Mawson Resources (TSE:MAW) on Tuesday updated on the final eight drill holes (PAL0018 to PAL0025) from the 16-hole, 3,386-metre winter drill programme at the 100%-owned Palokas gold project in Finland.
Two hand-portable Energold Group EGD Series III rigs, modified to meet environmental requirements and climate conditions, were used for the drill programme, the company said.
Palokas mineralisation extended to north: PAL0019 discovered the down-plunge extension of mineralization at Palokas, intersecting 2.9 metres at 5.9 grams per tonne gold from 176.7 metres, including one metre at 16.7 grams per tonne gold from 178.7 metres.
Mineralisation is hosted within a 40-metre-thick chlorite-tourmaline-amphibole-pyrrhotite rock and is the deepest discovery at Palokas to date.
Multiple mineralised zones defined: Mineralisation in PAL0018 (one metre at 17.9 grams per tonne gold from 172 metres) is hosted in altered sericitic calcsilicate-bearing albitites interpreted to be 50 metres lower in the stratigraphy than the Palokas mineralisation.
Mineralised rocks drilled over 3.5-kilometre strike: Drill hole PAL0023 (three metres at 2.1 grams per tonne gold from 84.4 metres) is significant as it is located two kilometres from Palokas and is the most easterly hole drilled along the Palokas target horizon.
The main Palokas mineralised position was found within a 100-metre-thick hydrothermally altered talc-silicified-pyrrhotite-amphibole rock. The host sequence here is inverted, increasing both complexity and volume of potential host rock within the target area.
Multiple targets remain untested: A thin veneer of glacial soils that average three metres to five metres thick covers 99 per cent of the area. In combination with the ubiquitous presence of gold mineralisation in both drilling and surface sampling over a large area, many areas remain untested.
Rumajarvi is located 1,500 metres south of Palokas where 68 boulders and subcrops greater than 0.1 gram per tonne gold ranged from 0.11 gram per tonne gold to 3,870 grams per tonne gold with an average of 101.4 grams per tonne gold and a median of 0.6 gram per tonne gold. Two holes drilled at Rumajarvi failed to find the source of the boulder train.
Joki, which was not tested during this drill campaign, has 13 boulders and outcrops greater than 0.1 gram per tonne gold, which ranged from 0.1 gram per tonne gold to 2,871 grams per tonne gold with an average of 518.5 grams per tonne gold and a median of 135.5 grams per tonne gold.
Boardwalk, which was not tested during this drill campaign, has 13 boulders and outcrops greater than 0.1 gram per tonne gold, which ranged from 0.18 gram per tonne gold to 221 grams per tonne gold with an average of 38.2 grams per tonne gold and a median of one gram per tonne gold.
The Finnish Nature Conservation Association, Lapland district (a non-government organisation), retracts its false accusations in its reappeal to the Supreme Court after a police investigation.
In August, Mawson said it had requested a police investigation into certain accusations made by the Finnish Nature Conservation Association, Lapland district, in its appeal to Supreme Administrative Court on an earlier ruling made by the Regional Administrative Court in May, 2015.
The NGO made false claims that Mawson had performed deep drilling inside Natura 2000 areas before permitting had been completed.
After almost six months after filing the reappeal and commencement of the police investigation, the NGO retracted its false accusations. Subsequently, the company was informed by the Rovaniemi police that the investigation was closed on April 7, 2016.
Mawson said in a statement: "The company is pleased that the retraction was eventually provided. Unfortunately, Mawson has lost one year of research in the appeal process and significant employment opportunities because of false allegations. While too late for this current legal process, Mawson also welcomes the Finnish government's new governmental coalition program, which limits access to the Supreme Administrative Court in environmental and construction matters."
Mawson shares were up 5.77% at C$0.28 on Tuesday.