(Kitco News) West Point Gold (TSXV: WPG; OTCQB: WPGCF) is drilling to define what CEO Quentin Mai calls “a world-class deposit” at the company’s Gold Chain Project in Arizona’s Walker Lane trend. In early October, the company announced an intercept of 32 meters grading 3.17 grams per tonne gold from the Tyro Main Zone, part of a structure that has also returned nine meters of 51 grams per tonne from earlier drilling. Mai said the internal model released in September outlined 19.5 million to 31.9 million tonnes at two to three grams per tonne gold, indicating a strong open-pit potential.
Speaking with Kitco Mining’s Investment Trends, Mai said, “We’re on a 3.4-kilometer structure that’s historically mineralized”, adding that it’s the “obvious target.” Tyro represents just one kilometer within a 15-kilometer mineralized system that includes the Tyro South Extension and the untested Frisco graben. “We’ve got a lot of different multi-million-ounce targets in the entire district,” he said.
West Point is prioritizing the Tyro zone before testing deeper feeder structures, with Mai noting that the location, “is open pit, there is a superficial expression, and there’s actually a historical mining shaft right there. Hopefully, that will drive the value so that we can go after some of the less obvious targets.”
Mai described the mineralization as oxide from surface, supported by early metallurgical work showing low sulfur and potential for heap-leach processing. “All the signs we’ve got right now are that the metallurgy should be low sulfidation, which should mean we’re going to be amenable to heap leaching,” he said. The project was partially heap-leached in the 1980s and benefits from road access, nearby power, and what Mai called “a very pro-mining district.”
The company’s $8 million financing, led by VanEck, has strengthened its ability to advance aggressively. “We’re applying the same playbook that built Corvus, but in one of the best jurisdictions in North America,” Mai said, referencing his experience as an executive at Corvus Gold, which was acquired by AngloGold Ashanti for $570 million in 2021.
West Point Gold is executing a 10,000-meter drill program to extend high-grade mineralization at Tyro and test new zones along strike. “We’re going after this as aggressively as we can,” Mai said.
Watch on the Kitco Mining YouTube channel here: Catch the full, unedited conversation where Quentin Mai outlines West Point Gold’s drill strategy, VanEck’s involvement, and how the company aims to replicate the Corvus discovery model in Arizona’s Walker Lane trend.