REG - Galantas Gold Corp - Resource Upgrade at Omagh Gold Project

Galantas GoldAnnouncement

18/07/2023 07:00

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RNS Number : 2853G  Galantas Gold Corporation  18 July 2023

 

GALANTAS GOLD ANNOUNCES RESOURCE UPGRADE AT THE OMAGH GOLD PROJECT IN NORTHERN
IRELAND

 

JULY 18, 2023, TORONTO, CANADA - Galantas Gold Corporation (TSX-V & AIM:
GAL; OTCQX: GALKF) ("Galantas" or the "Company") is pleased to announce an
updated NI 43-101-compliant Mineral Resource Estimate for the Company's Omagh
Gold Project in Northern Ireland, effective June 22, 2023 (the "2023 MRE").

 

The MRE, prepared by Micon International Limited ("Micon"), includes the main
Kearney and Joshua vein systems which have been updated on the basis of 42
additional drill holes and a complete review of the previous vein wireframe
interpretations.

 

Highlights of the Omagh Project 2023 MRE include:

 

·    Increased strike and depth continuity of modelled veins in the
Kearney and Joshua vein systems.

·    The Mineral Resources are the most robust estimate of the Kearney and
Joshua veins demonstrating reasonable prospects for eventual economic
extraction (RPEEE).

·    53% of Mineral Resources are reported in the Measured and Indicated
categories.

·    Total contained gold ounces have increased by 77% from the previous
2014 estimate (announced on July 28, 2014).

·    Deposit remains open along strike and to depth with downdip drilling
planned on the Joshua Vein under Permitted Development following a meeting of
the Fermanagh and Omagh District Council (FODC).

 

Mario Stifano, CEO of Galantas, commented: "This resource update is the
culmination of a tremendous effort by our team at Omagh. The drill results
from our most extensive exploration program since the 2014 resource estimate
have increased our confidence in the high gold grades at the Omagh Project,
further confirming its potential particularly at the Joshua Vein, which we are
keen to explore."

 

Mineral Resource Estimate for the Kearney and Joshua Vein System

 

Table 1: Mineral Resources of the Kearney and Joshua vein system, effective
June 22, 2023.

 

 Classification        Vein                        Tonnage (tonnes)  Gold Grade (grams/tonne)  Contained Gold (ounces)
 Measured              Kearney                     94,131            6.73                      20,371
                       Joshua                      18,381            6.59                      3,897
 Indicated             Kearney                     402,924           6.50                      84,258
                       Joshua                      247,217           7.39                      58,730
 Measured + Indicated  Kearney                     497,055           6.54                      104,629
                       Joshua                      265,598           7.33                      62,627
                       Total Measured + Indicated  762,653           6.82                      167,256
 Inferred              Kearney                     402,479           5.33                      69,020
                       Joshua                      283,925           6.21                      56,648
                       Total Inferred              686,404           5.69                      125,668

 

Notes:

1.   The Mineral Resource Estimate has been prepared in accordance with
National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101) Standards of Disclosure for Mineral
Projects.

2.   To demonstrate Reasonable Prospects for Eventual Economic Extraction
(RPEEE), underground Mineral Resources were constrained by Mineable Shape
Optimizer (MSO) shapes of 1.2 m minimum stope width optimized to a cut-off of
2.25 g/t Au to demonstrate RPEEE.

3.   Economic parameters for cut-off grade determination: US$1,800 oz Au
price, 92% process recovery, 90% payability, 4% royalty, US$120 t mining cost,
US$30.72 t processing cost, US$13 t general and administration.

4.   Diluted tonnages and grades are reported based on minimum stope widths.

5.   Mineral Resources are not Mineral Reserves and do not have demonstrated
economic viability. There is no certainty that all or any part of the
estimated Mineral Resources will be converted into Mineral Reserves.

6.   Average density values: mineralized veins = 2.98 t/m(3), waste =2.70
t/m(3).

7.   Grade interpolation by 2D inverse distance cubed (ID(3)) using a block
size of 5 m (X) by 5 m (Y).

8.   Grade capping for outliers at 80 g/t Au.

9.   Mineral Resource Classification:

a.   Measured - within 20 m of channel samples used in the Mineral Resource
estimate or volumes where the average distance to the nearest drill hole is
<30 m and the majority of intercepts are from recent underground drill
holes.

b.   Indicated - volumes where the average distance to the nearest drill
hole is <30 m.

c.   Inferred - all other interpolated blocks inside the vein wireframes.

10. Mineral Resources are inclusive of Mineral Reserves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 1: Classification of Mineral Resources of Kearney (left) and Joshua
(right) veins.

