Tombill Completes Near-Surface Drilling and Provides Assessment of Results of Recent Exploration Programs
Tombill Completes Near-Surface Drilling and
Provides Assessment of Results of Recent
Exploration Programs
Toronto, Ontario and Geraldton, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - August 5, 2022) - Tombill Mines Limited
(TSXV: TBLL) (OTCQB: TBLLF) (the "Company", "Tombill"), is pleased to report on its 2022 near-
surface Phase 2A diamond drilling program that was designed to evaluate a number of newly defined
gold targets distributed across two of the three 100%-controlled claim groups the Company holds in the
Geraldton gold mining district of north-central Ontario. The Phase 2A drilling campaign consisted of
eight NQ-diameter boreholes for a total length of 2,941 meters (m).
Seven of the eight drill-holes are
located on the 51-patented claim Main Group property ("Main Group") which adjoins on the west the
mining property of Greenstone Gold Mines GP Inc. ("Greenstone") where a large open-pit gold mine is
currently being constructed. In addition, a single borehole was drilled on the smaller Original claim group
property where the past-producing Tombill gold mine was located.
Summary of the Phase 2A 2022 Drilling Program:
The best assay results produced by the Phase 2A drilling program were obtained from drill-hole
TB22-008. A 30-centimeter (cm) long sample from 288.8 m down-hole returned an assay of 2.61
grams per tonne (g/t) gold (Au), while another core sample from 292.1 m to 293.0 m (length of 90
cm) assayed 4.17 g/t Au.
Six of the eight holes that constitute the Phase 2A program were distributed across the northern
sector of Tombill's Main Group, with the TransCanada Highway giving good access to the drill-
sites.
Together, these drill-holes were designed to investigate the gold potential of the Ellis
Syncline exploration target.
Overall, assay results produced by these boreholes were
disappointing.
Hole TB22-002 intersected a zone of weak gold mineralization from 155.0 m to
161.0 m, with the maximum gold assay from this zone being 0.406 g/t Au.
Two other zones of weak
mineralization were intersected between 199 m and 218 m in the hole, with maximum gold assays
for 1 m long core samples from these zones being 0.428 g/t Au and 0.396 g/t Au.
No significant assay results were generated by drill-holes TB22-003 through TB22-007.
Table 1.
Significant Results of Phase 2A Drilling Program
Hole ID
UTM
Coordinates
Azimuth/Dip
(degrees)
From (m)
To (m)
Interval
Length
(m)
Au (g/t)
TB22-001A
501499 E /
5503943 N
180/-52
248.0
249.0
1.0
0.36
and
257.0
258.0
1.0
0.35
and
330.0
331.0
1.0
0.41
TB22-002
500198 E /
5503696 N
350/-45
158.0
159.0
1.0
0.41
and
209.0
211.0
2.0
0.36
and
215.0
216.0
1.0
0.40
TB22-008
493730 E /
5505580 N
30/-45
262.0
263.0
1.0
0.94
and
269.1
270.4
1.3
1.44
and
288.8
289.1
0.3
2.61
and
292.1
293.0
0.9
4.17
NOTE:
WGS83, Zone 16 is the UTM Coordinate System that was used for the locations of drill-holes.
Tombill Original Mine
Hole TB22-008, which is in the central part of the 6-patented claim Original property, yielded two core
samples that assayed 2.61 g/t Au and 4.17 g/t Au. This drill-hole was designed to test for the eastward
continuation of the
Key Lake-Jellicoe Gold Corridor
that in past decades was extensively drilled by
various resource companies on claims now owned by Greenstone which is currently constructing an
open-pit mine some 13 kilometers to the southeast. According to Greenstone's NI43-101-compliant
technical report
1
, the measured and indicated in-pit mineral resources of the Key Lake gold deposit are
estimated to contain 141,000 ounces of gold at an average grade of 1.16 g/t Au. An additional inferred
resource is estimated to contain 82,000 ounces at an average grade of 1.39 g/t Au.
