition and expansion drill program is anticipated to total approximately 195,000 meters of drilling comprised of in-reserve definition drilling (40%), in-resource and sustaining drilling (20%) and resource expansion drilling (40%). Underground resource expansion and exploration drilling will target near-mine zones with the potential to extend mineralization underground towards the West Zone, Galena Hill, Gossan Hill, and Bridge Zone. Initially, six drills are planned to be deployed underground, with an additional two surface drills to be added during the summer.
The 2021 near-mine exploration program will focus on the new discovery at Hanging Glacier, which is easily accessible from the Brucejack Mine using existing exploration trails. A 10,000-meter surface drill program is planned to delineate the high-grade gold corridors and test for higher-grade, epithermal-style veins higher up in the stratigraphy. A high-resolution drone magnetic survey and an induced polarity (IP) survey are also being planned to further delineate the monzonitic porphyry intrusion and aid in targeting along the mineralized contacts.
Additional near-mine exploration efforts will focus on the four-kilometer trend of highly-altered rocks which outcrop from Hanging Glacier Zone northwest of the Brucejack Mine to Bridge Zone located southeast of the mine. Generative exploration work, including prospecting, soil sampling, and geophysical surveys, will be conducted to test the potential of these zones and develop new near-mine exploration targets. An additional 8,000 meters of surface drilling is planned to test these zones and expand upon the mineralization potential surrounding the Brucejack Mine.
Patrick Godin, P.Eng., Pretivm’s Vice President and Chief Operating Officer is the Qualified Person as defined in National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects responsible for the regional grassroots exploration program and has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information in this news release related thereto.
Table 1: Selected Grassroots Exploration Drill Results, December 2020 (BR-107 to BR-147)(1,2)
Hole
No. | Dip/
Azimuth | From
(meters) | To
(meters) | Interval (meters) | Gold
(g/t) | Silver
(g/t) | Comments |
| North Hanging Glacier Zone |
| BR-107 | -50/250 | 0.0 | 101.0 | 101.0 | 1.30 | | |
| | incl | 0.0 | 10.5 | 10.5 | 3.68 | | |
| BR-109 | -75/250 | 2.0 | 118.2 | 116.3 | 0.65 | | |
| BR-111 | -90/000 | 2.6 | 132.5 | 129.9 | 0.95 | | |
| | incl | 43.5 | 75.5 | 32.0 | 2.57 | | |
| | incl | 72.5 | 75.5 | 3.0 | 11.09 | | |
| BR-124 | -75/225 | 31.5 | 50.0 | 18.5 | 0.83 | | |
| | | 124.5 | 126.0 | 1.5 | 3.14 | | |
| BR-128 | -90/225 | 9.0 | 69.0 | 60.0 | 0.56 | | |
| | Incl | 28.5 | 50.5 | 22.0 | 0.98 | | |
| | And | 178.5 | 266.0 | 87.5 | 0.30 | | |
| BR-129 | -45/225 | 62.5 | 135.6 | 73.1 | 0.44 | | |
| | Incl | 110.0 | 116.3 | 6.3 | 0.97 | | |
| BR-132 | -65/225 | 51.0 | 153.0 | 102.0 | 2.10 | | |
| | Incl | 51.0 | 59.3 | 8.3 | 5.33 | | |
| | And | 140.0 | 153.0 | 13.0 | 9.55 | | |
| | Incl | 150.3 | 152.0 | 1.7 | 24.95 | | |
