VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / November 7, 2023 / Relevant Gold Corp. (TSXV:RGC)(OTCQB:RGCCF) ("Relevant Gold" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that its 2023 detailed mapping and rock chip sampling program successfully identified three new district-scale gold and copper target zones on its 100% owned 2,307 hectare (ha) (5,700 acre) Bradley Peak Project, located in central Wyoming, USA. Rock chip sampling along over 30 km of newly mapped shears identified widespread gold and copper mineralization including up to 5.3 g/t gold at the Deserted Treasure Zone, and 107 g/t silver and 6.25% copper at Kortes Zone. The 2023 program was the first systematic exploration step for this project and yielded the following highlights (Figure 1):
3 target zones identified: 1) Kortes, 2) Apex, and 3) Deserted Treasure.
Over 15% of all samples contained detectable gold (>0.01 g/t Au) and 9 of those samples have >1% copper (Cu) (Table 1)
"These gold and copper results expand our exploration footprint in Wyoming into a whole new area and strongly support our thesis that there is extensive underappreciated Abitibi-style gold mineralization in our claims," commented Relevant Gold CXO, Brian Lentz. "We look forward to advancing these promising new targets to drilling while continuing our systematic boots on the ground exploration of our 2,307 ha Bradley Peak land package."
The 2023 mapping and sampling program was designed to characterize the gold and pathfinder element signatures of the property's host rock assemblages and answer important geological questions. The major observations from this initial mapping and sampling program are:
Bradley Peak is a complex greenstone belt terrane comprising mafic volcanics, intrusives, and metasedimentary rocks that exhibit strong indicators of a large-scale orogenic gold/copper system.
More than 30+ km of previously unrecognized prospective shear zones were mapped in 2023 with mineralization, alteration, structure, and lithology similar to the Abitibi Greenstone Belt.
3 district-scale target areas showing multiple styles of mineralization were identified:
Orogenic style (Apex, Kortes and Deserted Treasure)
Intrusion-related (Apex and Kortes).
Airborne geophysics (pending USGS/WGS) will further aid in exploration targeting (See May 24, 2023 News Release).
Figure 1: Bedrock geology map of Bradley Peak project with 2023 sampling results, previous Relevant Gold samples and the three newly identified target zone areas. Subset maps are zoomed in to each target zone area.
About the Bradley Peak Project
The Bradley Peak property is located in the Seminoe Mountains in central Wyoming covered by 2,307 ha (5,700 acres) of contiguous active BLM mining claims 100% owned by Relevant Gold Corp. Multiple orogenic shear-zone hosted mineralization styles, including VMS style mineralization with increased copper grades associated with gold, have been traced across the property. Project highlights include:
47+ km of prospective shear zones showing classic orogenic gold and volcanogenic massive sulfide style mineralization observed across the greenstone district.
Historic samples of up to 89 g/t Au + 5.8% Cu (Hausel, 1994); Relevant Gold 2019 rock chip samples included 72.4 g/t Au and 6.5 g/t Au and 3.7% Cu; Relevant Gold 2023 samples included 5.3 g/t Au, 107 g/t Ag, and 6.5% Cu.
Relevant Gold's results appear to correlate with the historic sampling results.
Host Lithologies: Greenstone Belt assemblage (greenstone, amphibolite, intrusions, iron-formation) with mineralization traps stemming from rheologic contrasts? and carbonate facies iron formation.
Structure: Major P-shears with brittle-ductile transition zones and complex re-folded folds
Summary of 2023 Bradley Peak Work Program
Relevant Gold's exploration thesis is based on extensive academic research that links Wyoming to the Abitibi gold belts at the time of gold mineralization (2.65 billion years ago) and shows how the two crustal blocks rifted apart (2.1 billion years ago) to where they presently reside (Relevant Gold thesis). The Company achieved strong initial proof of this concept in 2022 at the Golden Buffalo project (See Feb. 06, 2023 News Release), which provided the basis for an expanded 2023 regional exploration program designed to systematically identify new target opportunities across Relevant Gold's portfolio of 5 district-scale assets. This year's initial mapping & sampling program at Bradley Peak had 3 main goals:
Understand the potential & scale of gold mineralization
Answer key geologic questions
Establish Target Zones
A total of 216 rock chip samples were assayed for gold and multi-element geochemical suites. 34 samples had detectable gold (>0.01 g/t Au) including 9 samples that also carried >1% copper (Cu) (See Table 1 below). This work successfully identified 3 district-scale high-grade Au, Ag, and Cu target areas: 1) Kortes, 2) Apex, 3) Deserted Treasure. Each one of these targets displays distinct mineralization, structure, alteration, and scale and is described in more detail below.
Table 1: Highlight assay and geochemistry results from the 2023 mapping and sampling program at Bradley Peak.
Kortes Zone
The Kortes target zone has at least 1.8 kilometers of mapped hydrothermally altered shear zone with up to 6.5 g/t Au, 107 g/t Ag, and 6.25% Cu in complex quartz-carbonate-chalcopyrite veins of variable widths (Figure 1). This target area lies in the northern portion of Bradley Peak where 2023 work found gold mineralization within orogenic quartz-carbonate veins, hosted in both mafic to ultramafic metavolcanics, mafic to ultramafic intrusions, and iron-formation. There is also evidence for intrusion-related vein arrays.
Mineralized shear zones are observed as Reidel P-shears reflecting progressive wrenching along the Kortes Fault. Alteration includes abundant ankerite in halos surrounding shear zones in mafic rocks and iron-formation as well as hydrothermal, retrograde alteration assemblages including chlorite-actinolite-sulfide in mafic rocks adjacent to shear zones and quartz veins.
