Engineer Gold Mines Ltd. (TSX-V: EAU | OTC: EGMLF | WKN: A3EEVJ) announced that its 2026 Phase I exploration program is now underway on its 100% owned Engineer Gold Project, located 30 kilometres southwest of Atlin in northwestern British Columbia. The program aims to expand known gold mineralization and reassess historical data to potentially upgrade resource estimates.
The Engineer Gold Project encompasses 18,319 hectares over a 25-kilometre contiguous claim block, hosting the historic Engineer Gold Mine, the TAG Property, the Wann River Prospect, and numerous other mineral occurrences. Phase I includes soil and rock sampling at the Engineer Mine, soil geochemistry at TAG, and an in-depth core review and resampling program at TAG. The company is fully permitted for a subsequent Phase II program involving diamond drilling, excavator trenching, and induced polarization geophysical surveys in the Engineer Mine area.
At the Engineer Mine, Phase I is designed to expand high-grade gold mineralization and adjacent bulk tonnage targets along strike of structural corridors Shear A and Shear B, which have been traced by geophysics and geochemistry for over three kilometres south of the past-producing mine. The historic Engineer Gold Mine produced approximately 14,263 tonnes grading 39.4 g/t gold and 19.5 g/t silver between 1910 and 1952, according to BC Minfile 104M014. A 2011 historical inferred mineral resource estimate, using a 5.0 g/t gold cut-off, outlined 25,000 ounces of gold at a grade of 19 g/t, but this estimate is not current and should not be relied upon, as stated by the company.
At the TAG Property, six kilometres north of the Engineer Mine, Phase I includes a rigorous core review and infill sampling program. From 2006 to 2008, a total of 11,520 metres of diamond drilling in 69 holes was completed at TAG. Recent on-site core re-examination revealed that several drill intercepts crossing the mineralized trend were not fully sampled, and adjacent intervals to significant gold values were missed. Infill sampling aims to produce a detailed model for potential expansion of gold mineralization and to facilitate an updated resource estimate. Additional soil geochemical sampling will target anomalous gold and silver values uphill from known mineralization, suggesting a potential subparallel second structure.
Historical significant drill intervals at TAG include hole TAG06-23 with 1.7 g/t Au over 26.7 metres, hole TAG07-29 with 1.3 g/t Au over 35.0 metres, and hole TAG08-59 with 1.5 g/t Au over 42.1 metres, as reported in ARIS reports #30931 and #29581.
The Wann River Prospect, four kilometres south of the Engineer Mine, represents an underexplored orogenic gold target. A quartz grab sample from the Lum showing returned 263 g/t gold and 1,350 g/t silver, and historic drilling in 2011 returned intercepts such as 11.3 g/t Au over 1 metre.
Linda Dandy, P.Geo., a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical content in this news release.
The implications of this exploration program are significant for the mining industry and the region. Successful expansion of high-grade zones and conversion of historical resources to current resources could enhance the project's economic viability, potentially leading to renewed mining operations in a historically productive area. For the industry, it demonstrates ongoing interest in underexplored orogenic and epithermal systems in British Columbia. For local communities, it may bring economic opportunities through employment and infrastructure development.
More information about the project can be found at engineergoldmines.com.