The two intercepts of gold mineralization made by hole TB22-008 are from a 5- to 6-meter-wide zone of
hydrothermally altered greywacke which is interpreted to be the extension of the east-southeasterly
trending
Key Lake-Jellicoe Gold Corridor
that includes the Key Lake gold deposit.
In TB22-008, the
gold-bearing zone is marked by moderate and pervasive sericite alteration of the foliated, fine-grained
metasedimentary rock along with thin seams of quartz-sericite and veinlets of greyish quartz. Minor
disseminated fine-grained pyrite accompanies the sericite alteration.
This intersection of the
Key Lake-
Jellicoe Gold Corridor
on the Tombill property is situated approximately 1,500 m east-southeast of the
sealed shaft of the Jellicoe mine, a small gold producer in the late 1930's, and about 900 m east of
Tombill's western property boundary.
The strike continuity of the mineralized corridor is noteworthy, being
at least 3.3 km from Key Lake in the west to drill-hole TB22-008, and it appears to extend another 2.3
km further to the southeast to include the gold-quartz lodes of the former Magnet gold mine.
Ellis Syncline on Main Group
The
Ellis Syncline
exploration target that was investigated on the Main Group by drill-holes TB22-002
through TB22-007 consists of an isoclinally folded package of Archean rocks dominated by greywacke,
magnetite iron formation and quartz-albite porphyry. These lithologies and the fold structures they define
on the property create a geological setting that has been interpreted to be analogous to the setting which
hosts the multiple ore zones forming the multi-million-ounce Hardrock gold deposit being developed by
Greenstone 3.5 km to the east.
Individual drill-holes were designed to test for sheared porphyry contacts
and zones of sulphide replacement mineralization hosted in complexly folded iron formations.
While the drill-holes testing the
Ellis Syncline
target did in fact encounter the anticipated lithologies and
even several altered zones marked by thin quartz veins, moderate sericite alteration and minor pyrite
mineralization, no significant concentrations of gold were identified by these drill-holes. The best result
obtained from these holes was made by TB22-002 which passed through the closure or 'nose' of a large,
folded quartz-feldspar porphyry dyke. Three intersections of weak porphyry-hosted gold mineralization
were made by this drill-hole; the interval 155-161 m yielded a maximum gold assay of 0.406 g/t Au, with
the other two zones giving maximum assays of 0.428 g/t and 0.396 g/t gold.
Drill-hole TB22-001A was designed to test for the westward continuation of a gold-bearing shear zone
that had been identified by a few historical drill-holes passing beneath the north end of Mosher Lake,
some 400 m beyond the eastern boundary of Tombill's Main Group. The targeted zone appears to have
been intersected between 247.0 m and 258.0 m down-hole. The two best assays from this zone, were
0.356 g/t Au from a 1.0 m long sample of quartz-feldspar porphyry and 0.346 g/t Au across 1.0 m from a
sample of greywacke at the contact with the porphyry.
Figure 1. Phase 2A Drill Program
Figure 1. Regional map showing location of Tombill mineral properties in the Geraldton gold
mining district and collar locations of diamond drill-holes completed by the Company's 2021
and 2022 drilling campaigns.
To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7659/132962_d22e631944f1eb4d_004full.jpg
.
Implications for Future Exploration:
Drill-hole TB22-008 essentially confirms that the laterally extensive
Key Lake-Jellicoe Gold Corridor
passes through Tombill's Original claim group, with about 1,000 m of strike potential existing on the
property from the hole itself to its western border extending to the Corridor. For a gold deposit
comparable in size or larger than Greenstone's Key Lake deposit to discovered on Tombill's claims, a
considerable amount of diamond drilling would be required, with many drill-holes yielding mineralized
intersections that are significantly greater in length and with higher gold contents than what was obtained
by hole TB22-008.
