HighGold Mining plans at least 16,000 metres of drilling in Alaska this year as it approves C$10M exploration budget

HighGold Mining Inc (CVE:HIGH) (OTCQX:HGGOF) revealed that an initial C$10 million exploration budget has been approved for 2021 at its flagship Johnson Tract polymetallic gold project in Alaska and plans for a 16,000 metre (m) drill program are already underway. The drilling, with three rigs, will target upgrading the JT deposit, along with adjacent target areas, and will see the first time testing of other prospects in the near 21,000 acre district. These include the new 1 kilometre (km) by 0.5 km high-grade silver-gold vein field, which was discovered in 2020 at the DC prospect, which sits 4 km northeast of the JT deposit. READ: HighGold Mining to mobilize for 2021 drilling at Johnson Tract project, Alaska in May A property-wide magnetic-electromagnetic (VTEM) airborne survey totaling 1,100 line-km is due to start later in May, while the three rigs are expected to be turning in early June. "Our exploration team’s mandate in 2021 includes both establishing critical mass at the JT Deposit and making new discoveries," HighGold CEO Darwin Green told investors in a statement. "The JT deposit is open to expansion and a priority for this program is to continue tracking and expanding the deposit farther down-plunge. We have high conviction in the potential to define a multi-deposit district at Johnson Tract and are excited to be drill testing several of the priority regional prospects for the first time ever. With C$17 million in working capital, HighGold is fully funded for the planned program," Green added. All three drill rigs are expected to start in the JT Deposit area, completing systematic step-outs down-plunge and along strike to the deposit, as well as testing the Footwall Copper Zone, Gap, revised Fault Offset, and new VMS Zone targets, the explorer added. Meanwhile, drilling at the JT district regional prospects is expected to commence in July with a minimum of one drill rig dedicated for the remainder of the program. All the necessary permits are in hand to drill at each of the planned target areas. DCIP ground geophysical surveying will also start in July this year. Last year in Alaska, HighGold sunk over 16,000m in 32 holes and notably, the gold, copper, zinc, silver, lead mineralization associated with the JT deposit was expanded to a total strike of 500m and a down-plunge distance of 575m. The Johnson Tract property lies near tidewater in south-central Alaska. It hosts the high-grade JT deposit, which has a resource of 750,000 indicated ounces of 10.9 g/t gold equivalent and at least nine other prospects over a 12km strike. Contact the author at giles@proactiveinvestors.com