I-80 Gold Sees McCoy-Cove Project Paving The Road to Becoming Nevada’s Second Largest Gold Producer

I-80 Gold Corp, a prominent company in Nevada’s mining industry, is making significant progress with its McCoy-Cove Gold-Silver Project situated on the infamous Battle Mountain Trend. This region has been a gold mining hub for many years. The project’s location, in close proximity to several other gold mines including Nevada Gold Mines’ Phoenix operation, further underscores the area’s reputation as a prolific gold-producing region.

The property was initially discovered in 1981 and has since produced over 3.4 million ounces of gold and 110 million ounces of silver. The property was acquired by Premier Gold Mines Limited in 2016, who conducted extensive exploration and development work on the site. 

In 2021, i-80 Gold Corp was spun out of Premier Gold Mines, taking ownership of the McCoy-Cove property. The company plans to develop the McCoy-Cove property into a high-grade gold and silver underground mining operation, leveraging the property’s high-grade mineral potential and existing infrastructure.

The geological profile of the McCoy-Cove project is marked by high-grade mineralization, a fact substantiated by recent drill results. 

The 2023 drilling campaign has yielded impressive outcomes, with one drill hole, iCHU23-10, returning 14.9 g/t gold over 32.7 metres, including 22.8 g/t gold over 14.8 metres. 

Another drill hole, iCHU23-11, returned 15.7 g/t gold over 22.5 metres, including 21.8 g/t gold over 11.5 metres; and 18.9 g/t gold over 29.3 metres, including 27.8 g/t gold over 14.9 metres. 

Tyler Hill, the chief geologist of i-80 Gold, has expressed his satisfaction with the ongoing developments at McCoy-Cove. He stated, “Grades and widths continue to meet or exceed expectations and are consistently at or above the current resource grade. With the Phase 1 underground decline nearing completion, the focus will shift entirely to the drill program, permitting, and final mine approvals.”

This quote reflects the company’s confidence in the project and its commitment to advancing the development of McCoy-Cove. i-80 Gold has outlined a clear path forward. The mineralization at McCoy-Cove is hosted within the Helen, Gap, CSD, and 2201 zones, located below and extending approximately 2000 ft northwest of the historic Cove pit. The company has identified three main types of mineralization within the property, including Carlin-like carbonate replacement deposits, polymetalic sheeted veins, and skarn mineralization.

The company’s future plans represent a comprehensive exploration and development strategy. This includes further drilling to explore the potential of the identified zones, particularly the Helen, Gap, CSD, and 2201 zones. The company also plans to continue its work on the Carlin-style mineralization in addition to focusing on the polymetallic mineralization in the 2201 zone.

The Battle Mountain trend in Nevada has attracted a host of mining companies, including i-80 Gold Corp. Notably, the Battle Mountain trend is home to several active gold mines. These include the Turquoise Ridge Mine, owned by Nevada Gold, and the Atlanta Gold Mine Project, owned by Nevada King. Additionally, SSRM Mining has a series of gold deposits and occurrences along the Battle Mountain-Eureka trend.

The success of exploration and mine development in the Battle Mountain trend is a testament to the region’s potential and the effective exploration/development projects employed by miners in the region. As i-80 Gold continues to advance its McCoy-Cove project, the company is poised to contribute to the ongoing success story of the Battle Mountain trend, further promoting Nevada’s status as a world-class mining region.