KIRKLAND LAKE GOLD INC

Additional High-Grade Gold Intersections on New Deep Discovery

 

Kirkland Lake Gold Inc. (the Company) is pleased to announce an update on exploration drilling testing on part of the South Mine Complex (SMC). The SMC consists of 15 or more mineralized zones, some of which are actively being explored and developed while others are now in production.

Recent drilling from one of many exploration programs currently in progress include further testing of the new discovery located 700 feet below the SMC. 

“Follow-up drilling on the new discovery below the SMC is encouraging and we are now able to verify the geometry on this new zone, which we have designated as the Lower SMC.” said Stewart Carmichael, Chief Exploration Geologist. He added, “With additional development recently completed, we are now in a position to dedicate at least one of our electric drills to further test this zone for the remainder of the year.”   

The highlights of this recent drilling include:

·         Drill hole 53-1319 assayed 4.45 ounces of gold per ton (opt) uncut (1.24 opt cut) over a true width of 4.1 feet on the Lower SMC, and included 15.27 opt over a true width of 1.1 feet. This drill hole is located 100 feet west and 41 feet above previously released drill hole 53-1280 (1.00 opt uncut (0.71 opt cut) over a core length of 21.8 feet or 15.6 feet true width (see the Company’s news release dated April 29, 2009).

·         Drill hole 53-1318 has intersected the same zone 413 feet above 53-1319 and assayed 4.49 opt uncut (2.13 opt cut) over a true width of 2.7 feet. Drill hole 53-1317 located 156 feet below and 89 feet east of 53-1318 was weak and assayed 0.02 opt over 1.0 feet core length. This would indicate the new mineralization will likely have a distinct plunge(s) governing the geometry. The mineralization has been confirmed as dipping steeply south at 60 degrees, making it the steepest dipping zone to date related to the SMC. It may represent the down-dip steepening and extension of the Lower D North Zone, however, this remains to be confirmed. 

·         Drill hole 53-1320 has intersected the Lower SMC 125 feet below 53-1319 at the -6475 elevation and assayed 1.97 opt over a true width of 3.5 feet. This intersection is the deepest to date on the Lower SMC.

About the Company

The Company purchased the Macassa Mine and the 1,500 ton per day mill along with four former producing gold properties – Kirkland Lake, Teck-Hughes, Lake Shore and Wright Hargreaves – in December 2001. These properties, which have historically produced some 22 million ounces of gold, extend over seven kilometres between the Macassa Mine on the west and Wright Hargreaves on the east and, for the first time, are being developed and explored under one owner. This camp is located in the Abitibi Southern Greenstone Belt of Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Canada.

The results of the Company’s underground diamond drilling program have been reviewed, verified (including sampling, analytical and test data) and compiled by the Company's geological staff (which includes a ‘qualified person’, Stewart Carmichael P.Geo., the Company’s Chief Exploration Geologist, for the purpose of National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, of the Canadian Securities Administrators). Mr. Carmichael also supervised the preparation of the information that forms the basis of the technical disclosure in this release.

The Company has implemented a quality assurance and control (QA/QC) program to ensure sampling and analysis of all exploration work is conducted in accordance with the best possible practices. The drill core is sawn in half with one half of the core samples shipped to the Swastika Laboratories in Swastika, Ontario, Polymet Resources Inc. in Cobalt, Ontario. The other half of the core is retained for future assay verification. Other QA/QC includes the insertion of blanks, and the regular re-assaying of pulps and rejects at alternate certified labs. Gold analysis is conducted by fire assay using atomic absorption or gravimetric finish. The laboratory re-assays at least 10% of all samples and additional checks may be run on anomalous values.