TORONTO, Aug. 20, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Loncor Gold Inc. ("Loncor" or the "Company") (TSX: "LN"; OTCQX: "LONCF”; FSE: "LO51") is pleased to announce further significant assay results from its drilling program within its 84.68%-owned Imbo Project in the eastern part of the Ngayu greenstone belt in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The deepest borehole drilled to date at its flagship Adumbi deposit, LADD016, intersected 25.59 metres grading 2.39 grammes per tonne (g/t) gold (including 6.09 metres grading 4.78 g/t Au) and 8.09 metres grading 1.90 g/t Au.
Mineralized sections for borehole LADD016 are summarised in the table below:
| Borehole Number | From (m) | To (m) | Intersected Width (m) | Grade (g/t) Au |
| LADD016 | 672.85 | 680.94 | 8.09 | 1.90 |
| LADD016 | 731.51 | 757.10 | 25.59 | 2.39 |
| including | 737.18 | 743.27 | 6.09 | 4.78 |
| including | 749.67 | 752.56 | 2.89 | 4.98 |
| LADD016 | 765.55 | 768.36 | 2.81 | 2.42 |
Borehole LADD016 had an inclination of minus 75 degrees and azimuth of 218 degrees at the start of hole and regular measurements of inclination and azimuth were taken at 30 metre intervals down the hole. All core was orientated, and it is estimated that the true widths of the mineralised sections are approximately 71% of the intersected width. All intercepted grades are uncut with maximum internal dilution equal to or less than 4 metres of intersected width.
Commenting on these latest drilling results, Loncor President Peter Cowley said: “Borehole LADD016 is the deepest hole drilled to date at Adumbi with a depth of 640 metres below surface and on section, 300 metres below the shallower hole LADD013 which intersected 20.00 metres grading 4.21 g/t Au and 17.30 metres grading 2.48 g/t Au (see Figures 1 and 2 below). In addition, this deep hole intersected the thickest Banded Ironstone (BIF) host rock sequence in all the holes drilled to date by Loncor and demonstrates that the BIF sequence is still continuing strongly at depth.”
Drilling is continuing at Adumbi with two drill rigs and is focusing on infill drilling within the inferred mineral resource open pit to generate indicated resources as well as below the pit to generate underground resources.
Quality Control and Quality Assurance
Drill cores for assaying were taken at a maximum of one-metre intervals and were cut with a diamond saw, with one-half of the core placed in sealed bags by Company geologists and sent to the Company’s on-site sample preparation facility. The core samples were then crushed down to 80% passing minus 2 mm and split with one half of the sample up to 1.5 kg pulverized down to 90% passing 75 microns. Approximately 150 grams of the pulverized sample was then sent to the SGS Laboratory in Mwanza, Tanzania (independent of the Company). Gold analyses were carried out on 50g aliquots by fire assay. In addition, check assays were also carried out by the screen fire assay method to verify high-grade sample assays obtained initially by fire assay. As part of the Company’s QA/QC procedures, internationally recognized standards, blanks and duplicates were inserted into the sample batches prior to submitting to SGS Laboratory.
Qualified Person
Peter N. Cowley, who is President of Loncor and a "qualified person" as such term is defined in National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical information in this press release.
Technical Reports
Additional information with respect to the Company’s Imbo Project (which includes the Adumbi deposit) is contained in the technical report of Minecon Resources and Services Limited dated April 27, 2021 and entitled "Updated Resource Statement and Independent National Instrument 43-101 Technical Report, Imbo Project, Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo". A copy of the said report can be obtained from SEDAR at www.sedar.com and EDGAR at www.sec.gov.
Information with respect to the Company’s Makapela Project, and certain other properties of the Company in the Ngayu gold belt, is contained in the technical report of Venmyn Rand (Pty) Ltd dated May 29, 2012 and entitled "Updated National Instrument 43-101 Independent Technical Report on the Ngayu Gold Project, Orientale Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo". A copy of the said report can be obtained from SEDAR at www.sedar.com and EDGAR at www.sec.gov.
About Loncor Gold Inc.
Loncor is a Canadian gold exploration company focussed on the Ngayu Greenstone Gold Belt in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (the "DRC"). The Loncor team has over two decades of experience of operating in the DRC. Loncor’s growing resource base in the Ngayu Belt currently comprises the Imbo and Makapela Projects. At the Imbo Project, the Adumbi deposit and two neighbouring deposits hold an inferred mineral resource of 3.466 million ounces of gold (42.996 million tonnes grading 2.51 g/t Au), with 84.68% of this resource being attributable to Loncor. Loncor is currently carrying out a drilling program at the Adumbi deposit with the objective of outlining additional mineral resources. The Makapela Project (which is 100%-owned by Loncor and is located approximately 50 kilometres from the Imbo Project) has an indicated mineral resource of 614,200 ounces of gold (2.20 million tonnes grading 8.66 g/t Au) and an inferred mineral resource of 549,600 ounces of gold (3.22 million tonnes grading 5.30 g/t Au).
Additional information with respect to Loncor and its projects can be found on Loncor's website at www.loncor.com.
Cautionary Note Concerning Forward-Looking Information
This press release contains forward-looking information. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, that address activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future (including, without limitation, statements regarding drill results at the Adumbi deposit, mineral resource estimates, upgrading inferred mineral resources into the indicated category, generating underground mineral resources, potential mineralization, potential gold discoveries, drill targets, exploration results, and future exploration and development) are forward-looking information. This forward-looking information reflects the current expectations or beliefs of the Company based on information currently available to the Company. Forward-looking information is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking information, and even if such actual results are realized or substantially realized, there can be no assurance that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on the Company. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things, the possibility that future exploration (including drilling) or development results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations, the possibility that drilling programs will be delayed, activities of the Company may be adversely impacted by the continued spread of the widespread outbreak of respiratory illness caused by a novel strain of the coronavirus (“COVID-19”), including the ability of the Company to secure additional financing, risks related to the exploration stage of the Company's properties, uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future, failure to establish estimated mineral resources (the Company’s mineral resource figures are estimates and no assurances can be given that the indicated levels of gold will be produced), changes in world gold markets or equity markets, political developments in the DRC, gold recoveries being less than those indicated by the metallurgical testwork carried out to date (there can be no assurance that gold recoveries in small scale laboratory tests will be duplicated in large tests under on-site conditions or during production), fluctuations in currency exchange rates, inflation, changes to regulations affecting the Company's activities, delays in obtaining or failure to obtain required project approvals, the uncertainties involved in interpreting drilling results and other geological data and the other risks disclosed under the heading "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in the Company's annual report on Form 20-F dated March 31, 2021 filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and EDGAR at www.sec.gov. Forward-looking information speaks only as of the date on which it is provided and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. Although the Company believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking information are reasonable, forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such information due to the inherent uncertainty therein.
For further information, please visit our website at www.loncor.com or contact:
Arnold Kondrat, CEO, Tel: (416) 366-7300
Peter Cowley, President, +44 7904 540 856
John Barker, VP of Business Development, +44 7547 159 521
Figures accompanying this announcement are available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6189c2ff-2917-40e8-8ea9-d6ae4b3af8f5
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/aeb5c39b-7855-4caf-ac54-2e96d3f8dd65
