Equinox Gold Announces Positive Drill Results from Tatajuba Target at Aurizona


VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 05, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Equinox Gold Corp. (TSX-V: EQX, OTC: EQXFF) (“Equinox Gold” or “the Company”) is pleased to announce positive exploration drill results from the Tatajuba target (“Tatajuba”) at the Company’s 100%-owned Aurizona Gold Mine (“Aurizona”) in Brazil.

Tatajuba is the western extension of the main Piaba Trend that hosts Aurizona. Previous exploration work has defined a target more than 4 kilometres in length. This drill program focused on a 600-metre (“m”) long portion of Tatajuba where historical drilling identified significant gold mineralization in the shallow saprolite zone. Each of the 12 drill holes (1,804 m) intersected the gold zone, extending gold mineralization to depths up to 150 m from surface and confirming continuity of mineralization into the deeper fresh rock.

Tatajuba Drill Highlights

  • 1.25 grams per tonne gold (“g/t Au”) over 44.0 m and 4.37 g/t Au over 38 m in hole D644
  • 1.36 g/t Au over 37.0 m in hole D645
  • 1.17 g/t Au over 29.0 m and 2.06 g/t Au over 5.0 m in hole D646  
  • 1.96 g/t Au over 35.0 m in hole D647
  • 1.11 g/t Au over 22.2 m in hole D648
  • 2.18 g/t Au over 8.0 m in hole D650
  • 1.42 g/t Au over 19.0 m in hole D651
  • 2.55 g/t Au over 10.4 m, 1.07 g/t Au over 9.8 m, and 1.66 g/t Au over 6.0 m in hole D652
  • 1.11 g/t Au over 28.4 m in hole D653
  • 2.09 g/t Au over 20.0 m in hole D654
     
  • For a map of Tatajuba drill results, click here
  • For two cross sections of Tatajuba drill holes, click here
  • For a table of Tatajuba drill results, click here

“Tatajuba drilling has delivered excellent results with continuity and grades typical of the Piaba gold deposit,” said Scott Heffernan, EVP Exploration for Equinox Gold. “Only about 15% of the 4-kilometre-long target has been tested to date, highlighting the potential for significant resource expansion along strike from existing reserves and confirming our belief in the potential of the Aurizona camp.”

Gold mineralization at Tatajuba is characteristically the same as that at the Piaba gold deposit that is currently being mined. North-northeast crosscutting structures appear to enhance gold grades and add a new structural control in this portion of the Piaba Trend. The Aurizona exploration team is undertaking detailed surface mapping to integrate with oriented core data collected during this recent program to update the Tatajuba structural model and plan for additional exploration in 2019.

On behalf of the Board of Equinox Gold Corp.

“Christian Milau”

CEO & Director

About Equinox Gold

Equinox Gold is a Canadian mining company with a multi-million-ounce gold resource base and near-term and growing gold production from two past-producing mines. Construction is well advanced at the Company’s Aurizona Gold Mine in Brazil with the target of pouring gold by year-end 2018, and the Company is advancing its Castle Mountain Gold Mine in California with the objective of commissioning Stage 1 operations by the end of 2019. Further information about Equinox Gold’s current portfolio of assets and long-term growth strategy is available at www.equinoxgold.com or by email at ir@equinoxgold.com.

Equinox Gold Contacts

Christian Milau, CEO
Rhylin Bailie, Vice President Investor Relations
Tel: +1 604-558-0560
Email: ir@equinoxgold.com

Qualified Person and Disclosure Statement

Scott Heffernan, M.Sc., P.Geo., the Company’s EVP Exploration and Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and verified that the technical information contained in this news release is accurate and approves the written disclosure of the same. Drill composites were calculated using cut-off values of 0.3 g/t, 1.0 g/t or 5.0 g/t gold as specified in the drill table and contain no more than 5 metres of internal waste. Drill intersections are calculated using uncut assays and are reported as drilled thicknesses. True widths of the mineralized intervals are interpreted to be 60 to 90 percent of the reported lengths. All samples were submitted to ALS Chemex in Belo Horizonte, Brazil for sample preparation. Sample pulps were then sent to ALS Chemex in Lima, Peru for geochemical analysis for gold by fire assay of a 30-gram charge with an Atomic Absorption finish (AA) and for a 33 multi-element geochemical suite by 4-acid digestion and Inductively-Coupled Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). Samples with AA gold values over 10.0 g/t are re-assayed by Screen Metallics fire assay. Control samples (accredited standards, blanks and duplicate samples at the field and preparation stages) were inserted on a regular basis. Results were monitored upon receipt of assays.

Cautionary Notes and Forward-looking Statements

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as such term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This document contains certain forward-looking information and forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities legislation (collectively “forward-looking statements”). The use of the words “will”, “potential”, “objective”, and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release include statements regarding planned exploration and development activities at the Company’s projects. Although Equinox Gold believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements and/or information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements since Equinox Gold can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements, including the risks, uncertainties and other factors identified in Equinox Gold’s periodic filings with Canadian securities regulators, and assumptions made with regard to the Company’s ability to complete construction at Aurizona and commence production, the timing to achieve production at Aurizona, and the ability to achieve the results anticipated in the Aurizona feasibility study; the ability to restart production at Castle Mountain, timing of the anticipated restart of production, and the ability to achieve the results anticipated in the Castle Mountain prefeasibility study; the impact of current and future exploration at Aurizona, and the ability to expand the Aurizona resource base and extend the mine life with exploration success. Furthermore, the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as at the date of this news release and Equinox Gold does not undertake any obligations to publicly update and/or revise any of the included forward-looking statements, whether as a result of additional information, future events and/or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable securities laws.