Ascot Resources (TSX:AOT) has announced that recent assay results showed the highest grade intercept since 2017 of 488 g/t Gold Over 1.0 metre at the Big Missouri Deposit. This is the third batch of assay results at the deposit as part of the 2022 drill program at the Premier Gold Project. Results come from surface drilling for in-fill and exploration purposes at the site. Big Missouri is located roughly six kilometres north of the Premier mill, a past-producing mill in the Golden Triangle of northwestern British Columbia.

Derek White, President and CEO of Ascot Resources, commented in a press release: “The Big Missouri deposit continues to impress with more bonanza-grade gold and additional occurrences of coarse, visible gold. The headline intercept of 488 grams per tonne is the highest-grade interval Ascot has drilled since 2017, and the fourth-highest assay ever recorded at Big Missouri. The drill holes from this release contain 20 assays over 10 grams per tonne gold. Many of the high-grade intercepts were encountered within or around existing stope shapes, and some high grades were encountered in gaps between stope shapes – further strengthening our confidence that there is more gold to be discovered outside the existing resource model at Big Missouri.”

Highlights from the results are as follows:

• 62.76 g/t Au and 27.36 g/t Ag over 7.90m from a depth of 90.00m in hole P22-2445, including 488.00 g/t Au and 181.00 g/t Ag over 1.00m
• 30.98 g/t Au and 9.35 g/t Ag over 3.00m from a depth of 112.00m in hole P22-2445, including 90.70 g/t Au and 19.75 g/t Ag over 1.00m
• 6.75 g/t Au and 12.44 g/t Ag over 14.5m from a depth of 26.00m in hole P22-2444, including 26.00 g/t Au and 28.30 g/t Ag over 1.43m and 28.80 g/t Au and 30.20 g/t Ag over 1.00m
• 8.03 g/t Au and 19.13 g/t Ag over 9.52m from a depth of 23.38m in hole P22-2441, including 44.50 g/t Au and 109.00 g/t Ag over 1.00m
• 6.26 g/t Au and 8.13 g/t Ag over 10.80m from a depth of 29.40m in hole P22-2442, including 43.60 g/t Au and 30.10 g/t Ag over 1.00m

Note: True widths are estimated to be between 60% to 80% of reported interval widths.

Drilling for the 2022 exploration season at the Big Missouri deposit was completed in October, totaling 50 holes and 4,752 metres. Following the first two batches of 28 drill holes outlined in the news releases dated September 13 and October 27, 2022, this release summarizes the third batch of assay results from the next 18 drill holes for a total of 1,798 metres from surface pads BM–2/22 and BM–3/22. Drill holes were targeting several layers of gold mineralization at the A Zone and the Unicorn Area of the Big Missouri deposit in and around planned stopes to the north and northeast of the S-1 pit.

As summary of drill assays is shown in Table 1. An overview of drill hole locations is shown in Figure 1 and a cross section is shown in Figure 2. This release contains the assay results from the last 5 holes drilled from pad BM–2/22 and all 13 holes drilled from pad BM–3/22, approximately 200 metres to the northeast.

The results are headlined by hole P22-2445 which intercepted 488.00 g/t Au and 181.00 g/t Ag over 1.00m, within a broader interval of 62.76 g/t Au and 27.36 g/t Ag over 7.90m, starting from a depth of 90.00m. This is the highest-grade interval Ascot has drilled since 2017, and the fourth-highest assay ever recorded at Big Missouri. This intercept along with an interval of 12.30 g/t Au in hole P22-2438 occurs within a group of lower grade intercepts that had previously not been wireframed and will now constitute a new zone of mineralization. Similarly, holes P22-2431 and P22-2434 intercepted high-grade gold in a large gap area between stope shapes, indicating potential to add more mineralization as mining progresses.

Figure 2 shows where the new drill holes intercepted high-grade gold within and near planned stope shapes, reinforcing the current wireframe geometry. This is showcased by the 44.50 g/t Au intercept in hole P22-2441, the 26.00 g/t Au intercept in hole P22-2444, and the 21.30 g/t Au intercept in hole P22-2436.

The remaining outstanding assay results from the 2022 exploration drill season consist of 12 holes drilled from underground at Big Missouri, 4 surface in-fill holes near the S1 pit at Big Missouri, and 12 holes drilled from two surface pads at the Day Zone on the western side of the Big Missouri ridge. The Company anticipates the receipt of all outstanding assays in early 2023.

Table 1 – Big Missouri drill results

Note: True widths are estimated to be between 60% to 80% of reported interval widths.

Table 2 – Drill pad locations

The Big Missouri deposit hosts a probable reserve of 809 kt grading 7.15 g/t Au and 12.2 g/t Ag and containing 186 koz Au and 317 koz Ag, an indicated resource of 1,116 kt grading 8.36 g/t Au and 16.9 g/t Ag and containing 300 koz Au and 607 koz Ag, and an inferred resource of 1,897 kt grading 8.34 g/t Au and 14.7 g/t Ag and containing 508 koz Au and 896 koz Ag. These reserves and resources are outlined in the NI 43-101 technical report entitled “Premier & Red Mountain Gold Project Feasibility Study NI 43-101 Technical Report, British Columbia”, dated May 22, 2020, with an effective date of April 15, 2020.