Beauce Gold Fields Tests Horizontal Directional Drilling on the Beauce Gold Property
Beauce Gold Fields Tests Horizontal
Directional Drilling on the Beauce Gold
Property
Montreal, Quebec--(Newsfile Corp. - August 1, 2023) -
Beauce Gold Fields
(TSXV: BGF)
(Champs
D'Or en Beauce),
("BGF" or the "Company"): is pleased to announce it has tested the use of a
modified horizontal directional drilling method to drill lengths of the auriferous till units of the paleoplacer
channel on the Beauce Gold property located in St-Simon les Mine, Quebec.
"Horizontal directional drilling has the potential to revolutionize placer gold exploration," said Patrick
Levasseur, President, and CEO of Beauce Gold Fields. Mr. Levasseur also emphasized, "If successful,
this innovative technique will not only enhance cost-efficiency but also significantly improve sample
coverage and reduce environmental impact, marking a significant leap forward in our exploration
efforts."
Image: from top left: Horizontal Directional Drill; Vacuum Tanker Truck; Diagram
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Horizontal directional drilling (HDD) is commonly used in construction and civil engineering projects.
The
technique is utilized to install or replace utility lines (such as pipelines, fibre optic cables, electrical
conduits, etc.) without extensive excavation or disruption to existing infrastructure.
The Company recently
experimented with the technique by combining an HDD rig and a vacuum tanker truck to collect the mix
of bentonite mud and drill cuttings.
Bentonite, commonly used in HDD, consists chiefly of crystalline clay
minerals that help stabilize the borehole walls, preventing it from collapsing.
As the drilling progresses,
the bentonite-based mud carries the drill cuttings (rock fragments, auriferous till and saprolite) back to
the surface, which is then vacuumed into a tanker truck. The high viscosity of bentonite helps to keep
cuttings suspended in the fluid, ensuring efficient cuttings removal from the borehole.
The bentonite mud & cuttings material were emptied in geotech-lined pits for decanting.
Various tests
and trials will be performed on the material to see the best method of separating the bentonite to create
heavy mineral concentrates that can be analyzed for gold.
If the Company settles upon a successful
separation method, a mobile placer plant will be mobilized on-site to process the material.
From one location, four fanned-out HDD boreholes were completed, totalling 321 meters in the
auriferous till (Basal Till) and saprolite layers.
Hole
Horizontal
Length
Direction
Azimuth
Aprox. Volume
Bentonite & Cut.
Comment
D-1
63 meters
N105
3.5 m3
Target to hole G64-3, 3.4g/m3* Au
D-2
30 meters
N130
1.0 m3
Hit boulder, hole abandoned at 30m
D-2.5
51 meters
N120
1.5 m3
Test lateral width of placer channel
D-3
135 meters
N050
8 m3
Target to hole G65-S04 1.44 g/m3* Au
D-4
72 meters
N095
5 m3
Test lateral width of placer channel
*Sources: Sedar- Beauce Gold Fields 43-101 Report - Beauce July 4
th
2018, Author B. Violette.
Five Advantages of Horizontal directional drilling
If successful, using directional horizontal drilling to explore and drill the paleoplacer channel on the
Companies placer gold properties will offer many advantages:
1. Enhanced Exploration: Directional horizontal drilling allows for targeted exploration of specific areas
of interest within the paleoplacer channel. By drilling at angles or curves, geologists can access hard-to-
reach or hidden gold-bearing zones that traditional vertical drilling might miss.
2. Increased Coverage: Directional drilling enables extensive coverage of the paleoplacer channel with
fewer drill holes. This efficiency can significantly reduce drilling costs.
3. Improved Sampling: Horizontal drilling allows for better sampling along the length of the paleoplacer
channel. This means more representative samples of the gold-bearing formation can be collected,
leading to more accurate estimations of the gold resource.
4. Minimized Environmental Impact: By using directional drilling, the surface disturbance on the Beauce
gold property can be minimized, reducing the project's overall footprint and potential environmental
impacts.
5. Resource Estimation: The data collected from directional horizontal drilling can be used to estimate
the size, shape, and continuity of the gold deposit within the paleoplacer channel more precisely. This
information is critical for determining the economic viability of the deposit and planning future mining
operations.
Jean Bernard, B,Sc. Geo., is a qualified person, as defined by NI 43-101, who has reviewed and
approved the technical information presented in this release.
About Beauce Gold Fields
Beauce Gold Fields is focused on exploring and developing the largest placer gold district in eastern
North America. The Company's objective is the trace old placer gold workings back to a bedrock source
to uncover economic lode gold deposits.
The Company's flagship property is the St-Simon-les-Mines
Gold project site of Canada's first gold rush that pre-dates the Yukon Klondike.
The Beauce region
hosted some of the largest historical placer gold mines in Eastern North America that were active from
1860s to the 1960s It produced some of the largest gold nuggets in Canadian mining history (50oz to
71oz). (Source Sedar: 43-101 Report - Beauce July 4
th
2018, , Author B. Violette).
Comparable North American Placer Districts
Projects
Location
Year
Avg. Grade g/m
3
Beauce Placer Mining
Quebec
1960
0.43
Multiple private large placer operations
Yukon
2020
0.30
NovaGold (TSX: NG), Nome Gold Project
Alaska
2011
0.30
Source: Sedar: 43-101 Report - Beauce July 4
th
2018, Author B. Violette.
Yukon Placer Mining Industry Reports 2010-2014, 2018-2020:Yukon Geological Survey.
NovaGold Resources: TECHNICAL REPORT NOME PLACER PROPERTY, 2006, Norwest Corporation.
Beauce Gold Fields website
www.beaucegold.com
Disclaimers:
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements, including, without limitation,
statements containing the words "may", "plan", "will", "estimate", "continue", "anticipate", "intend",
"expect", "in the process" and other similar expressions which constitute "forward-looking information"
within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements reflect the Company's
current expectation and assumptions, and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that
could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. These forward-looking
statements involve risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, our expectations regarding
mineral exploration. Such statements reflect the current views of the Company with respect to future
events and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties and other risks detailed from time-to-time in
the Company's on-going filings with the securities regulatory authorities, which filings can be found at
www.sedar.com. Actual results, events, and performance may differ materially. Readers are cautioned
not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no
obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements either as a result of new
information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws.
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.
For further information contact
Patrick Levasseur, President and CEO Tel: (514) 262-9239
www.beaucegold.com
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