Galantas Gold Corporation (TSX-V & AIM: GAL; OTCQX: GALKF)
(“Galantas” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce an updated NI
43-101-compliant Mineral Resource Estimate for the Company’s Omagh
Gold Project in Northern Ireland, effective June 22, 2023 (the
“2023 MRE”).
The MRE, prepared by Micon International Limited
(“Micon”), includes the main Kearney and Joshua vein systems which
have been updated on the basis of 42 additional drill holes and a
complete review of the previous vein wireframe interpretations.
Highlights of the Omagh Project 2023 MRE
include:
- Increased strike and depth
continuity of modelled veins in the Kearney and Joshua vein
systems.
- The Mineral Resources are the most
robust estimate of the Kearney and Joshua veins demonstrating
reasonable prospects for eventual economic extraction (RPEEE).
- 53% of Mineral Resources are
reported in the Measured and Indicated categories.
- Total contained gold ounces have
increased by 77% from the previous 2014 estimate (announced on July
28, 2014).
- Deposit remains open along strike
and to depth with downdip drilling planned on the Joshua Vein under
Permitted Development following a meeting of the Fermanagh and
Omagh District Council (FODC).
Mario Stifano, CEO of Galantas, commented: “This
resource update is the culmination of a tremendous effort by our
team at Omagh. The drill results from our most extensive
exploration program since the 2014 resource estimate have increased
our confidence in the high gold grades at the Omagh Project,
further confirming its potential particularly at the Joshua Vein,
which we are keen to explore.”
Mineral Resource Estimate for the
Kearney and Joshua Vein System
Table 1: Mineral Resources of the
Kearney and Joshua vein system, effective June 22,
2023.
Classification |
Vein |
Tonnage (tonnes) |
Gold Grade (grams/tonne) |
Contained Gold (ounces) |
Measured |
Kearney |
94,131 |
6.73 |
20,371 |
|
Joshua |
18,381 |
6.59 |
3,897 |
Indicated |
Kearney |
402,924 |
6.50 |
84,258 |
|
Joshua |
247,217 |
7.39 |
58,730 |
Measured + Indicated |
Kearney |
497,055 |
6.54 |
104,629 |
|
Joshua |
265,598 |
7.33 |
62,627 |
|
Total Measured + Indicated |
762,653 |
6.82 |
167,256 |
Inferred |
Kearney |
402,479 |
5.33 |
69,020 |
|
Joshua |
283,925 |
6.21 |
56,648 |
|
Total Inferred |
686,404 |
5.69 |
125,668 |
|
|
|
|
|
Notes:
- The Mineral Resource Estimate has
been prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 (NI
43-101) Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.
- To demonstrate Reasonable Prospects
for Eventual Economic Extraction (RPEEE), underground Mineral
Resources were constrained by Mineable Shape Optimizer (MSO) shapes
of 1.2 m minimum stope width optimized to a cut-off of 2.25 g/t Au
to demonstrate RPEEE.
- Economic parameters for cut-off
grade determination: US$1,800 oz Au price, 92% process recovery,
90% payability, 4% royalty, US$120 t mining cost, US$30.72 t
processing cost, US$13 t general and administration.
- Diluted tonnages and grades are
reported based on minimum stope widths.
- Mineral Resources are not Mineral
Reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability. There is
no certainty that all or any part of the estimated Mineral
Resources will be converted into Mineral Reserves.
- Average density values: mineralized
veins = 2.98 t/m3, waste =2.70 t/m3.
- Grade interpolation by 2D inverse
distance cubed (ID3) using a block size of 5 m (X) by 5 m (Y).
- Grade capping for outliers at 80
g/t Au.
- Mineral Resource Classification:
- Measured - within 20 m of channel
samples used in the Mineral Resource estimate or volumes where the
average distance to the nearest drill hole is <30 m and the
majority of intercepts are from recent underground drill
holes.
- Indicated - volumes where the
average distance to the nearest drill hole is <30 m.
- Inferred - all other interpolated
blocks inside the vein wireframes.
- Mineral Resources are inclusive of
Mineral Reserves.
Figure 1: Classification of Mineral
Resources of Kearney (left) and Joshua (right) veins.
Note: Block model shows the modelled veins; it
has not been constrained by the MSO shapes.
By definition, a Mineral Resource has reasonable
prospects for eventual economic extraction or RPEEE (CIM Definition
Standards, 2014). In accordance with the recommendation of the CIM
Estimation of Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves Best Practice
Guidelines 2016, a Mineable Shape Optimizer (MSO) was used to
identify spatially continuous mineralization within potentially
mineable shapes using reasonable assumptions based on the current
operation. The previous 2014 Mineral Resource Estimate did not take
into account RPEEE as outlined in the CIM 2016 guidelines, and only
considered an economic cut-off on a block-by-block basis.
