i-80 Gold (TSX: IAU) has released the final batch of assay results from its 2025-2026 infill drill campaign at the Archimedes Underground Project. The company this morning released results from a total of 20 drill holes conducted within the upper 426 zone at the project, which is part of the larger Ruby Hill property.
The results continue to confirm strong grades and continuity across the planned mining areas. Several intercepts also pushed mineralization beyond the limits of the current resource estimate, suggesting room for expansion exists at the project.
Highlights from the latest holes included:
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- iAU26-09: 16.2 g/t gold over 56.4 metres from a depth of 145.9 metres
- iAU26-11: 21.9 g/t gold over 20.2 metres from a depth of 181.4 metres
- iAU26-13: 11.0 g/t gold over 26.1 metres from a depth of 197.5 metres
- iAU26-08: 7.3 g/t gold over 33.1 metres from a depth of 183.5 metres
- iAU26-17: 5.4 g/t gold over 56.5 metres from a depth of 93.8 metres
The 2025-2026 program totalled roughly 8,500 metres across 40 holes and came in on schedule and budget. Infill drilling began in the fourth quarter of last year and finished in April, tightening hole spacing to about 60 feet ahead of mining.
Drilling also turned up oxide intervals that sit outside the current resource, opening the door to a potentially cheaper processing route through a carbon-in-leach circuit rather than the autoclave.
“These drill results from the upper 426 zone at Archimedes are excellent, demonstrating significant widths and continuity of high-grade material that extends the known mineralized area,” said Paul Chawrun, executive vice president and chief operating officer. He added that the company expects mineralization to expand as a larger program advances in the lower 426 and Ruby Deeps zones.
That follow-up program kicked off in the second quarter, targeting about 55,000 metres across 140 holes to feed a planned Archimedes feasibility study slated for late in the first quarter of 2027. Five underground rigs are turning, with two more due in July. First gold remains on track for the fourth quarter of 2026.
Separately, i-80 this morning indicated that the timetable for the feasibility-level technical studies for its Granite Creek underground and Cove underground projects has been extended. The reports are now slated to be released in the third quarter of 2026, rather than the second quarter, with the company stating that the delay is due to ongoing work to optimize the sequencing of its gold projects.
i-80 Gold last traded at $1.96 on the TSX.
