VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA–(Marketwired – March 16, 2017) – West Kirkland Mining Inc. (TSX VENTURE:WKM) (OTCQB:WKLDF) (“West Kirkland” or the “Company”) today announces new gold bearing intercepts from a 2017 exploration drilling program. Drilling was performed east of the Three Hills pit and at the newly-leased Hill of Gold deposit which, together with the Hasbrouck Mine, form the Hasbrouck Gold Project.
DRILLING AT THREE HILLS
Holes TH17R-001, TH17R-002, AND TH17R-003 are within the Three Hills Mine permitted pit outline. Intercepts are outside the reserve boundary and will be evaluated for targeting resource and reserve expansion.
| Hole No. | From (m) | To (m) | Length (m) | Au (g/t) | Ag (g/t) | AuEq (g/t) | ||||||
| THREE HILLS | TH17R-001 | 162 | 165 | 3 | 0.6 | 1.6 | 0.7 | |||||
| TH17R-002 | 93 | 139 | 46 | 0.6 | 1.9 | 0.6 | ||||||
| 165 | 169 | 5 | 0.5 | 4.2 | 0.5 | |||||||
| TH17R-003 | 134 | 146 | 12 | 0.5 | 3.7 | 0.5 | ||||||
| TH17R-004 | 143 | 146 | 3 | 0.6 | 1.5 | 0.6 | ||||||
| TH17R-007 | 24 | 26 | 2 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 1.1 | ||||||
| 53 | 56 | 3 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.6 |
| AuEq grade is (gold grade) +( silver grade multiplied by $16.89 divided by $1,200) |
Three Hills is part of the Hasbrouck Gold Project which includes Three Hills, Hasbrouck, and now Hill of Gold deposits. Hasbrouck Gold Project Proven and Probable Reserves are 45.3 million tons containing 762,000 ounces gold and 10.6 million ounces silver:
| Hasbrouck Gold Project Mineral Reserves June 3, 2015, Mine Development Associates (1, 2) |
||||||||||
| Three Hills Mineral Reserves | K tons Ore |
Grade (oz Au/ton) |
K oz Au | Grade (oz Ag/ton) |
K oz Ag | |||||
| 0.005 opt Au cutoff |
Proven | – | – | – | – | – | ||||
| Probable | 9,653 | 0.018 | 175 | – | – | |||||
| P&P | 9,653 | 0.018 | 175 | – | – | |||||
| Hasbrouck Mine Mineral Reserves | ||||||||||
| Variable cutoff grade(3) | Proven | 6,242 | 0.020 | 127 | 0.410 | 2,562 | ||||
| Probable | 29,374 | 0.016 | 461 | 0.273 | 8,007 | |||||
| P&P | 35,617 | 0.017 | 588 | 0.297 | 10,569 | |||||
| Total Hasbrouck Gold Project Mineral Reserves | ||||||||||
| Variable cutoff grade(3) | Proven | 6,242 | 0.020 | 127 | 0.410 | 2,562 | ||||
| Probable | 39,028 | 0.016 | 635 | 0.205 | 8,007 | |||||
| P&P | 45,270 | 0.017 | 762 | 0.233 | 10,569 | |||||
| Notes: | |
| 1) | The estimation and classification of Proven and Probable Mineral Reserves have been prepared by Thomas L. Dyer, P.E., of Mine Development Associates following CIM standards |
| 2) | Mineral Reserves are estimated based on $1,225/oz gold and $17.50/oz silver |
| 3) | Cutoff grades used for Mineral Reserves are: Three Hills 0.005 oz Au/ton, Hasbrouck Upper Siebert 0.008 oz Au/ton, and Hasbrouck Lower Siebert 0.007 oz Au/ton |
DRILLING AT HILL OF GOLD
Exploration at Hill of Gold is directed at defining an open pit that can add life to the permitted Three Hills Mine. Historical metallurgical work at Hill of Gold indicates that mineralization is oxidized and amenable to heap leach at 1.5 inch crush for an 80% gold recovery. The Hill of Gold host rocks and geological setting are similar to the Three Hills deposit.