 

Note: Block model shows the modelled veins; it has not been constrained by the
MSO shapes.

 

By definition, a Mineral Resource has reasonable prospects for eventual
economic extraction or RPEEE (CIM Definition Standards, 2014). In accordance
with the recommendation of the CIM Estimation of Mineral Resources and Mineral
Reserves Best Practice Guidelines 2016, a Mineable Shape Optimizer (MSO) was
used to identify spatially continuous mineralization within potentially
mineable shapes using reasonable assumptions based on the current operation.
The previous 2014 Mineral Resource Estimate did not take into account RPEEE as
outlined in the CIM 2016 guidelines, and only considered an economic cut-off
on a block-by-block basis.

 

The 2023 MRE updated Joshua and Kearney Mineral Resources have been compared
with the non-compliant reserve estimate used in the economic study presented
in the technical report titled "Resource Estimate, Preliminary Economic
Assessment & Detailed Feasibility Study on the Omagh Gold Project, County
Tyrone, Northern Ireland" dated July 26, 2014 (the "2014 PEA"). This is
considered appropriate since the recommendation in 2016 by the CIM to apply an
MSO to demonstrate RPEEE renders a comparison between the 2014 Mineral
Resources unsuitable.

 

As can be seen from the table below, the 2023 MRE tonnage and grade is higher
than the 2014 PEA estimate, which is expected as the restrictions for
estimating the potential mineable resources in the 2014 PEA were greater than
the high-level MSO that was used to define the 2023 MRE. However, the table
also shows that with the application of MSO to demonstrate RPEEE, the 2023 MRE
is in line with previous expectations.

 

Table 2: Comparison of 2023 MRE and 2014 PEA.

 

          Tonnage (tonnes)                  Gold Grade (grams/tonne)         Contained Gold (ounces)
 Vein     2023          2014        %diff   2023       2014       %diff      2023        2014        %diff
 Kearney  899,534.00    574,870.00  56%     6.00       5.34       13%        173,649.41  98,592.00   76%
 Joshua   549,523.00    370,378.00  48%     6.75       5.60       21%        119,274.36  66,671.00   79%
 TOTAL    1,449,057.00  945,248.00  53%     6.29       5.44       16%        292,923.77  165,263.00  77%

 

Omagh Project Mineral Resource Estimate

 

The 2023 MRE for the Omagh Project is set out in the table below. It includes
the results of the Mineral Resource Estimate for the Kearney and Joshua vein
systems by Micon, effective June 22, 2023. All other veins were not updated
during this process and therefore remain unchanged from the 2014 PEA.

 

Table 3: 2023 MRE for the Omagh Project.

 

                Measured                                            Indicated                                           Inferred
 Vein           Tonnage (t)  Gold Grade (g/t)  Contained Gold (oz)  Tonnage (t)  Gold Grade (g/t)  Contained Gold (oz)  Tonnage (t)  Gold Grade (g/t)  Contained Gold (oz)
 Kearney        94,131       6.73              20,371               402,924      6.50              84,258               402,479      5.33              69,020
 Joshua         18,381       6.59              3,897                247,217      7.39              58,730               283,925      6.21              56,648
 Kerr           6,848        4.63              1,019                12,061       4.34              1,683                23,398       3.20              2,405
 Elkins         -            -                 -                    68,500       4.24              9,000                20,000       5.84              3,800
 Gormleys       -            -                 -                    -            -                 -                    75,000       8.78              21,000
 Princes        -            -                 -                    -            -                 -                    10,000       38.11             13,000
 Sammy's        -            -                 -                    -            -                 -                    27,000       6.07              5,000
 Kearney North  -            -                 -                    -            -                 -                    18,000       3.47              2,000
 TOTAL          119,360      6.59              25,287               730,702      6.56              153,671              859,802      6.24              172,873

 

Notes:

1.   Updated Mineral Resource Estimate for the Kearney and Joshua vein was
completed by Micon in June 2023.

2.   All other veins were not updated during 2023 and therefore remain
unchanged from the 2014 Mineral Resource estimate by Galantas as stated in the
technical report "Resource Estimate, Preliminary Economic Assessment &
Detailed Feasibility Study on the Omagh Gold Project, County Tyrone, Northern
Ireland" dated July 26, 2014 and filed on September 4, 2014.

3.   The 2014 MRE has incorporated a different level of rounding to the
current estimate, resulting in the reported contained ounces for the veins
being approximated.

 

The Company will file a Technical Report supporting this Mineral Resource
Estimate in accordance with NI 43-101 within 45 days of this announcement.

