Vancouver — New drill results from Banyan Gold Corp.’s AurMac project in the Yukon show extensive near-surface gold mineralization at the Powerline Deposit and a narrow, very high-grade intercept that highlights the property’s complexity and upside.
What the company reported
Banyan released assays from holes completed this summer as part of its 2026 program to convert and expand the known Mineral Resource at Powerline. The western portion of the deposit returned multiple metres-scale intervals of elevated gold, including an interval averaging 1.05 grams per tonne (g/t) over 52.8 metres and a narrow, higher-grade intercept assaying 149.14 g/t over 0.4 metre.
Company statements indicate the long intercepts could improve both the grade and the continuity of mineralized zones that sit on the margins of Powerline’s nearer-surface, higher-grade cores.
“These results demonstrate the opportunity to improve the grade, extent and continuity of mineralized domains along the current margins of Powerline’s near-surface higher‑grade cores,” said Tara Christie, Banyan’s president and CEO.
Highlights and technical context
Banyan emphasised that some wider composite intervals are materially influenced by narrow, very high-grade veins and that internal averaging changes when those veins are excluded. Drilling reported by the company included several intervals of interest:
- AX-26-892B: 1.05 g/t Au over 52.8 m (within 0.87 g/t Au over 69.7 m)
- AX-26-891: 149.14 g/t Au over 0.4 m (within 0.56 g/t Au over 169.2 m); excluding the narrow high-grade vein, the remainder averaged roughly 0.21 g/t over 168.8 m, with a lower zone of 0.63 g/t over 19.9 m
- Additional reported holes returned intervals of about 1.0–1.4 g/t Au over tens of metres, with local centimetre- to metre-scale very high-grade veins
| Hole | Reported composite | Notable internal high-grade |
|---|---|---|
| AX-26-892B | 1.05 g/t Au over 52.8 m | within 0.87 g/t Au over 69.7 m |
| AX-26-891 | 0.56 g/t Au over 169.2 m | 149.14 g/t Au over 0.4 m |
| AX-26-878 | 1.37 g/t Au over 11.8 m | 9.78 g/t Au over 1.0 m |
Why it matters for Yukon
Long, low- to moderate-grade intervals around higher-grade cores can be important for both resource tonnage and mine planning. More continuous mineralization near surface typically improves the economics of an open-pit scenario, while discrete, bonanza-grade veins can materially affect resource classification when properly modelled.
For communities and governments in Yukon, results that point to potential resource expansion bring questions about environmental assessment timelines, infrastructure needs and local benefits such as employment and business opportunities. The AurMac project sits among a cluster of exploration and development projects that have been the focus of increased industry activity across the territory.
Technical caveats and next steps
Banyan’s news release notes composite averages can be skewed by narrow, very high-grade intercepts. The firm also described abundant extensional quartz veining across some intervals, which geologists typically view as a favourable gold-bearing architecture but one that is also structurally complex.
The company says drilling this season is focused on converting inferred resources to higher confidence categories and on expanding higher-grade domains. Further work will include continued drilling, data compilation, and updates to resource models as assays are received and validated.
What readers should watch for
Investors, local governments and First Nations will be watching for:
- Updated resource estimates incorporating the 2026 drilling
- Any environmental, permitting or engagement milestones tied to potential development
- Further assay releases and the company’s interpretation of structural controls on high-grade veins
As exploration advances, companies operating in the territory are expected to continue public engagement and regulatory disclosure. For Yukoners, that means more technical information will become available before any decision to advance to development is taken.
Reporting from the North demands attention both to assay numbers and to how mineralization fits into the landscape: the presence of metre-scale mineralized packages and episodic bonanza veins at Powerline is a technical signal of potential, but it will require sustained, methodical work to translate those signals into a defined, mineable resource.
— Kaylee Johns, Yukon correspondent
