Visible Gold Brings Continued Excitement to Jr. Explorer's BC Project
Drilling and field operations at Golden Cariboo Resources Ltd.'s (GCC:CSE; GCCFF:OTC; A0RLEP:WKN; 3TZ:FSE) past-producing Quesnelle project in British Columbia's Cariboo Gold District continue to find the yellow metal throughout the project, from visible gold in drill cores to mineralization in outcrop samples. One mining analyst says it's a good indication of the mine's potential.
Drilling and field operations at Golden Cariboo Resources Ltd.'s (GCC:CSE; GCCFF:OTC; A0RLEP:WKN; 3TZ:FSE) past-producing Quesnelle project in British Columbia's Cariboo Gold District continue to find the yellow metal throughout the project, from visible gold in drill cores to mineralization in outcrop samples.
President and Chief Executive Officer Frank Callaghan told Streetwise Reports that despite the high level of experience on his team, several geologists had never seen visible gold before, and their first views of it were "priceless."
"It was on the outside of this piece of core," Callaghan said. "And then the core had split ... and there was more gold on the inside of it, as well."
Callaghan said he's drilled "hundreds and hundreds" of holes, but he "can count on my hands how many times I've seen it (visible gold)."
He said the company is seeing the gold in "every drill hole," so they keep moving forward chasing the deposit and working at the site 24 hours a day.
And according to Callaghan, the structure of the mineralization is "thickening up" as they drill. The technical team has also recognized multiple types of quartz veins that can contain gold, a common feature in large gold deposits of similar nature.
Last month, the company announced it was even forced to stop drilling in a vein zone at the property due to proximity to Osisko Development Corp.'s nearby mineral claims. Drill hole QGQ24-17 was terminated at a depth of 477.32 meters, and the "only thing that stopped us from drilling further was the claim boundary with Osisko," Callaghan said at the time.
On Tuesday, the company announced rock sample results from its 2024 field campaign, which found up to 8.47 grams per tonne gold (g/t Au) in one outcrop in the Halo zone and 1.13 g/t Au in another outcrop near the Pioneer showing.
"Although there is a lot of glacial cover on this project, our geologists still managed to find new gold-bearing outcrops in areas of great significance," Callaghan said in a release announcing the results. "We have now expanded the surface footprint of gold mineralization at the Halo zone to the northeast and increased the strike length of our gold trend. We're in a very large gold system that is being demonstrated by multiple, varied work programs."
Drilling 'Nonstop' and 'Underbudget'
Golden Cariboo, a Canadian explorer-developer, is targeting a potential multimillion-ounce gold resource at the 3,814-hectare Quesnelle project, where gold, silver, lead and zinc were produced historically, according to its Investor Presentation.
The company's neighbors in the mining district include Osisko's Cariboo Gold Project, Spanish Mountain Gold Ltd. (SPA:TSX.V) (Spanish Mountain deposit), Omineca Mining and Metals Ltd. (OMM:TSX.V; OMMSF:OTCMKTS) (Wingdam mine) and Taseko Mines Ltd. (TKO:TSX; TGB:NYSE.MKT) (Gibraltar mine).
Callaghan began rediscovering the Cariboo Camp in the mid-1990s as Barkerville Gold Mines Ltd. He and his then team discovered a gold deposit at Bonanza Ledge and advanced the project to production. He also assembled and developed the Cariboo Gold Project. Ultimately, Osisko Royalties acquired Barkerville and the assets in 2015 for US$338M. Osisko is about to restart mining operations in the camp.
Subsequently, in 2019, Callaghan acquired the Quesnelle Gold Quartz project, where he aims to repeat his previous successes, given the property's geology is similar to that of the other two projects.
Previously, the company reported observing multiple instances of visible gold in several holes earlier this fall and summer.
"Visible gold in current drilling indicates potential for high-grade assays from mineralized targets," Couloir Capital Senior Mining Analyst Ron Wortel wrote in a recent research report.
Given that Golden Cariboo is continuing its exploration program at Quesnelle throughout 2024, near-term catalysts include drill and assay results demonstrating significant grades or widths and better-defined mineralization controls and trends, according to Wortel.
