Mr. Nigel Lees reports
SAGE GOLD CLAVOS GOLD MINE UPDATE
Sage Gold Inc. has provided an update on the bulk sampling program at its 100-per-cent-owned Clavos mine in Timmins, Ont., and plans to optimize the existing mine plan and update the mineral resource estimate.
To date, the company has completed three mill runs between October and December, 2017, as part of its bulk sampling program, yielding approximately 790 ounces of gold. The material processed so far primarily represents lower-grade prestope development rock mined by Sage Gold, as well as broken rock left by the previous operator. Stope mining of in situ mineralized material at the higher grades as outlined in the preliminary economic assessment (PEA) has not yet commenced. It is anticipated that there will be a further mill run during the month of January, 2018.
From an operational perspective, severe cold weather has hampered outside surface crushing at Clavos with numerous mechanical failures limiting the movement of crushed mineralized material from Clavos to the custom mill site 10 kilometres from Clavos. The crushing contractor has implemented various measures to limit breakdowns associated with the cold operating conditions. As a result, the company is developing stockpiles at both the mine and mill sites. Progress at Clavos in 2017 was hampered by Hydro One's delayed connection of the mine to the grid and more recently by the severe cold weather affecting the crushing, which has impacted costs and precipitated a need for further working capital. The company is also actively sourcing equipment financing for new equipment purchases and for the necessary additional working capital.
Underground drilling, blasting and the transport of mineralized material to surface are continuing on the 150 west, 150 east and 200 east metre levels. Mining activities are directed to developing and extracting mineralized blocks associated with stope blocks identified in the PEA. To date, on the 150 west mL, development and mining activities have accessed both hangingwall and footwall PEA stope blocks. Definition drilling suggests that the lower boundaries of some of the PEA stope blocks on the 150 west mL are closer to the access drift than originally anticipated, which will reduce the amount of development required before reaching the stope block. Mining on the 150 east mL has been continuing in the hangingwall zone at grades that are comparable with the 3.27-gram-per-tonne-gold grade for this stope block in the PEA. The 200 east mL is being developed and mined in both the hangingwall and footwall zones.
The Clavos mine is 90 per cent dewatered but requires additional electrical infrastructure to access levels below the 200 mL. This infrastructure is being sourced. The grade times thickness model illustrates that the highest-grade times thickness intersections occur below the 200 mL. The historical records of the Clavos deposit indicate that the previous operator developed down to the 285 mL but did not extract a significant amount of material. It is therefore anticipated that these developed stopes were left in situ.
Additionally, the company is now in the process of completing a new mineral resource and reserve estimate and prefeasibility study at Clavos incorporating the results from surface drilling from east and west of the mine and underground drilling within the mine infrastructure. The company has now completed all of the geological modelling related to the Clavos deposit. This modelling includes all the lithological units, including the mafic and siliceous intrusives. Gold mineralization at Clavos is almost exclusively associated with the intrusives as vein systems on the margins of the intrusives or as quartz breccia zones within the intrusives. The company intends to complete a new estimate of mineral resources and mineral reserves, utilizing 1,000 surface and 550 underground drill hole composites that are now in the grade times thickness database. An additional 200 drill hole assay composites from more recent underground definition and exploration drilling will also be incorporated. This mineral resource estimation will be the basis for a prefeasibility study.
The geotechnical content of this news release relating to the geological modelling and drill hole composites has been reviewed and approved by Sage Gold's consulting geologist, Peter Hubacheck, PGeo, who is a qualified person (QP) as defined in National Instrument 43-101.
The operational plans disclosed in this news release have been reviewed and approved by Sage Gold's consulting mining engineer, Robert Ritchie, PEng, who is a QP as defined in NI 43-101.
The company plans to complete a mineral resource and reserve estimate and a prefeasibility study regarding the Clavos project. In the event that a production decision is made that is not based on a prefeasibility study of mineral reserves demonstrating economic and technical viability prepared in accordance with NI 43-101, readers are cautioned that there is increased uncertainty and higher risk of economic and technical failure associated with such production decisions.
About Sage GoldInc.
The company is a mineral exploration and development company, which has primary interests in near-term production and exploration properties in Ontario. Its main properties are the Clavos gold property, 100 per cent owned, in Timmins, the 100-per-cent-owned Onaman property and other exploration properties in the Beardmore-Geraldton gold camp. Technical reports and information relating to the properties can be obtained from the SEDAR website and from the company's website.
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