Beauce Gold Fields Tests Horizontal Directional Drilling on the Beauce Gold Property
Montreal, Quebec–(Newsfile Corp. – August 1, 2023) – Beauce Gold Fields (TSXV: BGF) (Champs D’Or en Beauce), (« BGF » or the « Company »): is pleased to announce it has tested the use of a modified horizontal directional drilling method to drill lengths of the auriferous till units of the paleoplacer channel on the Beauce Gold property located in St-Simon les Mine, Quebec.
« Horizontal directional drilling has the potential to revolutionize placer gold exploration, » said Patrick Levasseur, President, and CEO of Beauce Gold Fields. Mr. Levasseur also emphasized, « If successful, this innovative technique will not only enhance cost-efficiency but also significantly improve sample coverage and reduce environmental impact, marking a significant leap forward in our exploration efforts. »
Image: from top left: Horizontal Directional Drill; Vacuum Tanker Truck; Diagram
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Horizontal directional drilling (HDD) is commonly used in construction and civil engineering projects. The technique is utilized to install or replace utility lines (such as pipelines, fibre optic cables, electrical conduits, etc.) without extensive excavation or disruption to existing infrastructure. The Company recently experimented with the technique by combining an HDD rig and a vacuum tanker truck to collect the mix of bentonite mud and drill cuttings. Bentonite, commonly used in HDD, consists chiefly of crystalline clay minerals that help stabilize the borehole walls, preventing it from collapsing. As the drilling progresses, the bentonite-based mud carries the drill cuttings (rock fragments, auriferous till and saprolite) back to the surface, which is then vacuumed into a tanker truck. The high viscosity of bentonite helps to keep cuttings suspended in the fluid, ensuring efficient cuttings removal from the borehole.
The bentonite mud & cuttings material were emptied in geotech-lined pits for decanting. Various tests and trials will be performed on the material to see the best method of separating the bentonite to create heavy mineral concentrates that can be analyzed for gold. If the Company settles upon a successful separation method, a mobile placer plant will be mobilized on-site to process the material.
From one location, four fanned-out HDD boreholes were completed, totalling 321 meters in the auriferous till (Basal Till) and saprolite layers.
| Hole | Horizontal Length |
Direction Azimuth |
Aprox. Volume Bentonite & Cut. |
Comment |
| D-1 | 63 meters | N105 | 3.5 m3 | Target to hole G64-3, 3.4g/m3* Au |
| D-2 | 30 meters | N130 | 1.0 m3 | Hit boulder, hole abandoned at 30m |
| D-2.5 | 51 meters | N120 | 1.5 m3 | Test lateral width of placer channel |
| D-3 | 135 meters | N050 | 8 m3 | Target to hole G65-S04 1.44 g/m3* Au |
| D-4 | 72 meters | N095 | 5 m3 | Test lateral width of placer channel |
*Sources: Sedar- Beauce Gold Fields 43-101 Report – Beauce July 4th 2018, Author B. Violette.
Five Advantages of Horizontal directional drilling
If successful, using directional horizontal drilling to explore and drill the paleoplacer channel on the Companies placer gold properties will offer many advantages:
- Enhanced Exploration: Directional horizontal drilling allows for targeted exploration of specific areas of interest within the paleoplacer channel. By drilling at angles or curves, geologists can access hard-to-reach or hidden gold-bearing zones that traditional vertical drilling might miss.
- Increased Coverage: Directional drilling enables extensive coverage of the paleoplacer channel with fewer drill holes. This efficiency can significantly reduce drilling costs.
- Improved Sampling: Horizontal drilling allows for better sampling along the length of the paleoplacer channel. This means more representative samples of the gold-bearing formation can be collected, leading to more accurate estimations of the gold resource.
- Minimized Environmental Impact: By using directional drilling, the surface disturbance on the Beauce gold property can be minimized, reducing the project’s overall footprint and potential environmental impacts.
- Resource Estimation: The data collected from directional horizontal drilling can be used to estimate the size, shape, and continuity of the gold deposit within the paleoplacer channel more precisely. This information is critical for determining the economic viability of the deposit and planning future mining operations.
Jean Bernard, B,Sc. Geo., is a qualified person, as defined by NI 43-101, who has reviewed and approved the technical information presented in this release.
About Beauce Gold Fields
Beauce Gold Fields is focused on exploring and developing the largest placer gold district in eastern North America. The Company’s objective is the trace old placer gold workings back to a bedrock source to uncover economic lode gold deposits. The Company’s flagship property is the St-Simon-les-Mines Gold project site of Canada’s first gold rush that pre-dates the Yukon Klondike. The Beauce region hosted some of the largest historical placer gold mines in Eastern North America that were active from 1860s to the 1960s It produced some of the largest gold nuggets in Canadian mining history (50oz to 71oz). (Source Sedar: 43-101 Report – Beauce July 4th 2018, , Author B. Violette).
Comparable North American Placer Districts
| Projects | Location | Year | Avg. Grade g/m3 |
| Beauce Placer Mining | Quebec | 1960 | 0.43 |
| Multiple private large placer operations | Yukon | 2020 | 0.30 |
| NovaGold (TSX: NG), Nome Gold Project | Alaska | 2011 | 0.30 |
Source: Sedar: 43-101 Report – Beauce July 4th 2018, Author B. Violette.
Yukon Placer Mining Industry Reports 2010-2014, 2018-2020:Yukon Geological Survey.
NovaGold Resources: TECHNICAL REPORT NOME PLACER PROPERTY, 2006, Norwest Corporation.
Beauce Gold Fields website www.beaucegold.com
Disclaimers:
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements containing the words « may », « plan », « will », « estimate », « continue », « anticipate », « intend », « expect », « in the process » and other similar expressions which constitute « forward-looking information » within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements reflect the Company’s current expectation and assumptions, and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, our expectations regarding mineral exploration. Such statements reflect the current views of the Company with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties and other risks detailed from time-to-time in the Company’s on-going filings with the securities regulatory authorities, which filings can be found at www.sedar.com. Actual results, events, and performance may differ materially. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements either as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
For further information contact
Patrick Levasseur, President and CEO Tel: (514) 262-9239
www.beaucegold.com