Callaghan told Streetwise Reports that drilling continues to be "nonstop" and underbudget."
External catalysts include market transactions in the junior mining space involving projects or companies in the Cariboo region. Reports by Osisko Development of project advancements or production results relative to adjacent land also could boost Golden Cariboo's stock price.
The Catalyst: Index Also Confirms Bull Run for Junior Stocks
Experts agreed gold is in a bull market and expect it to go higher. However, after hitting a record high of US$2,790.15 per ounce last week, spot gold was down more than 3% to a three-week low on Wednesday morning as investors moved to the U.S. dollar after Donald Trump's election as U.S. president on Tuesday, Reuters reported.
Market participants are also looking ahead to the Federal Reserve's interest rate decision on Thursday for further clues on the bank's easing cycle, Reuters said.
"A clear presidential victory when the market has been pricing in a contested result, removal of an element of risk, Trump-trades include the dollar's strengthening this morning and the combination of the two has brought gold lower," StoneX analyst Rhona O'Connell said, according to Reuters.
Gold's rise has "resulted in big returns for the investors who bought in earlier this year," Angelica Leicht reported for CBS News last month. "For example, the investors who purchased gold in March when it hit US$2,160 per ounce have seen their gold values increase by nearly 27% in the time since. That's a huge uptick in value in a matter of months, especially on an asset that's known more for long-term growth."
Recently polled London Bullion Market Association members indicated they believe the gold price could reach US$2,940/oz during 2025, reported Stockhead on Oct. 28.
Streetwise Ownership Overview*
Golden Cariboo Resources Ltd. (GCC:CSE; GCCFF:OTC; A0RLEP:WKN;3TZ:FSE)
*Share Structureas of 10/3/2024Source: Refinitiv and Golden Cariboo"Combined with expectations of lower global interest rates, this further enhances gold's attractiveness as an investment," the article noted.
As for gold equities, the S&P/TSX Venture Composite Index (SPCDNX) confirmed a bull run for junior, intermediate, and senior mining stocks when it closed above 1,000 recently, Stewart Thomson with 321Gold wrote. The index is a key indicator of the health of the general gold, silver, and mining stocks market.
Ownership and Share Structure
According to Golden Cariboo, management and insiders own 30% of Golden Cariboo Resources. President and CEO Frank Callaghan owns 16.45% or 6.93 million shares; Elaine Callaghan has 0.97% or 0.41 million shares; Director Andrew Rees has 0.79% or 0.33 million shares; and Director Laurence Smoliak has 0.3% or 0.13 million shares.
Retail investors hold the remaining. There are no institutional investors.
The company said it has 50.3 million shares outstanding, 24.83 million warrants, and 3.8 million options.
Its market cap is CA$9.63 million. Over the past 52 weeks, Golden Cariboo has traded between CA$0.08 and CA$0.36 per share.
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Important Disclosures:
Omineca Mining and Metals Ltd. is a billboard sponsor of Streetwise Reports and pays SWR a monthly sponsorship fee between US$4,000 and US$5,000.Golden Cariboo Resources Ltd. has a consulting relationship with Street Smart an affiliate of Streetwise Reports. Street Smart Clients pay a monthly consulting fee between US$8,000 and US$20,000.As of the date of this article, officers and/or employees of Streetwise Reports LLC (including members of their household) own securities of Golden Cariboo Resources Ltd. and Omineca Mining and Metals Ltd.Steve Sobek wrote this article for Streetwise Reports LLC and provides services to Streetwise Reports as an employee.This article does not constitute investment advice and is not a solicitation for any investment. Streetwise Reports does not render general or specific investment advice and the information on Streetwise Reports should not be considered a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Each reader is encouraged to consult with his or her personal financial adviser and perform their own comprehensive investment research. By opening this page, each reader accepts and agrees to Streetwise Reports' terms of use and full legal disclaimer. Streetwise Reports does not endorse or recommend the business, products, services or securities of any company.For additional disclosures, please click here.