Nutmeg Mountain
(NevGold Option to Acquire 100%)
The technical information contained on this page has been reviewed, verified, and approved by Derick Unger, CPG, VP Exploration of NevGold. Mr. Unger is a "Qualified Person" as defined by National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.
Summary
NevGold entered into an option to acquire 100% of the Nutmeg Mountain Gold Project (formerly known as Almaden) from GoldMining Inc. (TSX:GOLD, NYSE:GLDG) as announced on June 14, 2022. The remaining terms of the option agreement include a $1.5 million payment in cash or shares prior to December 31, 2023 and $0.75 million in further property expenditures in the second half of 2023.
Nutmeg is located in Western Idaho approximately 80 kilometers north-northwest of Boise and approximately 20 kilometers east of Weiser, Idaho. The project is well-located relative to road, power and water infrastructure (Figure 1).
Nutmeg is a low-sulphidation epithermal gold-silver deposit with geology similar to that of several other Western USA epithermal deposits. Nutmeg has seen over 70,000 meters of historical drilling prior to 2012 with 934 core, RC, and rotary holes (see Figure 2).
The Nutmeg property consists of approximately 1,724 hectares and comprises 210 federal unpatented lode mining claims, 12 patented claims, and 2 leases of private land. The center of the Property is at approximately 116° 42.8’W latitude with Property extending along the crest and western slopes of Nutmeg Mountain.
Historical drilling at the Project focused on defining the disseminated gold mineralization that starts at surface. This drilling was nearly all vertical and averaged less than 75 meters depth. The potential for high-grade feeder systems at depth remains virtually untested. Until Nevgold’s 2023 drill program, the last drilling at the project had occurred in 2012.
On August 17 , 2023, Nevgold SEDAR-filed an updated a Nutmeg NI 43-101 Technical Report with an effective date of June 22, 2023. The technical report includes the following Mineral Resource Estimate (“MRE”) for the Nutmeg property:
Classification | Cutoff Grade Au g /tonne | Tonnes | Gold Grade g/tonne | Ounce Gold |
---|---|---|---|---|
Indicated | 0.30 | 51,660,000 | 0.61 | 1,006,000 |
Inferred | 0.30 | 17,860,000 | 0.48 | 275,000 |
Details of the MRE assumptions can be found in the Nutmeg Technical Report filed on SEDAR.
The Nutmeg Mountain Open-Pit Constrained MRE sensitivity relative to gold cut-off grades is shown in the table below. The cutoff grade used for the MRE is highlighted.
Cut-Off | Classification | Tonnes | Au gpt | Au opt | Ounces Au |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1.00 | Indicated | 5,430,000 | 1.31 | 0.038 | 230,000 |
1.00 | Inferred | 590,000 | 1.36 | 0.040 | 26,000 |
0.80 | Indicated | 10,060,000 | 1.12 | 0.033 | 362,000 |
0.80 | Inferred | 1,260,000 | 1.11 | 0.032 | 45,000 |
0.60 | Indicated | 19,020,000 | 0.92 | 0.027 | 560,000 |
0.60 | Inferred | 2,920,000 | 0.87 | 0.025 | 81,000 |
0.50 | Indicated | 26,320,000 | 0.81 | 0.024 | 689,000 |
0.50 | Inferred | 5,360,000 | 0.72 | 0.021 | 124,000 |
0.40 | Indicated | 37,020,000 | 0.71 | 0.021 | 842,000 |
0.40 | Inferred | 9,440,000 | 0.60 | 0.018 | 182,000 |
0.30 | Indicated | 51,660,000 | 0.61 | 0.018 | 1,006,000 |
0.30 | Inferred | 17,860,000 | 0.48 | 0.014 | 275,000 |
0.25 | Indicated | 59,930,000 | 0.56 | 0.016 | 1,079,000 |
0.25 | Inferred | 23,660,000 | 0.43 | 0.013 | 327,000 |
0.20 | Indicated | 66,920,000 | 0.53 | 0.015 | 1,130,000 |
0.20 | Inferred | 28,890,000 | 0.39 | 0.011 | 365,000 |
Figure 2. Cross Section - 2023 Mineral Resource Estimate
Figure 3. Cross Section - 2023 Mineral Resource Estimate - High Grade Core
Figure 4. 2023 Mineral Resource Estimate - Resource Categories
FIgure 5. Plan View with Exploration Update
History
Nutmeg is located in an historic mining area and encompasses a near-surface, low-sulphidation epithermal gold deposit. The area has been explored for gold starting in 1980 with geological mapping, geochemical and geophysical surveying, several metallurgical bulk samples, and 934 historical drillholes with an aggregate length of over 70,000 meters.
Geology
The Property contains sandstones of the Payette Formation which host the majority of the mineralization defined by the 2023 Mineral Resource Estimate. Additionally, the region was host to long-lived volcanism and hosts basalts of the Columbia River and Weiser basalt groups as well as volcanic tuffs and rhyolites of presumed Miocene age. Silicious sinter deposits cap the mineralized zone. Faulting in the area consists of large scale normal faults that strike northwest and create multiple horsts blocks that are then cross-cut and offset by smaller scale east-northeast normal faults.
Nutmeg Development Plans
NevGold has comprehensive plans for advancing the Project in 2023 and into 2024. These include:
- Continued drilling new targets with the objective of expanding the mineral resource laterally and at depth;
- Targeting the high-grade feeder system typically seen in low-sulphidation epithermal deposits; the high-grade feeder system has not been tested by prior operators with average historical drillhole depth to approximately 75 meters, and is an exceptional exploration target;
- Detailed metallurgical program to characterize variances in the deposit metallurgy and determine optimal recovery process for the future Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA);
- Gather other information in preparation for commencing a PEA;
- Permitting to allow for baseline environmental surveys to commence.