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(Kitco News) Riley Gold (TSXV: RLYG) is advancing early-stage drilling at its Pipeline West/Clipper (PWC) project in Nevada’s Cortez trend under a joint venture with Kinross, which can earn up to 75% of the project by spending $20 million USD.
The work is focused on a largely underexplored extension of a district that has produced some of the largest gold deposits in North America. Speaking with Kitco Mining in late April, CEO Todd Hilditch described the project’s location as “elephant country,” pointing to a corridor that hosts major deposits across Nevada Gold Mines’ Cortez and Pipeline complex. “50 million ounces of past production, current reserve,” he said, describing the scale of mineral endowment in the district.
The PWC project targets a Carlin-type disseminated gold system, where mineralization is formed by gold-bearing fluids moving through structural pathways before becoming trapped in favorable geological horizons. Exploration is focused on identifying those trapping zones at depth, particularly within the lower plate, which Hilditch described as the main area for drilling.
Drilling remains at an early stage, with three holes completed to date. “Half gram up to two and a half grams per ton,” Hilditch said, describing mineralization encountered in the upper plate during the 2025 program. While the results do not define a deposit, they provide initial data to guide further targeting.
The exploration approach is centered on step-out drilling and geological vectoring. “We're vectoring in on the source,” Hilditch said, describing a process of narrowing in on potential zones of higher-grade mineralization. The strategy builds on earlier surface geochemistry and structural work that helped define initial targets along the trend.
Kinross is expected to finalize its 2026 drill plan in May, with drilling anticipated to begin in late spring or early summer. Hilditch said the partner is “ahead of schedule” under the earn-in, which allows Kinross to earn 60% of the project by spending $10 million, with an additional $10 million required to increase its interest to 75%.
A Plan of Operations submitted to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management could allow for up to 400 drill holes over time, although Hilditch said the approval process may take about a year or more.
As drilling continues, progress will depend on the ability to identify and follow mineralized pathways at depth, with targeting precision and geological complexity remaining key factors in the next phase of work.
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