Westhaven Gold (TSXV:WHN) has provided an update on its ongoing activities at the Shovelnose gold property, located 30 kilometers south of Merritt, British Columbia. The Shovelnose property, which spans 41,623 hectares within the Spences Bridge Gold Belt (SBGB), is currently the focus of an extensive exploration campaign.

Gareth Thomas, President & CEO, commented in a press release: “Our “boots on ground” exploration approach this summer has identified what we feel could be the southeastern extent of Vein Zone One some 6 kilometres away from the South Zone. The discovery of banded mercury-bearing high level epithermal quartz makes us believe we are at the top of a completely preserved epithermal system at Certes. We look forward to drilling Certes and other high-priority targets in the coming weeks.”

The summer and fall phases of the 2024 drill campaign have commenced, targeting seven new high-priority areas within the property. Westhaven plans to conduct 4,000 meters of diamond drilling to test targets at several key sites, including Line 6 North, Line 6-MIK, CSAMT-3, Romeo, and three different locations along the Certes Trend. Each of these targets has been identified through a combination of prospecting, mapping, sampling programs, and a comprehensive review of geological, geochemical, and geophysical data gathered over the past two years.

The primary area of interest is the Shovelnose Corridor, a significant trend of multielement pathfinder anomalies that stretches over 11 kilometers across the property. This corridor extends into newly acquired claims to the southeast, where initial studies indicate less erosion has occurred. This suggests that a larger portion of the epithermal system may be preserved, potentially leading to further discoveries in the area.

Detailed Exploration Targets

The exploration efforts at Shovelnose are focused on specific targets, each chosen based on previous data and promising geological features.

– Line 6 North: This target will explore potential contacts of a rhyolite dome and related structural elements, which could be the source of broad, lower-grade gold mineralization found in earlier drilling.

– Line 6/Mik: Drilling will investigate a 500-meter-long gold-in-soil anomaly, located southwest of the Franz-FMN-South Zone mineralization. This area is believed to be influenced by geophysically inferred structures.

– CSAMT-3: Follow-up drilling will take place here after hole SN24-412 revealed molybdenum-rich silica-healed breccias and multiple zones of quartz-calcite veinlets, suggesting the presence of high-grade gold-silver mineralization nearby.

– Romeo: This site will test a pathfinder element halo identified through geochemical sampling, situated within a mapped zone of hydrothermal brecciation supported by intersecting structures found in geophysical data.

– Certes Trend: This 3-kilometer-long concentration of pathfinder elements will be explored in three areas spaced approximately 1 kilometer apart. The northwest end, central part, and southeastern extent of the Certes Trend will each be targeted for drilling, focusing on identifying and evaluating potential controlling structures.

Spring Drill Results and Ongoing Exploration

Westhaven is also reporting the results of 10 drill holes from the spring phase of the 2024 campaign, completed between March and June. These results, along with ongoing exploration data, have informed the current summer and fall drilling efforts. The location and access to the Shovelnose property allow for year-round drilling, enabling Westhaven to maintain continuous exploration activity.