West Kirkland Mining drilling on major gold trends in Ontario and Nevada confirms gold potential

West Kirkland Mining (CVE:WKM) is a junior gold explorer that is drilling highly prospective gold targets located on the western end of the Cadillac Larder Lake Break, a 300 kilometre shear that has historic production in excess of 100 million ounces of gold, and runs through Kirkland Lake, Ontario.
The company is also a major property holder along the Battle Mountain, Getchell, Carlin, Jerritt Canyon and Long Canyon Trends in Nevada, and is defining targets that are located along trend from some of North America’s most prolific gold mines.

West Kirkland controls mineral rights over 0.4% of the entire state of Nevada, and includes an earn-in option with Rubicon Minerals (TSE:RMX) that encompasses 910 square kilometres, and 11 separate options with Fronteer Gold that were struck before Fronteer was taken over by Newmont (NYSE:NEM). These ventures entail a commitment of $15 million over four years to Rubicon Minerals, and an additional $15.4 million over four years to Newmont to secure all 11 Nevada properties. West Kirkland, however, can opt to continue its earn-in on fewer Newmont properties after year two on a per-project cost basis.
The most advanced Nevada project is the TUG property, which is located in the northern end of the Long Canyon Trend that extends over a distance of 100 kilometres and straddles the Nevada and Utah border. West Kirkland Mining has the right to earn up to a 60% interest in TUG from Newmont.
The prospectivity of the Long Canyon Trend was sharply upgraded when Fronteer Gold developed a new gold deposit model and outlined an initial resource of 2.2 million ounces of gold within the Trend, which led to a $2.3 billion takeover from Newmont.
West Kirkland Mining has drilled 2,300 metres into the area of the TUG deposit. Highlights include drill-hole WT 11-002, which intersected 47.70 metres of 1.04 g/t Au and 24.65 g/t Ag at a depth of 165.81 metres, including 2.41 metres of 7.88 g/t Au and 69.19 g/t Ag at a depth of 211.10 metres.* The grades and zones in this drill-hole open up the northern extent of the strike line, adding potential for richer grades along strike and at depth.
Drill-hole WT 11-001, which was located in the centre of the deposit, intersected 15.48 metres of 3.08 g/t Au, and 94.75 g/t Ag from a depth of 31.69 metres and included 3.20 metres of 6.35 g/t Au, and 214.40 g/t Ag; and nearby hole WT 11-004 intersected 22.56 metres of 1.55 g/t Au, and 58.58 g/t Ag at a depth of 58.52 metres, and 3.05 metres at 3.37 g/t Au, and 72.45 g/t Ag, at a depth of 69.19 metres.
TUG drilling to date has confirmed and expanded the existing deposit and West Kirkland continues to explore for extensions of the deposit both along strike and at depth.
Detailed surface sampling is underway at Lewis Spring, and carries elevated gold values over a 53 square kilometre area.
The Toano Block, which is located across the valley from the Long Canyon gold deposit, carries historic gold workings, geology and similar structures to the nearby Long Canyon Deposit and is also being surface sampled.
A 1,200 metre drilling program has commenced at Bullion Mountain, which is located within the Battle Mountain trend and is located 12 kilometres north of Barrick’s Pipeline Mine, hosting 14.1 million ounces of gold, and is along strike from the Cortez Mine, and new discoveries recorded by Newmont at Red Hill and Goldrush. Surface sampling at Bullion Mountain returned up to 10 g/t Au, with technical studies indicating gold targets starting at a down hole distance of 500 metres.
Exploration efforts in Ontario are centered on landholdings covering 94 square kilometres that are located to the west of Kirkland Lake. Drilling at Cunningham resulted in high grade mineralization in hole KC1008, which intersected 23.0 metres of 7.61 g/t Au, at a depth of 68.5 metres, and included 7.9 metres of 19.79 g/t Au. KC1009 intersected 1.8 metres of 6.19 g/t Au, at a depth of 129.4 metres, and was drilled directly beneath KC1008. Drilling at KM1125 intersected 1.5 metres of 6.29 g/t Au, at a depth of 62.5 metres, and was located 64 metres south of KC1008.
In early October 2011, the company reported the discovery of a new gold zone at Cunningham. The discovery was correlated in three dimensions with an initial strike length of 100 metres and depth extent in excess of 200 metres in four drill holes. In addition to the 16.15 g/t Au over 5.00 metres in KC1163, the same structure returned values of 6.42 g/t Au over 1.1 metres within a 4.00 metre gold bearing intercept at a depth of 90.7 metres in KC1164.  These new intercepts are within a new discovery area of the overall Cadillac-Larder Lake Deformation Zone approximately two kilometres west of the previously disclosed KC1008.
West Kirkland Mining is on track to complete a 20,000 metre drilling program for 2011.
The Goldbanks property is a 60/40 joint venture with Queenston Mines (TSE:QMI), and is on the same gold trend, situated approximately 1,200 metres from the Macassa Mine #3 head frame. Goldbanks abuts production in excess of 3.5 million ounces of gold, owned by Kirkland Lake Gold (TSE:KGI).
Recent work from underground in the Macassa Mine identified new gold zones that strike towards Goldbanks and along the ’04 and ’05 Breaks.  West Kirkland Mining is now drilling this potential extension, seeking to intersect the ’04 and possibly the ’05 Breaks. This drilling will systematically test several kilometres of the ’04 and ’05 Breaks, seeking both high grade gold shoots and thick sections of higher grade gold.
West Kirkland Mining is headed by Michael Jones as president and CEO.  He co-founded West Timmins Mining, which was taken over by Lake Shore Gold (TSE:LSG) for approximately $400 million in late 2009, and also founded Glimmer Gold Resources, where he was credited with discovering the Glimmer Gold Mine. Glimmer is now part of Brigus Gold (TSE:BRD) and is known as Black Fox.
The supporting management team at West Kirkland Mining has a successful 40 year track record in gold discovery, development, and mine operations in Ontario and Nevada, that include the development of three mines achieving a combined value of $1.6 billion.
On November 22, 2011 the company closed a bought deal financing of $7.75 million. West Kirkland is capitalized at approximately $32 million, with approximately 25% of the shares held by management, 50% by institutional investors, and 25% in the public float.
Current exploration programs are confirming the existence of multiple high grade prospects that are located along trend and in close proximity to major gold resources at Kirkland Lake, Long Canyon and possibly at Battle Mountain.
* Qualified Person,
Michael G. Allen, Vice President of Exploration for West Kirkland, and a non-independent Qualified Person as defined by Canadian National Instrument 43-101, has verified the analytical data, including drill core samples, quoted in this article that are referenced from Company news releases previously disclosed by West Kirkland Mining.