 

Update on Exploration

 

The drilling program continues on site with several targets identified.
Permitted Development rights are being exercised for surface drilling
following a meeting of the Fermanagh and Omagh District Council (FODC). The
program will enable targeted drilling of existing gaps in the Mineral Resource
model on the Joshua Vein system. Potential for extending the resource down
plunge to the north, in the host lithology favourable to better vein
development, remains to be tested.

 

Qualified Person

 

The information in this announcement which relates to the updated Mineral
Resource Estimate for the Omagh Gold Project has been approved by Mrs. Liz de
Klerk, M.Sc., Pr.Sci.Nat., FIMMM who is a professional registered with the
South African Council for Natural Scientific Professionals (SACNASP) and an
independent consultant to the Company. Mrs. de Klerk is the Senior Geologist
& Managing Director of Micon International Co Limited and has over 20
continuous years of exploration and mining experience in a variety of mineral
deposit styles. Mrs. de Klerk has sufficient experience which is relevant to
the style of exploration, mineralization and type of deposit under
consideration and to the activity which she is undertaking to qualify as a
Qualified Person under the terms of NI 43-101. Mrs. de Klerk consents to
inclusion in the announcement of the matters based on this information in the
form and context in which it appears.

 

Neither 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.

 

The information contained within this announcement is deemed to constitute
inside information as stipulated under the retained EU law version of the
Market Abuse Regulation (EU) No. 596/2014 (the "UK MAR") which is part of UK
law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018. The information is
disclosed in accordance with the Company's obligations under Article 17 of the
UK MAR. Upon the publication of this announcement, this inside information is
now considered to be in the public domain.

 

About Galantas Gold Corporation

 

Galantas Gold Corporation is a Canadian public company that trades on the TSX
Venture Exchange and the London Stock Exchange AIM market, both under the
symbol GAL. It also trades on the OTCQX Exchange under the symbol GALKF. The
Company's strategy is to create shareholder value by operating and expanding
gold production and resources at the Omagh Project in Northern Ireland, and
exploring the Gairloch Project hosting the Kerry Road gold-bearing VMS deposit
in Scotland.

 

Enquiries

 

Galantas Gold Corporation

Mario Stifano: Chief Executive Officer

Email: info@galantas.com

Website: www.galantas.com

Telephone: +44(0)28 8224 1100

 

Grant Thornton UK LLP (AIM Nomad)

Philip Secrett, Harrison Clarke, George Grainger, Samuel Littler

Telephone: +44(0)20 7383 5100

 

SP Angel Corporate Finance LLP (AIM Broker)

David Hignell, Charlie Bouverat (Corporate Finance)

Grant Barker (Sales & Broking)

Telephone: +44(0)20 3470 0470

 

Forward-Looking Statements

 

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of
the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and
applicable Canadian securities laws, including without limitation, statements
relating to the results of the 2023 MRE and the nature of such results, the
2023 exploration program and the details and timing thereof, and the Company's
plans and strategies. Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and
assumptions made by Galantas in light of its experience and perception of
historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as
well as other factors that Galantas believes are appropriate in the
circumstances. Many factors could cause Galantas' actual results, the
performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or
implied by the forward looking statements or strategy, including: gold price
volatility; discrepancies between actual and estimated production, actual and
estimated metallurgical recoveries and throughputs; mining operational risk,
geological uncertainties; regulatory restrictions, including environmental
regulatory restrictions and liability; risks of sovereign involvement;
speculative nature of gold exploration; dilution; competition; loss of or
availability of key employees; additional funding requirements; uncertainties
regarding planning and other permitting issues; and defective title to mineral
claims or property. These factors and others that could affect Galantas'
forward-looking statements are discussed in greater detail in the section
entitled "Risk Factors" in Galantas' Management Discussion & Analysis of
the financial statements of Galantas and elsewhere in documents filed from
time to time with the Canadian provincial securities regulators and other
regulatory authorities. These factors should be considered carefully, and
persons reviewing this press release should not place undue reliance on
forward-looking statements. Galantas has no intention and undertakes no
obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements in this press
release, except as required by law.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kearney and Joshua Vein Mineral Resource Estimate

 

APPENDIX

 

Geology and Mineralization

 

The Omagh Gold Project, located in the west of Northern Ireland, lies within
the Caledonian orogenic belt. The principal host rocks of gold mineralization
in the region belong to the Neoproterozoic age Dalradian Supergroup. They
comprise a thick sequence of metamorphosed biotite to garnet grade clastic
marine sediments with minor volcanic units, deposited in a passive-margin rift
basin during the breakup of the supercontinent of Rodinia.

