VANCOUVER, March 5, 2019 /CNW/ - Freegold Ventures Limited
(Freegold) (FVL:TSX), is pleased to announce it has entered
into an agreement with a wholly owned subsidiary of South32 Limited
(South32) whereby South32 has the option to earn a 70% interest in
the Shorty Creek property (the Project) located in Alaska. To
maintain the option in good standing South32 must contribute
minimum exploration funding of US$10
million over a 4 year option period with minimum exploration
expenditures of US$2million in Years
1 and 2 and US$3 million in Years 3
and 4 for an aggregate of US$10
million.
Provided that all the exploration data and information has been
made available by December 31 of each
year of the option agreement, South32 shall decide within 30 days
whether to fund a further tranche. The first year expenditure of a
minimum US$2 million is a firm
commitment. Should South32 withdraw prior to exercising its option,
the option will lapse and South32 will have no further interest in
or claim against the Project.
South32 may exercise its option at any time following Year 1 to
subscribe for 70% of the shares of a newly formed project company
by committing US$30 million to the
newly formed company, less the amount of exploration expenditure
contributed by South32 during the option period.
After the subscription funding has been expended by the project
holding company the parties will contribute funding pro rata
(70/30), as contemplated by the operating agreement, which will
govern the period subsequent to the option exercise.
Freegold will act as the operator of the Project during the 4
year option period and will provide annual reports and budgets to a
technical committee formed by Freegold and South32 for the purpose
of reviewing and approving each year's program.
Located 120 km northwest of Fairbanks, the Shorty Creek project was
identified as having significant porphyry potential by Freegold in
late 2014. To date 12 widely spaced holes with average hole depths
of 500 metres have been drilled at the Hill 1835 target, all of
which intersected significant and consistent copper, gold, silver
and tungsten mineralization over broad widths from base of oxide
material (average ~ 90 metres).
Shorty Creek hosts a cluster of magnetic anomalies commonly seen
in porphyry districts. Hill 1835 is only one of the potentially
significant targets within the property area. Drilling has expanded
the mineralized zone to an area over 750 metres x 300 metres. The
target remains open both laterally and to depth.
Two (2) km to the northwest of Hill 1835 is Hill 1710 which
hosts a large copper and molybdenum geochemical anomaly coincident
with a 6 km long broad magnetic anomaly. Initial drill testing in
2016 consisted of four (4) holes spaced 400 metres apart and tested
1.6 km of this magnetic high. Each hole intersected porphyry style
mineralization, with copper grades increasing to the northeast. The
magnetic anomaly extends another 2.5 km to the northeast from the
limits of the 2016 drilling.
Other exploration targets within this promising 100 square
kilometre property include the Quarry target, where oxidized
porphyritic rock with stockwork veining returned values of 500 ppm
copper in rock samples. Quarry lies 3 km north northeast of Hill
1835 at the northern end of an 11 km long magnetic high. Sampling
at Quarry has confirmed both the presence of copper mineralization
and quartz feldspar porphyry outcrops.
Additional sampling and mapping has been completed and continues
to identify other target areas that may have the potential to host
additional copper mineralization.
The Qualified Person for this release is Alvin Jackson, P.Geo – Vice President
Exploration and Development for the Company who has reviewed and
approved the scientific and technical information contained in this
press release.
About Freegold Ventures Limited
Freegold is a TSX
listed company focused on exploration in Alaska and holds the Golden Summit Gold
Project, near Fairbanks as well as
a 100% lease interest on the Shorty Creek Copper –Gold Project near
Livengood.
About South32
South32 is a globally diversified mining and metals company. We
produce bauxite, alumina, aluminium, energy and metallurgical coal,
manganese, nickel, silver, lead and zinc at our operations in
Australia, Southern Africa and South America. We are also the owner of a high
grade zinc, lead and silver development option in North America and have several partnerships
with junior explorers with a focus on base metals. Our purpose is
to make a difference by developing natural resources, improving
people's lives now and for generations to come, and to be trusted
by our owners and partners to realise the potential of their
resources.
Some statements in this news release contain forward-looking
information, including without limitation statements as to
planned expenditures and exploration programs. These
statements address future events and conditions and, as such,
involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors
which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to
be materially different from any future results, performance or
achievements expressed or implied by the statements. Such factors
include without limitation the completion of planned expenditures,
the ability to complete exploration programs on schedule and the
success of exploration programs
SOURCE Freegold Ventures Limited