The 2023 MRE updated Joshua and Kearney Mineral
Resources have been compared with the non-compliant reserve
estimate used in the economic study presented in the technical
report titled “Resource Estimate, Preliminary Economic Assessment
& Detailed Feasibility Study on the Omagh Gold Project, County
Tyrone, Northern Ireland” dated July 26, 2014 (the “2014 PEA”).
This is considered appropriate since the recommendation in 2016 by
the CIM to apply an MSO to demonstrate RPEEE renders a comparison
between the 2014 Mineral Resources unsuitable.
As can be seen from the table below, the 2023
MRE tonnage and grade is higher than the 2014 PEA estimate, which
is expected as the restrictions for estimating the potential
mineable resources in the 2014 PEA were greater than the high-level
MSO that was used to define the 2023 MRE. However, the table also
shows that with the application of MSO to demonstrate RPEEE, the
2023 MRE is in line with previous expectations.
Table 2: Comparison of 2023 MRE and 2014
PEA.
|
Tonnage (tonnes) |
Gold Grade (grams/tonne) |
Contained Gold (ounces) |
Vein |
2023 |
2014 |
%diff |
2023 |
2014 |
%diff |
2023 |
2014 |
%diff |
Kearney |
899,534.00 |
574,870.00 |
56% |
6.00 |
5.34 |
13% |
173,649.41 |
98,592.00 |
76% |
Joshua |
549,523.00 |
370,378.00 |
48% |
6.75 |
5.60 |
21% |
119,274.36 |
66,671.00 |
79% |
TOTAL |
1,449,057.00 |
945,248.00 |
53% |
6.29 |
5.44 |
16% |
292,923.77 |
165,263.00 |
77% |
Omagh Project Mineral Resource
Estimate
The 2023 MRE for the Omagh Project is set out in
the table below. It includes the results of the Mineral Resource
Estimate for the Kearney and Joshua vein systems by Micon,
effective June 22, 2023. All other veins were not updated during
this process and therefore remain unchanged from the 2014 PEA.
Table 3: 2023 MRE for the Omagh
Project.
|
Measured |
Indicated |
Inferred |
Vein |
Tonnage (t) |
Gold Grade (g/t) |
Contained Gold (oz) |
Tonnage (t) |
Gold Grade (g/t) |
Contained Gold (oz) |
Tonnage (t) |
Gold Grade (g/t) |
Contained Gold (oz) |
Kearney |
94,131 |
6.73 |
20,371 |
402,924 |
6.50 |
84,258 |
402,479 |
5.33 |
69,020 |
Joshua |
18,381 |
6.59 |
3,897 |
247,217 |
7.39 |
58,730 |
283,925 |
6.21 |
56,648 |
Kerr |
6,848 |
4.63 |
1,019 |
12,061 |
4.34 |
1,683 |
23,398 |
3.20 |
2,405 |
Elkins |
- |
- |
- |
68,500 |
4.24 |
9,000 |
20,000 |
5.84 |
3,800 |
Gormleys |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
75,000 |
8.78 |
21,000 |
Princes |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
10,000 |
38.11 |
13,000 |
Sammy's |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
27,000 |
6.07 |
5,000 |
Kearney North |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
18,000 |
3.47 |
2,000 |
TOTAL |
119,360 |
6.59 |
25,287 |
730,702 |
6.56 |
153,671 |
859,802 |
6.24 |
172,873 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Notes:
- Updated Mineral Resource Estimate
for the Kearney and Joshua vein was completed by Micon in June
2023.
- All other veins were not updated
during 2023 and therefore remain unchanged from the 2014 Mineral
Resource estimate by Galantas as stated in the technical report
“Resource Estimate, Preliminary Economic Assessment & Detailed
Feasibility Study on the Omagh Gold Project, County Tyrone,
Northern Ireland" dated July 26, 2014 and filed on September 4,
2014.
- The 2014 MRE has incorporated a
different level of rounding to the current estimate, resulting in
the reported contained ounces for the veins being
approximated.
The Company will file a Technical Report
supporting this Mineral Resource Estimate in accordance with NI
43-101 within 45 days of this announcement.
Update on Exploration
The drilling program continues on site with
several targets identified. Permitted Development rights are being
exercised for surface drilling following a meeting of the Fermanagh
and Omagh District Council (FODC). The program will enable targeted
drilling of existing gaps in the Mineral Resource model on the
Joshua Vein system. Potential for extending the resource down
plunge to the north, in the host lithology favourable to better
vein development, remains to be tested.
