PureGold Announces Milestone Second Quarter and Provides Underground Drilling and 8-Zone Updates as Ramp-Up Nears Completion

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, July 13, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pure Gold Mining Inc. (TSX-V:PGM, LSE:PUR) (“PureGold” or the “Company”), is pleased to provide an operations and underground drilling update, including drill results, for the second quarter at its high-grade PureGold Mine in Red Lake, Ontario.

Production highlights for the second quarter include:

  • Average daily throughput of 509 tpd for the quarter and 577 tpd for the month of June;

  • Average daily ramp development rate for the Main and East Ramps of 5.2 metres and 4.5 metres per day for the second quarter, respectively, a new quarterly record for the Main Ramp and a 53% increase compared to the first quarter;

  • A 46% increase in second quarter gold production compared to the first quarter;

  • Average head grade of 7.0 g/t Au from all stopes mined during the second quarter; and

  • Average head grade of 5.8 g/t Au for the high-grade portion of the mill feed, which includes all stopes mined plus high-grade development ore, a 51% increase compared to the first quarter and in line with expectations for the period.

Key de-risking milestones achieved in the second quarter include:

  • Underground drilling successfully confirmed stopes planned for mining in the second half of 2021 and identified new areas with potential to expand mineable inventory beyond known reserves close to existing development, highlights include 15.1 g/t Au over 5.6 metres and 33.1 g/t Au over 2.2 metres from the Main Ramp and 120.8 g/t Au over 1.0 metre and 21.4 over 2.0 metres from the East Ramp;

  • First ore production from the East Ramp achieved, with the first high-grade stopes from the east side of the mine expected to come online in August;

  • Ramp development contract awarded to accelerate the Main Ramp development at a projected rate of 6.0 metres/day for the balance of 2021, beginning in July;

  • Arrival of interstage screens for CIP tanks and trommel screen for the SAG discharge which are currently being installed with completion expected in August, positioning the mill to operate above design capacity in the second half of 2021 and beyond;

  • Over 4,500 metres of diamond drilling in over 70 drill holes completed to further delineate planned production for the second half of 2021; and

  • Continued excellent grade reconciliation for stopes mined to date with respect to the Mineral Reserves.1

8 Zone Update
In addition to improving access to high-grade ore in the near-term, the ramp development rates achieved to date coupled with the acceleration of the Main Ramp beginning in July present an opportunity to bring forward underground drilling and development of the high-grade 8 Zone. Based on projected Main Ramp development rates from July 2021 onward, first access to 8 Zone ore is currently expected to be achieved by July 2024, approximately 8 months earlier than was envisioned in the Feasibility Study.1 Additionally, the Company is currently evaluating opportunities to begin underground infill and step-out drilling of 8 Zone from the Main Ramp earlier than planned, with first results now potentially possible before the end of 2021. Further updates on plans to begin drilling 8 Zone from underground will be provided over the coming months.