To read a gold drill result, check the grade and its units alongside the interval, determine whether the length is down-hole or an estimated true width, and review the geology, assay method and quality-control results. An intercept is evidence from exploration drilling—not, by itself, a mineral resource, a reserve or proof that a deposit can be mined profitably.
How do I read a gold drill result?
Start with the table headings and the notes that define them. Gold grade is often reported in grams per tonne (g/t), but confirm the unit in the announcement or technical report rather than assuming it. Then identify the interval’s start and end depths, sample lengths and the way the reported grade was calculated.
For example, an interval reported from 20 m to 24 m covers four metres measured along the drill hole. That description does not establish that the mineralized body is four metres thick. The grade might describe an individual sample, a length-weighted composite, or a selected interval assembled from several samples. Read the company’s notes for its compositing rules and any cutoff used.
Look inside broad composites for shorter, higher-grade subintervals. A headline number can obscure how much of the reported length carries the overall grade, particularly if internal waste is included or intervals below a cutoff are excluded. Canadian disclosure provisions address reporting sample or composite values, estimated true widths and significantly higher-grade intervals within lower-grade intersections; the applicable requirements depend on jurisdiction and issuer.
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What does the interval length mean?
Down-hole length is the distance measured along the drill hole. True width is the thickness of the mineralized zone across its orientation, usually estimated from interpreted geology rather than measured directly by a single intersection. An oblique hole can travel much farther through a zone than the zone’s perpendicular thickness.
- Check whether the report labels the number as “down-hole length,” “true width” or “estimated true width.”
- See whether the company explains the geometry and interpretation behind any true-width estimate.
- Consider the hole’s angle relative to the zone and whether nearby holes support the interpretation.
- If orientation or true width is unknown, treat the interval as down-hole length; do not silently equate it with deposit thickness.
NI 43-101 provisions call for the relationship between sample length and true thickness to be disclosed when known, and for unknown orientation to be stated. The British Columbia consolidated NI 43-101 disclosure provisions and 2001 instrument text set out relevant disclosure language. Check the current rules that apply to the issuer and jurisdiction before treating any disclosure as a compliance determination.
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How should I compare two drill intercepts?
Grade alone is not a sound basis for comparison. A short, high-grade interval and a long, lower-grade interval may represent different geometries, geological settings or reporting choices. Compare the same factors for each result:
- Grade and units: confirm units and whether the value is a sample result or a composite.
- Interval construction: compare length, internal high-grade intervals, cutoff and compositing rules.
- Width and geometry: distinguish down-hole length from estimated true width and assess how well the geometry is supported.
- Geological context: consider host rock, controls on mineralization, continuity, hole spacing and whether drilling tests a new target or an established zone.
- Sampling and analysis: compare sample type, recovery, preparation, assay method, laboratory and any relevant detection limits.
- Quality controls: review control results, failed batches, check assays and corrective actions—not just the stated QA/QC procedure.
- Reporting status: establish whether the result is exploration information or part of a separately reported resource or reserve estimate.
Companies may use different reporting conventions, so read the footnotes and technical report before treating headline intervals as directly comparable. There is no universal grade threshold in the cited reporting material that makes an intercept “good,” “economic” or “high grade” across all gold deposits. Deposit geometry, continuity, mining method, processing, recovery, costs and other assumptions matter.
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What do sampling and assay details tell me?
An assay number is only useful if the sampled material reasonably represents the in-situ rock. Look for the sampling section and note what was collected, how intervals were selected, how samples were split or divided, and whether recovery or sample quality could introduce bias. For core, the report may describe how it was cut; for reverse-circulation drilling, it may describe collection and division of the material.
Also identify the laboratory and location, sample preparation, analytical method and finish, and any sub-sample size or detection limits the report gives. Canadian NI 43-101 disclosure topics include sampling representativity, possible bias, preparation, assaying, laboratory details and data verification. These details help a reader assess what the results support, but do not eliminate uncertainty.
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Assay methods and visible gold
Fire assay appears in the technical-report examples, but do not assume that every gold result used the same method. A McKenzie Break technical-report example describes fire assay with an atomic-absorption finish and additional gravimetric or metallic-screen work in particular circumstances involving high grades, visible gold or discrepancies. Those are project-specific procedures, not universal requirements or thresholds.
Coarse or visible gold can be unevenly distributed, making a small split less representative of the original sample. In such cases, inspect the report’s sample-size and preparation details, repeat or screen methods, and duplicate results. A striking assay should not be treated as automatically precise.
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How do I assess QA/QC results?
Quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) procedures are intended to help evaluate contamination, accuracy and repeatability. Read the reported results and the company’s response to failures, not just a list of controls it says it inserted.
- Certified reference materials (CRMs or standards): materials with certified values. Compare returned results with those values and the report’s acceptance criteria. Natural Resources Canada’s DS-1 certificate presents reference-material data and points to guidance on using results to assess laboratory performance.
- Blanks: low- or no-gold material used to reveal contamination or sample carry-over. Check the reported results and stated failure criteria.
- Duplicates: repeated samples or splits used to assess repeatability and sample heterogeneity. Field, coarse-reject and pulp duplicates test different stages of sampling and preparation, so check which type is reported.
- Check assays and corrective action: look for re-analysis, checks by a secondary laboratory, identification of affected batches and what was done before results were accepted.
Ask whether controls were placed at suitable points in the sample stream, whether results met the project’s stated criteria, and whether failures were investigated and affected samples repeated or qualified. A single passing standard or blank cannot establish the performance of the full sampling and assay process.
Technical reports illustrate different company approaches, not industry-wide rules. The La Colorada report describes standards, blanks and field duplicates, statistical or graphical review and holding batch results from the final database until QA/QC passed. The Westgold Cue report describes CRM, blank, duplicate and repeat-analysis checks, review charts and follow-up when a batch failed. Their frequencies and acceptance limits should not be copied as universal standards. Relevant examples are available in the La Colorada technical report and Westgold Cue Gold Operations technical report.
What reporting frameworks do—and do not—establish
NI 43-101 is a Canadian disclosure framework that covers exploration and technical-report information, including drilling, sampling, assays, QA/QC and verification. JORC sets minimum standards for public reporting of exploration results, mineral resources and ore reserves. Its classifications reflect confidence in geological knowledge and technical and economic considerations. See the JORC overview for the code’s purpose and classification context.
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A company’s compliance with a reporting framework does not turn an exploration intercept into a resource estimate. Nor is a resource the same as a reserve. An intercept alone does not establish mineability, profitability or project economics; those require separate analysis and assumptions.
Quick Recap
What should I look for before drawing a conclusion?
- Can you identify the units, sample interval and composite calculation?
- Are shorter high-grade intervals and cutoff or compositing choices disclosed?
- Is the interval down-hole length or an estimated true width, and is the geometry explained?
- Do geology, recovery and sampling details support interpreting the sample as representative?
- Are the laboratory, preparation and assay method identified?
- Do the QA/QC results meet stated criteria, and are failures and corrective actions explained?
- Is the announcement reporting exploration results, or a separate resource or reserve estimate?
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