Qualified Person
The information in this announcement which
relates to the updated Mineral Resource Estimate for the Omagh Gold
Project has been approved by Mrs. Liz de Klerk, M.Sc., Pr.Sci.Nat.,
FIMMM who is a professional registered with the South African
Council for Natural Scientific Professionals (SACNASP) and an
independent consultant to the Company. Mrs. de Klerk is the Senior
Geologist & Managing Director of Micon International Co Limited
and has over 20 continuous years of exploration and mining
experience in a variety of mineral deposit styles. Mrs. de Klerk
has sufficient experience which is relevant to the style of
exploration, mineralization and type of deposit under consideration
and to the activity which she is undertaking to qualify as a
Qualified Person under the terms of NI 43-101. Mrs. de Klerk
consents to inclusion in the announcement of the matters based on
this information in the form and context in which it appears.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation
Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the
TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or
accuracy of this release.
The information contained within this
announcement is deemed to constitute inside information as
stipulated under the retained EU law version of the Market Abuse
Regulation (EU) No. 596/2014 (the "UK MAR") which is part of UK law
by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018. The
information is disclosed in accordance with the Company's
obligations under Article 17 of the UK MAR. Upon the publication of
this announcement, this inside information is now considered to be
in the public domain.
About Galantas Gold
Corporation
Galantas Gold Corporation is a Canadian public
company that trades on the TSX Venture Exchange and the London
Stock Exchange AIM market, both under the symbol GAL. It also
trades on the OTCQX Exchange under the symbol GALKF. The Company's
strategy is to create shareholder value by operating and expanding
gold production and resources at the Omagh Project in Northern
Ireland, and exploring the Gairloch Project hosting the Kerry Road
gold-bearing VMS deposit in Scotland.
Enquiries
Galantas Gold CorporationMario Stifano: Chief
Executive OfficerEmail: info@galantas.comWebsite:
www.galantas.comTelephone: +44(0)28 8224 1100
Grant Thornton UK LLP (AIM Nomad)Philip Secrett,
Harrison Clarke, George Grainger, Samuel Littler Telephone:
+44(0)20 7383 5100
SP Angel Corporate Finance LLP (AIM Broker)David
Hignell, Charlie Bouverat (Corporate Finance)Grant Barker (Sales
& Broking) Telephone: +44(0)20 3470 0470
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking
statements within the meaning of the United States Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian
securities laws, including without limitation, statements relating
to the results of the 2023 MRE and the nature of such results, the
2023 exploration program and the details and timing thereof, and
the Company’s plans and strategies. Forward-looking statements are
based on estimates and assumptions made by Galantas in light of its
experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions
and expected future developments, as well as other factors that
Galantas believes are appropriate in the circumstances. Many
factors could cause Galantas’ actual results, the performance or
achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied
by the forward looking statements or strategy, including: gold
price volatility; discrepancies between actual and estimated
production, actual and estimated metallurgical recoveries and
throughputs; mining operational risk, geological uncertainties;
regulatory restrictions, including environmental regulatory
restrictions and liability; risks of sovereign involvement;
speculative nature of gold exploration; dilution; competition; loss
of or availability of key employees; additional funding
requirements; uncertainties regarding planning and other permitting
issues; and defective title to mineral claims or property. These
factors and others that could affect Galantas’ forward-looking
statements are discussed in greater detail in the section entitled
“Risk Factors” in Galantas’ Management Discussion & Analysis of
the financial statements of Galantas and elsewhere in documents
filed from time to time with the Canadian provincial securities
regulators and other regulatory authorities. These factors should
be considered carefully, and persons reviewing this press release
should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.
Galantas has no intention and undertakes no obligation to update or
revise any forward-looking statements in this press release, except
as required by law.
Kearney and Joshua Vein Mineral Resource
Estimate
APPENDIX
Geology and Mineralization
The Omagh Gold Project, located in the west of
Northern Ireland, lies within the Caledonian orogenic belt. The
principal host rocks of gold mineralization in the region belong to
the Neoproterozoic age Dalradian Supergroup. They comprise a thick
sequence of metamorphosed biotite to garnet grade clastic marine
sediments with minor volcanic units, deposited in a passive-margin
rift basin during the breakup of the supercontinent of Rodinia.
