Immersed in the expansive territory of Alaska, one would find the Golden Summit. This location, brimming with potential, is sporting the enticing gleam of gold beneath its rough-hewn exterior. Freegold Ventures Limited recently unlocked this potential, revealing an astonishing discovery of gold – a promising indicator of the rich veins hidden beneath the surface.
Interestingly, the Golden Summit off the Steese Highway (situated a short drive from Fairbanks) sits within the Tintina Gold Belt. This geologic structure, a significant gold resource, spans across Alaska and Yukon Territory all the way to British Columbia. The natural alignment of this gold province provides an exceptional opportunity for gold exploration.
In the heart of Golden Summit, Freegold Ventures Limited has been tenaciously drilling, unraveling the mystery of what lay beneath the rocky exterior. According to the recent announcement on April 14th, 2021, the highly-anticipated results from their exploration have exceeded all expectations.
Freegold reported that hole GSDL2001 intersected 3.06 grams per tonne (‘g/t’) gold over 42 metres from the Dolores zone. Furthermore, hole GSDL2002 intersected 1.36 g/t gold over 115.2 metres from the same Dolores Zone. Each layer of rock drilled revealed higher than expected mineralization, setting high hopes for the potential output of gold from this site.
The Dolores Zone, which provided these impressive results, is part of the Dolphin-Cleary Project. This is a significant gold occurrence chain, stretching over four kilometres where Freegold had carried out its masterful exploration. Nevertheless, the recent results represent only a portion of that chain, signaling more revelations to come.
Detailing the actual drilling, Freegold embarked on a twin-based drilling style. This involved placing new holes near the old holes drilled in the historic Dolphin-Cleary deposit. They were able to verify and exceed the results of the historical drilling. For example, GSDL2001 verified the former GD1995 result of approximately 2.5 g/t gold over 40.8 meters, but with an enriched grade of 3.06 g/t gold over 42 meters.
While Freegold has done considerable historic drilling in the area, these recent drill results demonstrate an evolution in our understanding of the geology in the Golden Summit. Based on these results, it is concluded that the mineralization occurs in two separate and distinct types – broad zones of lower-grade mineralization hosted by intrusive rocks, and higher-grade mineralization encountered in adjacent metasediments.
To many people, it would seem like just another drilling exploration. However, this breakthrough is significantly changing the game for Freegold Ventures. The results not only exceeded prior findings but went the extra mile suggesting that there are potentially much larger reserves waiting to be tapped.
The ongoing exploration at Golden Summit is indeed an endeavor that lives up to its sparkling namesake. The newest intersections reveal the potential for a sizable gold resource in the Dolphin-Cleary Zone, and possibly beyond. As Freegold continues to unearth the value hidden in the Tintina Gold Belt, stakeholders and potential investors should anticipate exciting future announcements of this golden exploration tale. With greater depths still to be delved into, it won’t be a surprise if Alaska becomes the new El Dorado of the gold industry.