EXPLORATION & DEVELOPMENT

Marathon's 'fine start' in bog

Hits 49m at 6.17g/t gold

Staff reporter

This article is 7 years old. Images might not display.

Among the highlights, Marathon intersected 49m at 6.17g/t gold, including 10m at 22.40g/t and 6m at 7.36g/t.

"The step-out drill hole VL-18-676 is the best intersection in the Sprite Zone so far and a fine start to the summer exploration program at the Valentine gold camp," president and CEO Phillip Walford said.

The company released a positive preliminary economic assessment for the project last month, which outlined a preproduction capex of US$380 million, average annual production of 188,500 ounces of gold over the first 10 years and a 2.8-year payback. 

Walford said Marathon's current goal was to discover new gold deposits and increase the measured and indicated gold resources ahead of a prefeasibility study.

The project currently contains 2.137 million ounces of gold in four, near-surface deposits.

Shares in the company, which hit a 52-week low in early May of C85c, closed up 2.2% to 93c, valuing it at $137.2 million.

Expert-led Insights reports and Analytics tools built on robust data, rigorous analysis and expert commentary covering mining Risk, Projects, ESG, Leadership, and Investor Sentiment.

Expert-led Insights reports and Analytics tools built on robust data, rigorous analysis and expert commentary covering mining Risk, Projects, ESG, Leadership, and Investor Sentiment.

editions

Investor Sentiment Insights 2026

Discover what investors have planned for mining in 2026 in our industry-leading survey

editions

World Risk Insights 2025 (feat. MineHutte ratings)

A detailed analysis of mining investment risks across 120 jurisdictions globally, assessed across six risk categories and an industrywide survey.

editions

ESG Index 2025: Benchmarking the Future of Sustainable Mining

The ESG Index provides an in-depth evaluation of the ESG performance of 60+ of the world’s largest mining companies. It assesses companies across 10 weighted indicators within 6 essential ESG pillars.

editions

Leadership Insights 2025

Leadership Insights reveals key trends in priority mining issues through interviews with 15+ top mining company executives and an industrywide survey.