Au Gold Corp Commences Drill Program at Ponderosa Property, Spence’s Bridge Gold Belt
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Au Gold Corp
NR2-2022
Au Gold Corp Commences Drill Program at Ponderosa Property, Spence’s Bridge Gold Belt
Vancouver, British Columbia – April 19, 2022 – Au Gold Corp (TSXV:AUGC) (“AUGC” or the “Company”)
is pleased to announce it has begun diamond drilling at its road accessible Ponderosa epithermal gold
project that is located 16 km southwest of Merritt BC . The fully funded program will comprise a
minimum 1,500 m of HQ diameter core drilling in 10 to 14 holes targeting the Tomahawk and Fl at Iron
Zones in the central part of the property.
Highlights:
• Fully funded diamond drill program of 1,500 m in 10-14 holes has commenced.
• Targeting 15 m wide auriferous bedrock vein exposure at Tomahawk that has never been drill -
tested.
• Targeting 25 m wide historical auriferous zone at Flat Iron that has never been drill-tested.
President and CEO Marc Blythe commented “We are excited to have the drill rig turning at our
Ponderosa Property. This drill program is focused on our Tomahawk and Flat Iron ta rgets that have
excellent potential for epithermal gold mineralization.”
Tomahawk Zone
The Tomahawk Zone is currently exposed for 55 m along a north -northeast strike and 15 m across the
widest continuous exposure. Dips are moderate to steep toward the wes t between 45 and 70
degrees. Mineralization and alteration comprise high level angular volcanic breccias with multiple
phases of silica cement and stockwork style veining; tan to orange-brown clay altered volcanic often
finely fractured with multiple gene rations of clear to white sheeted quartz; and massive to weakly
crustiform banded opaque and white quartz veining. Select saw channel samples from hand trenches
defining the zone returned 3.99 g/t Au and 14.9 g/t Ag across 1 m of quartz veining and 0.63 g/t Au
across 1.25 m of adjacent altered volcanic. The vein zone remains open along strike and the hanging-
wall contact has not been delineated.
Flat Iron Zone
The Flat Iron Zone is interpreted as an offset continuation of the Tomahawk Zone and lies 100 m to the
south-southeast across a property scale easterly trending structure. Historical trenching in this target
area encountered a broad zone of altered and silicified volcanic strata with localized quartz vein material
from which a 25 m interval reported ly returned a weighted average grade of 0.80 g/t Au. The historical
report documents seven chip samples (0.5 to 1.0 m) within the interval exceeding 1 g/t Au to a
maximum of 7.54 g/t Au across 1.0 m. In addition, a narrow parallel zone of similar mineral ization and
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alteration was identified by historical trenching approximately 60 m to the east. Samples of quartz-rich
mineralization from this zone reportedly returned 1.24 g/t Au across 4.0 m.
Further assessment of the Flat Iron target by AUGC in 2021 m apped out two roughly 30 m wide parallel
north-northeast trending zones of rusty clay altered and weakly silicified volcanic with numerous
concentrations of localized quartz vein material ranging in width from several cm’s to 25 cm. This
surface vein mine ralization was traced 70 m along strike to the south-southwest from the reported
historical trench locations. A series of composite surface samples consisting only of quartz vein material
from the two parallel zones returned values ranging from 0.10 g/t A u to 1.02 g/t Au. None of the
altered volcanic was sampled.
A single historical drill hole was collared east of the trenches with an azimuth to the west to test what
was interpreted as an easterly dipping target, however, nothing of significance was encountered. AUGC
believes the Flat Iron target has similar geometry to the Tomahawk Zone with a moderate dip to the
west, so it is likely that this historical drill hole tested parallel to the target. Accordingly, drill-testing of
both the Tomahawk and Flat Iron targets will be designed to test the west dipping target.
Qualified Person
All scientific and technical information in this press release has been prepared by William
Wengzynowski, P. Eng., a qualified person as defined by NI 43 -101. Mr. Wengzynowski is the Exploration
Manager for Au Gold Corp.
Ponderosa Gold Property
The Ponderosa Gold Property is located 16 km southwest of Merritt, BC, within the Spences Bridge Gold
Belt which forms a northwest trending belt roughly 180 km long and up to 24 km wide.
Exploration by AUGC and others, notably Westhaven Gold Corp., has identified the potential for gold
associated with low -sulphidation epithermal mineralization (quartz -adularia). Examples of this style of
mineralization include Kupol (Kinross Gold Corp.), Hishikari (Sumitomo Metal Mining) and Fruta Del
Norte (Lundin Gold).
Rocks of immediate interest in the belt and underlying much of the Property comprise successions of
Cretaceous subaerial and pyroclastic volcanic flows which host significan t gold mineralization at
Westhaven Gold Corp.’s Shovelnose project approximately 20 km southeast of the Ponderosa Gold
Property. Geology across the Ponderosa Gold Property claim group is broadly divided into two
Cretaceous age volcanic sequences comprising subaerial and pyroclastic volcanic flows of the Pimainus
and Spius Formations.
Historical exploration at Ponderosa focused almost exclusively on an in -situ occurrence referred to as
“Axel Ridge”, which is characterized by outcropping cryptocrystalline/s accharoidal to crustiform and
colloform banded epithermal quartz. A series of trenches were excavated across these outcropping
exposures with highlights including 2.22 g/t gold over 11.7 m, 1.92 g/t gold over 14.0 m (with 3.03 g/t
gold over 8.0 m) and 3.6 g/t gold over 7 .0 m. Follow-up diamond drilling of seven holes at Axel Ridge
was unsuccessful in intersecting the surface mineralization at depth. AUGC is not planning any
exploration at Axel Ridge at this time.
Work conducted in 2019 and 2020 significant ly upgraded three historic showings and identified an
entirely new showing. These showings in order of priority are referred to as the Tomahawk, Flat Iron, T-
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Bone and Rib Eye zones. The Tomahawk Zone is the most advanced and highest priority showing on the
Property.
The Ponderosa Gold Property is located within the unceded traditional territory of the Nlaka’pamux
People.
Further information on the P roperty can be found on the Company’s website:
https://www.augoldcorp.com/ponderosa-property/.
Cautionary Note
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in
policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this
release.
For further information, please contact:
Au Gold Corp
Marc G. Blythe, MBA, P.Eng., President & Chief Executive Officer
Sandrine Lam, Investor Relations Phone: 1-604-687-3520 Ext. 250
Email: [email protected]
To learn more visit: https://www.augoldcorp.com
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DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE
ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. STATEMENTS IN THIS NEWS RELEASE, OTHER THAN PURELY
HISTORICAL INFORMATION, INCLUDING STATEMENTS RELATING TO THE COMPANY'S FUTURE PLANS
AND OBJECTIVES OR EXPECTED RESULTS, MAY INCLUDE FORWARD -LOOKING STATEMENTS. FORWARD -
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ACTUAL RESULTS MAY VARY MATERIALLY FROM THOSE DESCRIBED IN THE FORWARD -LOOKING
STATEMENTS.