2026 Exploration Program
2026 was an active exploration year at the Kettle Valley gold-silver project, progressing from expanded surface sampling and hand trenching to a reconnaissance diamond drilling program in late October.
In April, Goldcliff completed a hand-trenching program designed to provide more continuous bedrock exposure for geological mapping and sampling. Eight trenches totaling 84 metres were excavated, with individual trenches ranging from 5.2 to 22 metres in length.
Trench 1 returned an average grade of 0.646 g/t Au across 12 metres of continuous sampling. Other trenches returned gold grades ranging from 0.246 g/t Au to 2.887 g/t Au, with the latter sample also returning 130 g/t Ag.
Interpretation of the trench results highlighted the need for increased sample density across the North Cliff Zone. In mid-May, Goldcliff completed an additional prospecting and surface rock sampling program, collecting 79 rock samples.
A significant outcome of this work was the identification of a cluster of gold-silver mineralized samples immediately east of the ridge crest within quartz-carbonate breccia material. This newly recognized area was subsequently named the East Breccia target.
Three adjacent samples from the East Breccia returned:
- 0.46 g/t Au and 33.36 g/t Ag
- 0.73 g/t Au and 52.00 g/t Ag
- 0.46 g/t Au and 54.46 g/t Ag
These results complemented previously identified anomalous rock and soil geochemistry in the surrounding area and led Goldcliff to select the East Breccia for drill testing.
In late October, the Company completed a small reconnaissance diamond drilling program consisting of 11 holes. Seven holes tested the East Breccia target, while four holes tested the area containing the highest-grade surface rock samples identified during the 2021 sampling program. This latter area also hosts the trench sample that returned 2.887 g/t Au and 130 g/t Ag.
The 2026 program marked an important progression at Kettle Valley, using increasingly detailed surface geological information to define and test priority subsurface targets.