Mineral exploration during the past 30 years has
identified a number of significant deposits in the Caledonian
orogenic belt including Curraghinalt and Cavanacaw (the Omagh Gold
Project) in Northern Ireland, and Cononish in Scotland. The
along-strike extensions of the Caledonian belt into Scandinavia and
North America are known to host a number of major mineral deposits
in a similar geological environment. These include the Silurian
hosted, shear-zone gold deposit of Kolsvik (Bindal) in Norway, the
Upper Proterozoic, sandstone and porphyry hosted,
high-sulphidation, epithermal gold deposit of Hope Brook in
Newfoundland and the Ridgeway gold deposit in the Upper Proterozoic
Slate Belt of South Carolina.
The Omagh Gold Project mostly overlies rocks of
the Upper Dalradian, part of the Southern Highland Group, exposed
in the Lack Inlier, including the Glengawna Formation and the
Mullaghcarn Formation. The deposit itself is hosted by the
Mullaghcarn Formation that is composed of fine grained clastic
meta-sedimentary rocks (psammites, semi-pelites and chlorite-rich
pelites).
The northerly trending Omagh Lineament, one of
three major, parallel, basement lineaments in the region, crosses
the eastern part of the Lack Inlier, in the area underlain by the
north trending Omagh Gold Project vein swarm. The lineament is
predicted to have a zone of influence up to several kilometres wide
and likely has a significant control on the location and
orientation of the mineralized veins, based on the distribution of
gold and arsenic anomalies and the north trending orientation of
mineralized veins in the vicinity of the Lack Inlier.
The Omagh Gold Project vein swarm comprises 17
named vein structures in an area of about 6 km2. The largest of
these is the north to north-northeast trending sub-vertical Kearney
vein system with a strike length of approximately 850 m, and true
vein widths of up to 8.0 m. The maximum vertical extent proved by
drilling is 337 m and it remains open at depth down plunge. Gold
mineralization can be characterized as Palaeozoic orogenic type and
is one of several orogenic structurally controlled, mesothermal
gold bearing quartz and quartz-sulphide veins systems located in
the Caledonian basement rocks.
Mineralization consists of
centimetre-to-metre-scale wide quartz veins with disseminated to
massive auriferous sulphides, predominately pyrite and galena with
some accessory arsenopyrite and chalcopyrite. Quartz veins pinch
and swell from stringers to widths greater than a metre over
distances of several metres. The veins are commonly fringed by
varying widths of clay gouge. Wallrock alteration in the form of
sericitization and bleaching may extend several metres into
quartz-feldspar schist host rocks, depending on the degree of
fracturing. The vein systems of the Omagh Gold Project are
structurally controlled complex zone of quartz-sulphide
mineralization and associated alteration, along which there has
clearly been pre- to post-mineralization tectonic movement,
resulting in an irregular lattice-work of mineralized veins.
A number of potential dilation zones have been
identified in the Kearney and Joshua vein systems in drill core and
geological mapping of underground development drives. Dilation
zones have potential for wider intervals of mineralization and are
believed to be linked on shallow north-dipping planes.
Gold values are closely correlated with sulphide
content such that the tenor of mineralization can be estimated
visually in drill core and during open pit mining. Visible gold has
not been reported in core and the low nugget effect is consistent
with this and with the assumed presence of gold in very fine
particle sizes.
Geological Modelling and Grade
Interpolation
Since the previous Mineral Resource Estimate in
2014, two further campaigns of infill drilling have been carried
out focusing on the Kearney and Joshua vein systems in 2015-2016
and 2021-2022. This included 21 infill underground drill holes in
the Kearney Vein. Density measurements (water immersion method)
were performed on selected drill hole samples giving additional
density data that was used in the updated Mineral Resource
estimate.
After updating the Omagh Gold Project drill hole
database it was loaded into Leapfrog Geo. Economic composites were
created at 1 g/t Au to highlight mineralized intersects to be
included in the vein wireframes. Mineralized samples were manually
assigned to a vein based on previous wireframe interpretations,
geological mapping and structural data. The inclusion of internal
waste was kept to a minimum. In total, mineralized intervals were
assigned to 22 veins in the Kearney vein system and 7 veins in the
Joshua vein system.
A separate vein system geological model was
created for Kearney and Joshua. Underground mapping at Kearney gave
additional spatial constraints on the vein hangingwall and footwall
surfaces in the form of polylines. Data from channel samples
pre-2011 were not used in the Mineral Resource Estimate and were
only used to guide the orientation of the vein wireframe models due
to the large sample intervals. The vein systems were modelled with
a minimum thickness of 0.1 m. Pinch outs were manually digitized
using polylines and the vein wireframes were clipped to ensure that
they did not extend significantly beyond the drill data. The
clipping boundary was limited to within 70 m of drill hole data for
the largest most continuous veins and within 50 m for the smaller
more discontinuous veins. These distances were based on the
observed vein continuity from the exploration drilling. Where there
was a pinch out at less than the clipping boundary distance the
boundary as set to the approximate midpoint between the pinch out
and the nearest vein intersection.