| BR-134 | -75/225 | 10.5 | 73.6 | 63.1 | 0.54 | | |
| BR-137 | -45/225 | 100.5 | 217.5 | 117.0 | 0.82 | | |
| | Incl | 174.0 | 183.0 | 9.0 | 3.08 | | |
| | And | 213.7 | 214.2 | 0.5 | 17.35 | | |
| BR-141 | -65/225 | 217.0 | 228.0 | 11.0 | 0.97 | | |
| | and | 273.0 | 302.0 | 29.0 | 0.39 | | |
| South Hanging Glacier Zone |
| BR-112 | -50/265 | 198.9 | 199.9 | 1.0 | 8.97 | 5150.00 | |
| BR-118 | -45/225 | 312.0 | 313.5 | 1.5 | 7.13 | | |
| BR-120 | -45/225 | 21.0 | 316.4 | 295.4 | 0.51 | | |
| | incl | 48.0 | 54.0 | 6.0 | 4.93 | | |
| | incl | 49.5 | 51.0 | 1.5 | 11.35 | | |
| | and | 154.5 | 210.5 | 56.0 | 0.71 | | |
| BR-121 | -45/225 | 11.0 | 89.0 | 78.0 | 0.32 | | |
| BR-122 | -65/225 | 15.5 | 279.2 | 263.7 | 0.31 | | |
| BR-130 | -45/225 | 36.0 | 48.0 | 12.0 | 1.09 | | |
| BR-136 | -45/225 | 166.5 | 328.5 | 162.0 | 0.29 | | |
| BR-139 | -65/225 | 74.0 | 288.0 | 214.0 | 0.34 | | |
| BR-142 | -45/225 | 11.8 | 252.0 | 240.2 | 0.34 | | |
| | Incl | 76.0 | 116.5 | 40.5 | 0.63 | | |
| | | | | | | | |
| Haimila Zone |
| BR-146 | -50/225 | 47.9 | 48.3 | 0.4 | 0.15 | | 1.93 % Cu |
| Koopa Zone |
| | | | | | | | |
| BR-097 | -45/240 | 88.9 | 89.1 | 0.2 | 0.24 | 9.41 | |
| | | 212.2 | 213.0 | 0.8 | 0.20 | | |
| | | 644.6 | 646.5 | 1.9 | 0.26 | | |
| BR-105 | -60/240 | 210.0 | 211.5 | 1.5 | 0.32 | 26.4 | |
| BR-108 | -45/240 | 46.5 | 49.8 | 3.3 | 0.29 | | |
| | | 87.0 | 88.5 | 1.5 | 0.94 | | |
| | | 95.5 | 97.0 | 1.5 | | 106 | 0.61% Pb, 1.2% Zn |
| | | 109.5 | 111.0 | 1.5 | | 81.9 | 0.49% Pb, 0.24% Zn |
| | | 112.5 | 113.6 | 1.1 | | 1675 | 2.72% Pb, 7.23% Zn |
| BR-110 | -85/240 | 47.5 | 49.0 | 1.5 | 0.22 | | |
| | | 138.5 | 140.0 | 1.5 | | 23.8 | 0.26% Pb, 0.35% Zn |
| | | 177.0 | 178.0 | 1.0 | 0.17 | 25.1 | 0.15% Pb, 1.32% Zn |
| | | 188.4 | 189.0 | 0.6 | 0.27 | | |
(1) True thickness to be determined.
(2) All samples were submitted for preparation and analysis by ALS Chemex at its facilities in Terrace, B.C. All samples were analyzed using multi-digestion with ICP-MS finish and fire assay with AA finish for gold. Samples over 100 ppm silver were reanalyzed using four acid digestion with an ore grade AA finish. Samples over 1,500 ppm silver were fire assayed with a gravimetric finish. Samples with over 10 ppm gold were fire assayed with a gravimetric finish. One in 20 samples was blank, one in 20 was a standard sample, and one in 20 samples had a sample cut from assay rejects assayed as a field duplicate at ALS Chemex in North Vancouver, B.C. ALS Chemex is independent of Pretivm.
About Pretivm
Pretivm is an intermediate gold producer with the high-grade gold underground Brucejack Mine.
For further information contact:
Troy Shultz
Manager, Investor Relations &
Corporate Communications
Pretium Resources Inc.
Suite 2300, Four Bentall Centre, 1055 Dunsmuir Street
PO Box 49334 Vancouver, BC V7X 1L4
(604) 558-1784
invest@pretivm.com
(SEDAR filings: Pretium Resources Inc.)
Regarding Forward-Looking Information
This news release contains “forward-looking information” and “forward looking statements” within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United St