VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 20, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Westhaven Gold Corp. (TSX-V:WHN) is pleased to provide an exploration update at its 17,623-hectare Shovelnose gold property. Shovelnose is located within the prospective Spences Bridge Gold Belt (SBGB), which borders the Coquihalla Highway 30 kilometres south of Merritt, British Columbia.
Gareth Thomas, President & CEO of Westhaven stated: “The goal for the 2020 drill program is to find new gold vein zones outside of the high-grade South Zone discovery. Our team discovered a brand-new quartz outcrop (Franz Zone) of white to gray, opaque, colloform-banded chalcedony veins hosted in rhyolite, one kilometre northwest of the FMN target. If the Franz Zone is in fact the extension of Vein Zone 1, we will have extended the strike length of Vein Zone 1 to 3.7 kilometres. This is important because the bigger the vein system we are dealing with, the greater the potential to host significant gold mineralization. As is typical with epithermal gold deposits, like Kupol and Hishikari, these large vein systems can host high-grade sections of gold mineralization as we have already demonstrated at the South Zone. This Franz outcrop is the most significant surface vein occurrence we have seen on Shovelnose and is being prioritized for drilling.” Thomas goes on to add, “Our technical team has done a great job vectoring in on new target areas both through drilling and prospecting. Near bedrock surface zones of anomalous gold at Alpine and Line 6 targets lead us to believe we are narrowing into a high-grade feeder zone.”
Exploration Highlights:
- SN20-86 (New vein zone at the MIK target) intersected 47 metres of strongly quartz-veined and brecciated dacite, 1.35 kilometres from South Zone discovery holes. Please see pictures below. Assays demonstrated anomalous gold and pathfinder elements indicating that a more productive horizon likely exists above this intercept.
- Recent drilling and a re-interpretation of historic drilling at Tower has confirmed the northwestward continuation of Vein Zone 2 through the Tower target. The zone has now been traced northwestward from South Zone for a total strike-length of 1.3 kilometres. It remains open and will be tested to the northwest, together with Vein Zone 1, at the FMN target.
- Discovered new near surface anomalous gold at Alpine and Line 6 targets.
- Discovered a brand-new 80 x 20 metre quartz outcrop (Franz Zone) of white to gray, opaque, colloform-banded chalcedony veins hosted in rhyolite one kilometre northwest of the FMN target. Please see pictures below.
- Hole SN20-73: Near bedrock surface anomalous zone of gold at Alpine (41.07-77.25m, Vein Zone 2) returned 36.18 metres (m) of 0.64 g/t gold (Au) and 3.17 g/t silver (Ag), including: 0.32m of 17.45 g/t Au and 61.50 g/t Ag.
- Hole SN20-73 (Alpine - 137.26-143.26m) returned 6.00m of 0.89 g/t Au and 4.6 g/t Ag.
- Hole SN20-76: Near surface anomalous zone of gold at Line 6 (7.90-29.00m) returned 21.10m of 0.53 g/t Au and 0.93 g/t Ag.
- The 3rd drill rig is on the Shylock target ~1.5 kilometres southeast of the South Zone discovery as the focus of this program is to test new drill targets. A drill is currently testing the MIK target while another is drilling north of the Lear Target.
Peter Fischl, Exploration Manager of Westhaven stated: “Drilling through the mid-summer has extended the strike length of the three vein zones originally defined in drilling at South Zone and previously intersected in historic drilling to the northwest at the MIK and Tower showings. Vein Zone 3 has now been traced in recent drilling over a strike length of 650 metres. It remains open to the northwest. Vein Zone 2 has been traced northwest towards the Tower showing, an area of veining exposed in outcrop and intersected in shallow drilling that is identical to the veining seen in recent drilling at Vein Zone 2 to the southeast (Holes SN20-72, -73, -77). A recent review of historic drilling at Tower dating back to 2011 has confirmed that the Tower showing represents the surficial expression of Vein Zone 2, giving the zone a strike length of 1.3 kilometres. It remains open to the northwest, and appears to continue towards the FMN target, a northwest trending soil geochemistry anomaly (As, Mo, Sb) of 500 metres in length lying northwest of the Tower showing. Recent drilling at the MIK showing (Holes SN20-86, -88) coupled with a reinterpretation of historic deeper drilling at MIK and Tower dating back to 2012 has confirmed that Vein Zone 1 now continues through this area for a total strike length of 2.2 kilometres. Follow-up drilling at MIK will target shallower portions of the vein system based on the pathfinder suite of elements encountered in hole SN20-86. Vein Zone 1 remains open to the northwest and appears to continue to the FMN target. The newly discovered Franz quartz vein showing lies on strike another 1 kilometre to the northwest of the FMN target, suggesting the possibility that the vein system continues further to the northwest.”
Westhaven is a gold-focused exploration company advancing the high-grade discovery on the Shovelnose Project in Canada’s newest gold district, the Spences Bridge Gold Belt. Westhaven controls 37,000 hectares (370 square kilometres) with four 100% owned gold properties spread along this underexplored belt. The Shovelnose property is situated off a major highway, in close proximity to power, rail, large producing mines, and within commuting distance from the city of Merritt, which translates into low cost exploration.
On behalf of the Board of Directors
WESTHAVEN GOLD CORP.
"Gareth Thomas"
Gareth Thomas, President, CEO & Director
Qualified Person Statement
Peter Fischl, P.Geo., who is a Qualified Person within the context of National Instrument 43-101 has read and takes responsibility for this release. Neither the 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.
Westhaven trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under the ticker symbol WHN. For further information, please call 604-336-6921 or visit Westhaven’s website at www.westhavengold.com
Photos accompanying this announcement are available at
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