Figure 2: West to east cross-section
across the Kearney Vein.
Attempts were made to model the dilation zones
as part of the vein wireframes, but their spatial extents could not
be confidently modelled in between drill holes. It is recognized
that the location of the dilation zones can be predicted but there
is not sufficient data at the required resolution to accurately
model them.
The method of interpolation used was 2D inverse
distance cubed (ID3). A 2D method of interpolation was preferred
because of the narrow vein geometry of the ore body. The veins have
been sampled on intervals of varying length which makes compositing
for 3D estimation problematic. Furthermore, the veins will be mined
in a single stope with no mining selectivity across the vein
width.
Length-weighted full width vein composites were
created for each mineralized intercept, input assay data was capped
at 80 g/t Au and the true vein width of composites was calculated
from the modelled vein wireframe thickness.
An accumulation variable was calculated,
where:
Accumulation = Au grade × true vein width |
|
The accumulation was interpolated into the block
model using ID3, as was the true vein width. Global inverse
distance utilizing all samples with an isotropic search was used as
were declustering weights for veins with clustered data. The grades
were calculated on a block-by-block basis as follows:
|
= |
accumulation |
|
Au
grade |
true vein width |
|
|
|
|
The 2D block models for Kearney and Joshua
utilized a block size of 5 m (X) by 5 m (Y). The full width vein
composites were rotated so that the plane of the modelled vein was
approximately parallel to the XY plane. The Z value was set to a
constant value, projecting the full width vein composites on to the
XY plane for 2D interpolation. After interpolation the projection
and rotation were reversed and the 2D interpolated values were
transferred to the 3D block models for Kearney and Joshua. The 3D
block models utilized a parent block size of 5 m (X) by 1 m (Y) by
5 m (Z) with a minimum subblock size of 1.25 m (X) by 0.0625 m (Y)
by 1.25 m (Z) and was rotated with an azimuth of 265°, dip of 5°,
and pitch of 0°.
An average density value of 2.98 t/m3 was
assigned to mineralized veins and 2.70 t/m3 to waste.
In order to assure the quality of the estimate,
the block model was validated using statistical comparison, visual
inspection and swath plot analysis.
Figure 3: 3D Rotated view of the Joshua
and Kearney vein block models.
Classification and
Reporting
The Mineral Resource estimate was classified in
accordance with National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101) Standards of
Disclosure for Mineral Projects and as defined in the CIM
Definition Standards, 2014. Mineral Resources were classified as
Measured, Indicated, and Inferred. The Mineral Resource
classification is based on the following:
- Measured – within
20 m of closely spaced channel samples used in the Mineral Resource
estimate or volumes where the average distance to the nearest drill
hole is <30 m and the majority of intercepts are from recent
underground drill holes.
- Indicated –
volumes where the average distance to the nearest drill hole is
<30 m.
- Inferred – all
other interpolated blocks inside the vein wireframes.
The average distance to the nearest drill hole
was calculated using the 3 closest samples.
By definition, a Mineral Resource has reasonable
prospects for eventual economic extraction or RPEEE (CIM Definition
Standards, 2014). The Omagh Gold Project has demonstrated RPEE on
the following basis:
- More than 2,500 m of ore and waste
development drives have been completed and in July 2022 longhole
drilling commenced to open the first series of stopes at the
Kearney vein system.
- The ore produced from the
development and limited stoping has been used to feed the on site
processing plant on a part time basis. The processing plant which
was operational during the open pit phase of the mine, produces a
saleable sulphide rich flotation concentrate.
- The operation is fully permitted
including an up-to-date Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
In accordance with the recommendation of the CIM
Estimation of Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves Best Practice
Guidelines 2016 a Mineable Shape Optimizer (MSO) was used to
identify spatially continuous mineralization within potentially
mineable shapes using reasonable assumptions based on the current
operation and long term price trends. For the MSO a minimum stope
width of 1.2 m optimized to a cut-off of 2.25 g/t Au was used.
Economic parameters for cut-off grade determination include:
US$1,800 oz Au price, 92% process recovery, 90% payability, 4%
royalty, US$120 t mining cost, US$30.72 t processing cost, US$13 t
general and administration.
Photos accompanying this announcement are available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c4586fd4-9ad4-4911-8489-cb2b2f5cd5dchttps://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/debb867c-4d9f-4c06-8a9c-2709a03e30c5https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/23c765e0-0b05-4da8-ab28-9e4430aff4e5
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