Exploration history
Historical drilling at Basin Gulch
Last updated:
More than 320 historical drill holes have been completed at the Basin Gulch Property, with highlight intercepts including 1.8 g/t gold over 162 metres from surface.
Lannister Mining’s Basin Gulch dataset is unusual for an exploration-stage project: long intervals of gold mineralization that begin at surface, alongside short high-grade intervals such as 156 g/t gold over 3 metres. Historical trenching also returned gold and silver over long widths. These results will be tested by expansion and confirmation drilling ahead of a maiden mineral resource estimate.
What are the best historical drill results at Basin Gulch?
The highlight historical drill intercepts at Basin Gulch are 1.8 g/t Au over 162 metres, 0.66 g/t Au over 326 metres and 3.2 g/t Au over 72 metres, all from surface, plus 156 g/t Au over 3 metres and 25 g/t Au over 14 metres. The bars below show each interval length to scale against the longest, 326 metres.
1.8 g/t Auover 162 m (531.5 ft), from surface
0.66 g/t Auover 326 m (1,069.6 ft), from surface
3.2 g/t Auover 72 m (236.2 ft), from surface
156 g/t Auover 3 m (9.8 ft)
25 g/t Auover 14 m (45.9 ft)
| Gold grade | Interval (m) | Interval (ft) | Starts at surface | Grade x width (g/t x m) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.8 g/t Au | 162 | 531.5 | Yes | 291.6 |
| 0.66 g/t Au | 326 | 1,069.6 | Yes | 215.2 |
| 3.2 g/t Au | 72 | 236.2 | Yes | 230.4 |
| 156 g/t Au | 3 | 9.8 | Not stated | 468 |
| 25 g/t Au | 14 | 45.9 | Not stated | 350 |
Grade x width is calculated on this page by multiplying grade by interval length. It is a common shorthand for comparing intercepts and is not part of the original results.
| Gold (g/t Au) | Silver (g/t Ag) | Interval (m) | Interval (ft) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62 | 32 | 159 | 521.7 |
| 4 | 23 | 146 | 479 |
| 5 | 54 | 34 | 111.6 |
| 25 | 45 | 61 | 200.1 |
How should these intercepts be read?
Grades are in grams per tonne (g/t), where 1 g/t is about 0.029 troy ounces per short ton. Long intervals at modest grade, such as 0.66 g/t Au over 326 metres from surface, describe broad mineralized zones that begin at the top of the hole. Short intervals at high grade, such as 156 g/t Au over 3 metres, point to higher-grade structures within the system. Basin Gulch has both, in oxide-hosted rock. These are historical results; they have not yet been incorporated into a mineral resource estimate, which is why confirmation drilling comes first.
What happens to the historical data next?
Historical drilling and new work programs will be used in a future maiden mineral resource estimate. Before that, expansion and confirmation drilling of historical drill intercepts will test and extend the known zones. The mineralization is open at depth and along strike, and two-thirds of the property is unexplored, so future drilling will also concentrate on additional mineralized target areas. Read the Basin Gulch project status, or return to the overview of Lannister Mining as a Montana gold exploration company.
Common questions
- How many holes have been drilled at Basin Gulch?
- More than 320 historical drill holes have been completed at the Basin Gulch Property. That dataset, alongside historical trenching, is the starting point for the planned maiden mineral resource estimate, once expansion and confirmation drilling of the historical drill intercepts is complete.
- What are the best historical drill intercepts at Basin Gulch?
- Highlight historical intercepts include 1.8 g/t gold over 162 metres from surface, 0.66 g/t gold over 326 metres from surface, 3.2 g/t gold over 72 metres from surface, 156 g/t gold over 3 metres and 25 g/t gold over 14 metres. The long intervals starting at surface are the defining feature of the dataset.
- What did trenching at Basin Gulch return?
- Historical trench highlights at Basin Gulch are listed as 62 g/t gold and 32 g/t silver over 159 metres, 4 g/t gold and 23 g/t silver over 146 metres, 5 g/t gold and 54 g/t silver over 34 metres, and 25 g/t gold and 45 g/t silver over 61 metres. The full table appears on the historical drilling page.
- What does g/t mean in drill results?
- g/t means grams per tonne, the mass of gold or silver in grams contained in one metric tonne of rock. One gram per tonne is about 0.029 troy ounces per short ton. A result such as 1.8 g/t Au over 162 metres means the 162-metre drilled interval averaged 1.8 grams of gold per tonne.
- What does “from surface” mean in a drill intercept?
- “From surface” means the mineralized interval begins at the top of the drill hole, with no barren rock above it. At Basin Gulch, three highlight intercepts start at surface, including 0.66 g/t gold over 326 metres. Mineralization at surface matters because it reduces the waste rock that would need to be moved in any future open-pit design.
- Will historical drilling be used in a resource estimate?
- Yes. Historical drilling and new work programs will be used in a future maiden mineral resource estimate for Basin Gulch. The plan is expansion and confirmation drilling of historical drill intercepts first, so the historical results can be tested and supplemented with new data before an estimate is prepared.