Drill-holes TB22-002 through TB22-007 confirmed the existence of a geological setting,
i.e
., lithologies
and structures, that is comparable to the litho-structural setting hosting the large low-grade Hardrock gold
deposit being developed a few kilometers east of Tombill's drilling. While the six drill-holes failed to
discover a 'blind' zone of significant gold mineralization, the Company believes compelling exploration
potential still exists in the favorable geology of the
Ellis Syncline
on the Main Group. The application of
induced polarization (IP) geophysical surveying over the area of interest could assist in defining new drill
targets, where chargeability anomalies might be indicating zones of gold-bearing sulphide replacement
mineralization.
Footnote
1
.
N.I. 43-101 Technical Report, Hardrock Project, Ontario, Canada. Prepared by G Mining Services Inc. for Premier Gold Mines Limited.
Effective Date December 16, 2020.
Qualified Person
Ron Burk, P.Geo., is the Company's designated Qualified Person for this news release within the
meaning of National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects and has reviewed
and approved its scientific and technical content.
QA/QC
Field samples produced by the 2A drilling program consisted of rock-sawn, half-core rock material
collected from drill core intervals generally 1.0 meter in length. Gold assays were performed at the
facilities of Actlabs-Geraldton, an accredited analytical laboratory and division of Activation Laboratories
located in the town of Geraldton, Ontario.
For quality assurance and control purposes, Tombill geologists
inserted field duplicates, certified standards and unmineralized, so-called 'blank' samples into the
sample stream at a rate of at least 2 QA/QC samples per 25 half-core samples. A chain of custody for
the collected half-core samples was maintained from the drill-site to the assay lab. At the Actlabs-
Geraldton facilities, the half-core samples were entirely pulverized and homogenized, with 50-gram
aliquots being analyzed for gold using the fire assay-atomic absorption finish procedure.
Assay results
were reported in parts per billion (ppb). At present, the true widths of the mineralized intercepts have not
been calculated.
About Tombill
Founded 1935, by Newmont Mining and prospectors' 'Tom' and 'Bill' Johnson, Tombill (TSXV: TBLL)
(OTCQB: TBLLF) owns 2 of the 10 past-producing mines in the Geraldton gold district, 4 claim groups,
of which 3 are situated in the Geraldton gold district of north-central Ontario (about 225 km NE of
Thunder Bay).
Geraldton offers optimal and installed infrastructure.
Holdings comprise 74 royalty-free
mining claims (60 fully owned patented claims, 5 leases, 9 mineral rights only). Of these, the 51-patented
claim Main Group is in the center of the Geraldton Gold District and straddles the Trans-Canada
Highway; the 5-claim Ellis Group lies 4 km south of the town of Geraldton; and the original Tombill Mine
group of 6-patented claims sits 10 km west-southwest of Geraldton. The Tombill Gold Mine produced
68,737 high-grade gold oz between 1938 and 1942 in the southeast corner of the claim group. The
Talmora Longlac Mine, located in the northeast of the Main Group property, was built in 1941, but saw
only minor production before closing in 1942 (1,406 gold oz). The Main Group borders on the property of
the under-construction Greenstone Mine, which will be one of Canada's largest gold mines with
production aimed for 2024.
Tombill Property Location Map
To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7659/132962_d22e631944f1eb4d_005full.jpg
.
For more information, please visit
www.tombillmines.com
, and contact:
Georgia Bevan
Investor Relations
Email:
Tel: +1 647 493 8270
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information
Certain information contained herein constitutes "forward-looking information" under Canadian
securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements with
respect to the trading date of the Company's common shares on the TSXV. Generally, forward-looking
information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "will" or variations of
such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "will" occur. Forward-
looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such
statements are made, and they are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other
factors that may cause the actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by
such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information. There can be no assurance that such
statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from
those anticipated in such statements. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking
statements and forward-looking information. The Company will not update any forward-looking
statements or forward-looking information that are incorporated by reference herein, except as
required by applicable securities laws.
Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties is
contained in filings by the Company with the Canadian securities regulators, which filings are
available at
www.sedar.com
. Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is
defined in policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
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