Athena Gold (CSE:ATHA) is drilling a strategic follow-up hole to test the continuity and scope of a visible gold trend at the G4 anomaly at the Laird Lake Project in Ontario, Canada.
CEO Koby Kushner says hole six will test the G4 anomaly from a different angle than previous holes, to better understand the geometry of the gold-bearing system.
This news comes after Athena Gold received the final assays for hole LL-26-001, which returned no significant gold values.
Despite this, the hole did confirm a robust, deeply rooted structural corridor characterised by intensely folded iron formations, abundant pyrite and pyrrhotite mineralisation, and strong alteration.
Meanwhile, hole LL-26-005 confirmed four specks of visible gold within a key structural zone. The visible gold is unambiguous as it sits directly on the drill core surface.
Kushner notes that while the company is “disappointed” that the first hole downgraded the western G1 target, it remains optimistic about the remaining holes, targeting structures closer to the Balmer-Confederation contact.
“We are particularly excited by the presence of visible gold in hole five,” the CEO says.
“Importantly, this visible gold is not ambiguous — it is located at the surface of the core rather than buried within it, allowing for confident visual confirmation.”
Assays for holes LL-26-002 through LL-26-005 remain pending.
Previous work
The Laird Lake Project, covering 4,000 hectares along more than 10km of the Balmer-Confederation Assemblage contact, is an under-explored area located in the Red Lake Gold District of Ontario.
In mid-May 2026, the company achieved a major technical milestone at Laird Lake, amid an ongoing drilling campaign.
Holes LL-26-002 and LL-26-003 aimed to test the prospective Balmer-Confederation assemblage contact in the eastern portion of the project, alongside nearly modelled geophysical anomalies.
Core logging indicates that both holes intersected this key geological boundary while intersecting alteration, veining, and sulphide mineralisation.
Athena Gold is a junior explorer focused on discoveries in North America’s most prolific mining camps.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: Athena Gold
