Total Metals of Canada Mobilizes Drill Rig to Gold Mine, Plans 2,500-Meter Drilling Program

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On October 8, Canadian mining company Total Metals announced that it has mobilized a diamond drill rig and geological exploration team to the High Lake gold project in northwestern Ontario, planning to carry out no less than 2,500 meters of diamond drilling in the high-grade Purdex gold mineralization zone, with on-site drilling operations originally scheduled to commence on October 9. This drilling program mainly targets the strike and deep extensions of the existing mineralized zone to further verify mineralization continuity and resource scale.

On October 5, Total Metals signed a formal drilling contract with Canadian drilling contractor Platinum Diamond Drilling and paid the first contract payment. Under the agreement, the contractor is responsible for carrying out this round of drilling operations. The two parties previously collaborated on drilling at Total Metals' Electrolode project in the first quarter of 2026, and this time will continue to use diamond core drilling for geological verification.

The High Lake project is located near the border between Ontario and Manitoba, approximately 45 kilometers west of Kenora, adjacent to the Trans-Canada Highway. The mining area consists of 20 mining leases and 21 mineral claims, covering a total area of 638.8 hectares, with the relevant mineral claims held by Total Metals.

The Purdex mineralized zone has an existing gold resource estimate compliant with Canadian NI 43-101 standards. Based on a gold grade cut-off of 2.6 g/t, the indicated resource is approximately 152,000 tonnes at an average gold grade of 9.38 g/t, containing 45,800 ounces of gold; the inferred resource is approximately 287,000 tonnes at an average gold grade of 10.43 g/t, containing 96,200 ounces of gold. This estimate is based on previous drilling data and confirmed by an independent technical report effective November 30, 2025.

In September 2026, Total Metals completed geological reconnaissance and sampling at the High Lake property and, combined with high-resolution aeromagnetic survey data, identified priority drilling locations at Purdex and other structural targets. The geological team identified mineralization-controlling features associated with structural intersections in the Purdex area, and the existing geological model suggests that the ore body may extend to depth in a northwesterly direction.

This round of drilling will prioritize testing the strike and depth extensions of the existing mineralized body, while also testing magnetic anomalies, structural intersections, and flexure locations. The company plans to adjust the scale of subsequent operations based on the results of the first batch of drill holes, and if effective mineralized intercepts are obtained, it will also consider deploying additional drill rigs for infill and expansion drilling.