 

Mineral exploration during the past 30 years has identified a number of
significant deposits in the Caledonian orogenic belt including Curraghinalt
and Cavanacaw (the Omagh Gold Project) in Northern Ireland, and Cononish in
Scotland. The along-strike extensions of the Caledonian belt into Scandinavia
and North America are known to host a number of major mineral deposits in a
similar geological environment. These include the Silurian hosted, shear-zone
gold deposit of Kolsvik (Bindal) in Norway, the Upper Proterozoic, sandstone
and porphyry hosted, high-sulphidation, epithermal gold deposit of Hope Brook
in Newfoundland and the Ridgeway gold deposit in the Upper Proterozoic Slate
Belt of South Carolina.

 

The Omagh Gold Project mostly overlies rocks of the Upper Dalradian, part of
the Southern Highland Group, exposed in the Lack Inlier, including the
Glengawna Formation and the Mullaghcarn Formation. The deposit itself is
hosted by the Mullaghcarn Formation that is composed of fine grained clastic
meta-sedimentary rocks (psammites, semi-pelites and chlorite-rich pelites).

 

The northerly trending Omagh Lineament, one of three major, parallel, basement
lineaments in the region, crosses the eastern part of the Lack Inlier, in the
area underlain by the north trending Omagh Gold Project vein swarm. The
lineament is predicted to have a zone of influence up to several kilometres
wide and likely has a significant control on the location and orientation of
the mineralized veins, based on the distribution of gold and arsenic anomalies
and the north trending orientation of mineralized veins in the vicinity of the
Lack Inlier.

 

The Omagh Gold Project vein swarm comprises 17 named vein structures in an
area of about 6 km(2). The largest of these is the north to north-northeast
trending sub-vertical Kearney vein system with a strike length of
approximately 850 m, and true vein widths of up to 8.0 m. The maximum vertical
extent proved by drilling is 337 m and it remains open at depth down plunge.
Gold mineralization can be characterized as Palaeozoic orogenic type and is
one of several orogenic structurally controlled, mesothermal gold bearing
quartz and quartz-sulphide veins systems located in the Caledonian basement
rocks.

 

Mineralization consists of centimetre-to-metre-scale wide quartz veins with
disseminated to massive auriferous sulphides, predominately pyrite and galena
with some accessory arsenopyrite and chalcopyrite. Quartz veins pinch and
swell from stringers to widths greater than a metre over distances of several
metres. The veins are commonly fringed by varying widths of clay gouge.
Wallrock alteration in the form of sericitization and bleaching may extend
several metres into quartz-feldspar schist host rocks, depending on the degree
of fracturing. The vein systems of the Omagh Gold Project are structurally
controlled complex zone of quartz-sulphide mineralization and associated
alteration, along which there has clearly been pre- to post-mineralization
tectonic movement, resulting in an irregular lattice-work of mineralized
veins.

 

A number of potential dilation zones have been identified in the Kearney and
Joshua vein systems in drill core and geological mapping of underground
development drives. Dilation zones have potential for wider intervals of
mineralization and are believed to be linked on shallow north-dipping planes.

 

Gold values are closely correlated with sulphide content such that the tenor
of mineralization can be estimated visually in drill core and during open pit
mining. Visible gold has not been reported in core and the low nugget effect
is consistent with this and with the assumed presence of gold in very fine
particle sizes.

 

Geological Modelling and Grade Interpolation

 

Since the previous Mineral Resource Estimate in 2014, two further campaigns of
infill drilling have been carried out focusing on the Kearney and Joshua vein
systems in 2015-2016 and 2021-2022. This included 21 infill underground drill
holes in the Kearney Vein. Density measurements (water immersion method) were
performed on selected drill hole samples giving additional density data that
was used in the updated Mineral Resource estimate.

 

After updating the Omagh Gold Project drill hole database it was loaded into
Leapfrog Geo. Economic composites were created at 1 g/t Au to highlight
mineralized intersects to be included in the vein wireframes. Mineralized
samples were manually assigned to a vein based on previous wireframe
interpretations, geological mapping and structural data. The inclusion of
internal waste was kept to a minimum. In total, mineralized intervals were
assigned to 22 veins in the Kearney vein system and 7 veins in the Joshua vein
system.