Apex Zone
The Apex zone is centrally located within an at least 4.5 km shear zone and hosts two historic mines including the Apex Mine and the Sunday Morning Prospect. No historic production numbers are known, but significant workings are present, and the Wyoming Geological Survey reports up to 2.1 ppm Au, 27 ppm Ag, and 5.8% Cu from the Sunday Morning Prospect (Hausel, 1994). Relevant Gold's results appear to correlate with the historic sampling results.
Relevant Gold has recognized previously unmapped sheared and altered Quartz-Feldspar-Porphyry intrusive rocks within the larger package of mafic greenstone volcanics. Gold, copper, and base metal mineralization has been sampled throughout the Apex Zone with grades up to 1.18 g/t Au and 2.14% Cu (Figure 1). Additionally, multiple areas of quartz-sericite-pyrite altered rocks containing anomalous gold and pathfinder elements were newly identified within sheared zones to the northwest of the known historic mining corridor. This suggests the broader Apex Zone could host additional orogenic gold and/or intrusion-related vein systems.
Deserted Treasure Zone
The Deserted Treasure zone is another shear-hosted, orogenic, quartz-carbonate vein array in a broad fold hinge in altered mafic metaigneous rocks, mafic metavolcanics, and iron-formation cut by multiple NE-trending shear zones. The zone is bound by the Dewesse Fault, which is a crustal-scale fault juxtaposing the Bradley Peak Ultramafic complex with the Sunday Morning Creek Metavolcanics. This fault acted as a conduit for deeply sourced hydrothermal fluids. The area is affected by widespread chlorite-carbonate-epidote alteration associated with mylonitic to cataclastic zones hosting quartz-carbonate-chalcopyrite veins with local occurrences of visible gold. 2023 rock chip sampling returned up to 5.35 g/t Au and 1.1% Cu and Relevant Gold samples collected in 2019 returned up to 72.4 g/t Au.
Historic Sampling Data
The historic sampling data referenced in this release for the Bradley Peak property and the Sunday Morning Prospect can be found in the following publication: Hausel, W.D., 1994, Economic geology of the Seminoe Mountains mining district, Carbon County, Wyoming: Wyoming State Geological Survey Report of Investigations 50, 31 p., 2 pls., scale 1:24,000.
QAQC
Samples were submitted to the accredited MSALabs laboratory for preparation and analysis at their Val-d'Or, Quebec and Langley, B.C. facilities in Canada. Samples were prepared and analyzed for gold using PhotonAssay? at the Val-d'Or location and multi-element geochemistry at the Lagley, B.C. location. All samples were assayed for gold using the CPA-Au1 method with a >250g sample, and separately analyzed for multi-element ICP-MS geochemistry using method IMS-230 with a 4-acid digestion. Overlimit results for copper (>10,000ppm Cu) were further analyzed with the PER-7Cu method using a sodium peroxide fusion and ICP-AES analysis. Overlimit results for silver (>100ppm Ag) were further analyzed with the CPA-Ag method with a >250g sample.
MSALabs employs an internal QA/QC to ensure proper sample preparation and equipment calibration. Additionally, Relevant Gold's QA/QC program includes regular insertion of CRM standards, duplicates, and blanks in the sample batches to further monitor lab accuracy, precision and equipment calibration. All results and QA/QC have been reviewed by Mr. Brian Lentz, CPG, who is the Chief Exploration Officer and Qualified Person for the Company.
About Relevant Gold Corp.
Relevant Gold Corp. is a North American gold exploration company focused on the acquisition, exploration, discovery, and development of district-scale gold projects in the state of Wyoming - one of the most mining-friendly jurisdictions in the United States and globally. Founded by experienced exploration geologists, Relevant Gold is managed by a highly respected team with a proven record of significant value creation for shareholders.
On behalf of Relevant Gold Corp.,
Rob Bergmann, Chief Executive Officer
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For further information about Relevant Gold Corp. or this news release, please visit our website at www.relevantgoldcorp.com or contact Rob Bergmann, President and CEO, or Kristopher Jensen, Manager of Investor Relations, at 763-760-4886 or by email at [email protected].
This news release contains certain statements that constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. These statements relate to future events of Relevant Gold Corp. ("Relevant" or "Relevant Gold" or "the Company"). Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "seek", "anticipate", "plan", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "forecast", "may", "will", "project", "predict", "potential", "targeting", "intend", "could", "might", "should", "believe", "outlook" and similar expressions) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking information. Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such risks include, among others, the inherent risk of the mining industry; adverse economic and market developments; the risk that the Company will not be successful in completing additional acquisitions; risks relating to the estimation of mineral resources; the possibility that the Company's estimated burn rate may be higher than anticipated; risks of unexpected cost increases; risks of labour shortages; risks relating to exploration and development activities; risks relating to future prices of mineral resources; risks related to work site accidents, risks related to geological uncertainties and variations; risks related to government and community support of the company's projects; risks related to global pandemics and other risks related to the mining industry. The Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking information are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward‐looking information should not be unduly relied upon. These statements speak only as of the date of this news release. The Company does not intend and does not assume any obligation, to update any forward‐looking information except as required by law.
The scientific and technical contents of this release have been approved by Mr. Brian C. Lentz, CPG #11999, Chief Exploration Officer of the Company, who is a "Qualified Person" as defined by Canadian National Instrument 43-101 (Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects). Mr. Lentz is not independent of the Company.