The hole West Kirkland drilled at Hill of Gold has been successful in expanding the gold zone defined by historical drilling of 29,926 feet from 83 reverse circulation holes and 6 core holes.
| Hole No. | From (m) | To (m) | Length (m) | Au (g/t) | Ag (g/t) | AuEq (g/t) | ||||||
| HILL OF GOLD | HoG17-001 | 0.0 | 103.6 | 103.6 | 0.5 | 8.0 | 0.6 |
| AuEq grade is (gold grade) +( silver grade multiplied by $16.89 divided by $1,200) |
In late 2016, West Kirkland entered a lease on the Hill of Gold deposit with the option to acquire a 100% interest. Hill of Gold is located equidistant between the Three Hills and Hasbrouck Mines and is now being explored as a possible source of ore for processing at the fully-permitted Three Hills Mine heap leach facility.
Further drilling will be targeted up-dip towards surface from this initial gold bearing intercept.
ABOUT THE HASBROUCK GOLD PROJECT
Hasbrouck Gold Project consists of two all-oxide gold-silver deposits eight kilometers apart. Both deposits will be mined in open pits having low stripping ratios and minimal pre-stripping should the project proceed to production.
West Kirkland’s independent consultants, Mine Development Associates, produced an updated Pre-feasibility Study in September 2016 which is available on SEDAR and at www.wkmining.com. All necessary permits to construct and operate the Three Hills Mine are in hand, and work to obtain permits for the Hasbrouck Mine is ongoing, with submission of a Plan of Operation to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) targeted for Q4, 2017.
QUALIFIED PERSON
R. Michael Jones P.Eng, CEO for West Kirkland Mining is a non-independent Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101. He has reviewed the information contained in this news release and has verified the data by hiring qualified geologists and engineers and has completed a review of the detailed technical information. Mineral Reserve information in this news release has been developed and approved by Thomas L. Dyer, P.E., of Mine Development Associates following CIM standards.
QUALITY ASSURANCE/QUALITY CONTROL
West Kirkland Mining utilizes a well-documented system of inserting blanks and standards into the assay stream and has a strict chain of custody. Assays are completed at independent laboratories which have internal quality assurance and quality control systems and procedures. Assays were performed by ALS Chemex Labs Ltd., by fire assay and ICP methods.
ABOUT WEST KIRKLAND MINING INC.
West Kirkland owns a 75% interest in the Hasbrouck Gold Project in Tonopah, Nevada. A Pre-feasibility Study with construction-level drawings and all federal and state permits for the phase-one Three Hills Mine provides a ready-to-construct project. Drilling for potential expansion is underway. West Kirkland also holds a 60% interest in the open pit heap-leach TUG Gold Project in Utah in joint venture with Newmont.
| On behalf of West Kirkland Mining Inc. |
| “R. Michael Jones“ |
| Chief Executive Officer |
For further information, please see the Company’s website at www.wkmining.com or contact us by email at [email protected].
Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information
This press release contains forward-looking information or forward-looking statements (collectively “forward-looking information”) within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information is typically identified by words such as: “believe”, “expect”, “anticipate”, “intend”, “estimate”, “postulate” and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. Forward-looking information in this news release includes, without limitation, the completion of the Prefeasibility Study, the project approach of the Prefeasibility Study and exploration and all information under the heading “Prefeasibility Study Detail”, including the Prefeasibility Study budget. Although West Kirkland believes that such timing and expenses as set out in this press release are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations and estimates will prove to be correct. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking information provided by the Company is not a guarantee of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking information as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, the state of the financial markets for the Company’s equity securities, the state of the market for gold or other minerals that may be produced generally, variations in the nature, quality and quantity of any mineral deposits that may be located, the Company’s ability to obtain any necessary permits, consents or authorizations required for its activities, to raise the necessary capital or to be fully able to implement its business strategies and other risks associated with the exploration and development of mineral properties. The reader is referred to the Company’s public filings for a more complete discussion of such risk factors and their potential effects which may be accessed through the Company’s profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.
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.
