Lahontan Gold Corp. has launched its maiden drill program at the West Santa Fe project in Nevada's Walker Lane region, deploying a reverse-circulation drill rig to twin historic holes and validate a legacy database. This database comprises 171 drill holes totaling more than 13,000 metres completed between 1980 and 1995, which could support future mineral resource estimates. The company also completed its 2025 Phase Two drilling program at the nearby Santa Fe Mine project, where twenty reverse-circulation drill holes targeted gold and silver resource expansion at depth and in step-out areas.
This marks the largest annual drill campaign at Santa Fe since drilling began in 2021 and supports plans to update the mineral resource estimate and advance a preliminary economic assessment in 2026. The Santa Fe Mine project, Lahontan's flagship property covering 26.4 km², had past production of 359,202 ounces of gold and 702,067 ounces of silver between 1988 and 1995 from open pit mines utilizing heap-leach processing. The property currently holds a Canadian National Instrument 43-101 compliant Indicated Mineral Resource of 1,539,000 oz Au Eq and an Inferred Mineral Resource of 411,000 oz Au Eq, all pit constrained.
The technical content of the company's disclosure has been reviewed and approved by Michael Lindholm, CPG, Independent Consulting Geologist to Lahontan Gold Corp., who is a Qualified Person as defined in National Instrument 43-101. For more detailed technical information, readers can refer to the full press release and the Preliminary Economic Assessment, NI 43-101 Technical Report, Santa Fe Project available on the company's website and SEDAR+. The company plans to continue advancing the Santa Fe Mine project towards production, update the Santa Fe Preliminary Economic Assessment, and drill test its satellite West Santa Fe project during 2025.
For business and technology leaders monitoring the mining sector, these developments represent significant steps in resource validation and project advancement. The validation of historical data at West Santa Fe could unlock additional mineral resources in a proven mining district, while the expanded drilling at Santa Fe supports more robust economic assessments. The company's progress toward updating resource estimates and completing preliminary economic assessments in 2026 provides clearer timelines for potential production decisions. These activities in mining-friendly Nevada demonstrate how established mining companies are leveraging historical data and modern exploration techniques to advance projects in mature mining districts, potentially creating new production opportunities in stable jurisdictions with existing infrastructure.