 

A separate vein system geological model was created for Kearney and Joshua.
Underground mapping at Kearney gave additional spatial constraints on the vein
hangingwall and footwall surfaces in the form of polylines. Data from channel
samples pre-2011 were not used in the Mineral Resource Estimate and were only
used to guide the orientation of the vein wireframe models due to the large
sample intervals. The vein systems were modelled with a minimum thickness of
0.1 m. Pinch outs were manually digitized using polylines and the vein
wireframes were clipped to ensure that they did not extend significantly
beyond the drill data. The clipping boundary was limited to within 70 m of
drill hole data for the largest most continuous veins and within 50 m for the
smaller more discontinuous veins. These distances were based on the observed
vein continuity from the exploration drilling. Where there was a pinch out at
less than the clipping boundary distance the boundary as set to the
approximate midpoint between the pinch out and the nearest vein intersection.

 

 

 

Figure 2: West to east cross-section across the Kearney Vein.

 

 

Attempts were made to model the dilation zones as part of the vein wireframes,
but their spatial extents could not be confidently modelled in between drill
holes. It is recognized that the location of the dilation zones can be
predicted but there is not sufficient data at the required resolution to
accurately model them.

 

The method of interpolation used was 2D inverse distance cubed (ID(3)). A 2D
method of interpolation was preferred because of the narrow vein geometry of
the ore body. The veins have been sampled on intervals of varying length which
makes compositing for 3D estimation problematic. Furthermore, the veins will
be mined in a single stope with no mining selectivity across the vein width.

 

Length-weighted full width vein composites were created for each mineralized
intercept, input assay data was capped at 80 g/t Au and the true vein width of
composites was calculated from the modelled vein wireframe thickness.

 

An accumulation variable was calculated, where:

 

 

The accumulation was interpolated into the block model using ID(3), as was the
true vein width. Global inverse distance utilizing all samples with an
isotropic search was used as were declustering weights for veins with
clustered data. The grades were calculated on a block-by-block basis as
follows:

 

 

The 2D block models for Kearney and Joshua utilized a block size of 5 m (X) by
5 m (Y). The full width vein composites were rotated so that the plane of the
modelled vein was approximately parallel to the XY plane. The Z value was set
to a constant value, projecting the full width vein composites on to the XY
plane for 2D interpolation. After interpolation the projection and rotation
were reversed and the 2D interpolated values were transferred to the 3D block
models for Kearney and Joshua. The 3D block models utilized a parent block
size of 5 m (X) by 1 m (Y) by 5 m (Z) with a minimum subblock size of 1.25 m
(X) by 0.0625 m (Y) by 1.25 m (Z) and was rotated with an azimuth of 265°,
dip of 5°, and pitch of 0°.

 

An average density value of 2.98 t/m(3) was assigned to mineralized veins and
2.70 t/m(3) to waste.

 

In order to assure the quality of the estimate, the block model was validated
using statistical comparison, visual inspection and swath plot analysis.

 

Figure 3: 3D Rotated view of the Joshua and Kearney vein block models.

 

 

 

Classification and Reporting

 

The Mineral Resource estimate was classified in accordance with National
Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101) Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects and
as defined in the CIM Definition Standards, 2014. Mineral Resources were
classified as Measured, Indicated, and Inferred. The Mineral Resource
classification is based on the following:

 

·    Measured - within 20 m of closely spaced channel samples used in the
Mineral Resource estimate or volumes where the average distance to the nearest
drill hole is <30 m and the majority of intercepts are from recent
underground drill holes.

·    Indicated - volumes where the average distance to the nearest drill
hole is <30 m.

·    Inferred - all other interpolated blocks inside the vein wireframes.

 

The average distance to the nearest drill hole was calculated using the 3
closest samples.

 

By definition, a Mineral Resource has reasonable prospects for eventual
economic extraction or RPEEE (CIM Definition Standards, 2014). The Omagh Gold
Project has demonstrated RPEE on the following basis:

 

·    More than 2,500 m of ore and waste development drives have been
completed and in July 2022 longhole drilling commenced to open the first
series of stopes at the Kearney vein system.

·    The ore produced from the development and limited stoping has been
used to feed the on site processing plant on a part time basis. The processing
plant which was operational during the open pit phase of the mine, produces a
saleable sulphide rich flotation concentrate.

·    The operation is fully permitted including an up-to-date
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

 

In accordance with the recommendation of the CIM Estimation of Mineral
Resources and Mineral Reserves Best Practice Guidelines 2016 a Mineable Shape
Optimizer (MSO) was used to identify spatially continuous mineralization
within potentially mineable shapes using reasonable assumptions based on the
current operation and long term price trends. For the MSO a minimum stope
width of 1.2 m optimized to a cut-off of 2.25 g/t Au was used. Economic
parameters for cut-off grade determination include: US$1,800 oz Au price, 92%
process recovery, 90% payability, 4% royalty, US$120 t mining cost, US$30.72 t
processing cost, US$13 t general and administration.

 

 

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