Manhattan Gold Corporation Ltd. Aug. 26 reported that the 2026 drill program at its Hook Lake project in Nunavut is continuing to demonstrate that the gold mineralization at Jaws is broader and higher-grade than historical drilling indicated.
Located in the Kivalliq region of southeastern Nunavut, the 665-square-kilometer (257 square miles) Hook Lake project hosts high-grade orogenic gold systems and volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) copper-zinc-gold-silver mineralization.
Australia-based Manhattan Gold, which acquired Hook Lake in 2025, began its inaugural drill program this year at Jaws, a gold deposit explored during the 1970s and 80s. Based on that historical drilling, Jaws was estimated to host 285,000 ounces of gold in roughly 3.4 million metric tons of material averaging 2.38 grams per metric ton gold.
This year’s drilling is beginning to reveal thicker gold intervals with more veining than previously indicated.
Highlights from the previously released initial batch of assays from Manhattan Gold’s drilling at Jaws include:
• 79.25 meters averaging 0.78 g/t gold from a depth of 38.1 meters in hole JWS26001, including 33.53 meters of 1.04 g/t gold.
• 9.15 meters averaging 1.99 g/t gold from a depth of 153.9 meters in hole JWS26002.
• 9.15 meters averaging 1.73 g/t gold from a depth of 35.1 meters in hole JWS26003, including 1.52 meters of 4.13 g/t gold.
• 41.15 meters averaging 4.66 g/t gold from a depth of 83.8 meters in hole JWS26006b, including 7.62 meters of 18.67 g/t gold.
Manhattan Gold says the thick zone of strong gold mineralization in hole JWS26006b, which included intervals with grades of up to 41 g/t gold over 1.52 meters, indicates the main shear zone at Jaws is broader and higher-grade than historical drilling suggested.
The latest batch of assays continues to reveal broad zones of stacked gold mineralization at Jaws. Highlights include:
Manhattan Gold Corporation Ltd.
• 12.2 meters averaging 1.54 g/t gold from a depth of 115.8 meters in hole JWS26003b, including 3.04 meters of 4.98 g/t gold.
• 35.05 meters averaging 1.23 g/t gold from a depth of 125 meters in hole JWS26004, including 9.14 meters of 2.52 g/t gold.
• 25.9 meters averaging 1.59 g/t gold from a depth of 89.9 meters in hole JWS26005, including 6.1 meters of 3.62 g/t gold.
• 22.86 meters averaging 2.37 g/t gold from a depth of 74.7 meters in hole JWS26006, including 1.52 meters averaging 26.8 g/t gold.
Manhattan Gold Technical Advisor Eric Sondergaard says the 2026 drilling continues to confirm the gold mineralization with the main shear zone at Jaws and demonstrates that meaningful gold mineralization continues beyond current drilling.
“Drill results, including JWS26003b and JWS26006, also highlight the material upside compared to historic drilling by revealing thicker and higher-grade intercepts when compared to the nearest 1988 drillholes,” he said.
In addition to the intervals highlighted above, several holes drilled this year cut a series of stacked veins within the main shear zone at Jaws. This is underscored by the four intervals in JWS26003b, which cut:
Manhattan Gold Corporation Ltd.
• 16. 77 meters averaging 1.33 g/t gold from a depth of 35.1 meters.
• 3.04 meters averaging 4.98 g/t gold from a depth of 102.4 meters.
• 12.2 meters averaging 1.54 g/t gold from a depth of 115.8 meters (reported above).
• 15.24 meters averaging 0.68 g/t gold from a depth of 164.6 meters.
With more than 3,000 meters of drilling completed so far this year, Manhattan Gold is awaiting assays from 12 reverse circulation holes.
“Further assays include deeper tests and holes targeting stacked veins, strike extensions and the revised shoot geometry,” said Sondergaard. “The Jaws system remains open along strike and at depth.”
In addition to holes drilled at Jaws, assays are pending from three holes drilled at Spectre, a volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) target about 25 kilometers (16 miles) to the southwest, and one hole drilled at Lotus, a “Jaws-style” orogenic target south of Spectre where 2025 rock chip sampling returned grades as high as 8.01g/t gold and 2,660 g/t silver.
“Spectre will provide immediate upside with high-grade base metals, whilst Lotus is similar in geology to Jaws, returned excellent rock chip sampling results in 2025, and yet to be drill tested,” Sondergaard added.
In addition to a planned 4,000 meters of RC drilling, Manhattan Gold crews are carrying out an expansive till sampling program to assess gold and polymetallic mineralization beneath shallow glacial cover across the more than 20-kilometer (12.5 miles) Vesper-Jaws-Omega trend, as well as the Moonraker prospect area to the east.
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Shane Lasley, Publisher
Over his more than 18 years of covering mining and mineral exploration, Shane has become renowned for his ability to report on the sector in a way that is technically sound enough to inform industry insiders while being easy to understand by a wider audience.