INTERGOLD CORPORATION (OTC BB-IGCO)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Newport Beach, California January 26, 2000
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INTERGOLD ANNOUNCES INDEPENDENT RESULTS FROM
STRATHCONA MINERAL SERVICES LIMITED
On behalf of the Board of Directors, Intergold Corporation, ("the Company")
reports that its wholly owned subsidiary, International Gold Corporation ("IGC")
has received the results from the audit of sample assays and leach testing from
the Company's Blackhawk Property ("the Property") located in Lincoln County,
Idaho performed by Strathcona Mineral Services Limited ("Strathcona").
Strathcona was engaged by IGC to review the available data including a site
visit to the Property, and has analyzed both core samples from previous drilling
and surface samples collected by Strathcona using assaying and extractive leach
procedures. Laboratories utilized were the well-recognized firms of Lakefield
Research and Activation Laboratories.
Testing Results: Strathcona reports that both laboratories could not find gold
above the minimum detection limits in the samples, and concluded that based on
the samples provided, gold and silver are not present in economic quantities in
the rhyolitic lavas on the Property. The methods utilized included fire
assaying, neutron activation assaying, and cyanide and thiourea leaching for
gold. The tests were performed on splits of core materials from which AuRIC
Metallurgical Laboratories, LLC. ("AuRIC") had previously reported some of the
highest gold results to the Company from some of the over 800 assays that AuRIC
performed for the Company. AuRIC had previously reported gold values of 0.1 to
94.1 g/t on splits of the same samples.
Further Testing Confirmations: The Company confirms it also engaged Mineral
Science, Limited of London, England which obtained the services of the
internationally recognized facilities of OMAC Laboratories Ltd. of Ireland to
provide fire assay, ICP, and geochemical analysis as well as CSMA Consultants
Ltd. of Cornwall, England to perform leach testing. Splits of the same samples
provided to Strathcona were provided to Mineral Science, Limited. Mineral
Science Limited's results confirm and reiterate the negative Strathcona findings
which are gold values below the detection limits.
Validity of Prior Testing: As reported in previous press releases, AuRIC had
developed fire assay and extraction procedures relating to the Property for IGC.
IGC entered into contractual obligations with both AuRIC and Dames & Moore to
have AuRIC's developed fire assay procedures duplicated at another laboratory so
that IGC could receive independent verification of the technology. This would
have then allowed IGC to complete a drilling program intended to support an ore
reserve estimate. To date, and pursuant to certain contractual terms and
provisions, AuRIC and Dames & Moore have not been successful in transferring the
AuRIC developed fire assay technology to any independent assay laboratory. This
forms part of the subject of IGC's and Geneva Resources Inc.'s legal proceedings
against AuRIC and Dames & Moore.
The application of AuRIC's assay and metallurgical recovery procedures was
verified by Dames & Moore in several independent engineering reports prepared by
Dames & Moore as follows. These reports and their results are not supported by
the current testing results and further testing confirmation work conducted by
the Company.
Dames and Moore Report #1: Verification of Validity of Developed Analytical
Procedures Blackhawk Project Prepared for AuRIC Metallurgical Laboratories
November 30, 1998.
Some of the conclusions from this Dames & Moore report include:
"AuRIC Metallurgical Laboratories is well qualified to perform fire assay and
chemical assay analyses for gold, silver, and other precious metals."
"AuRIC's procedures follow the basic industry standards for fire assay
analyses."
"AuRIC has the necessary sample preparation equipment, test facilities, and
analytical instrumentation to analyze an individual sample through pilot plant
process control samples. "
Dames and Moore Report #2: Determination of Repeatability of the Verified
Developed Analytical Procedures for the Blackhawk Project January 6, 1999
Some of the conclusions from this Dames & Moore report include:
"Compared to the variation in concentrations from one core to another (which is
an order of magnitude), the relative standard deviations were small; therefore,
the repeatability was good."
"AuRIC's mean ore result on a CANMET standard run with each set of samples was
within the recommended value range. This indicates that the AuRIC measurements,
on the average, were accurate."
Dames and Moore Report #3: Reconnaissance Site Visit and Surface Sampling The
Blackhawk Project Lincoln County, Idaho Project Report Prepared for
International Gold Corporation January 21, 1999
Some of the conclusions from this Dames & Moore report include:
"IGC has followed and continues to follow a careful third party independent
evaluation of its Blackhawk gold prospect in Lincoln County, ID."
"IGC has been effective in dealing with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in
bringing the project to its current status."
"Dames & Moore is confident that, based on its random selection of the four
surface rock sample locations, the outcrops sampled were not salted or
artificially impregnated with precious metals."
"The four Dames & Moore independently selected and analyzed surface rock samples
show the presence of gold and silver."
"The surface gold concentrations (0.003 to 0.009 troy ounces per short ton, opt)
are highly anomalous. It is highly unusual to have gold and silver (0.282 to
0.351 opt) values of this concentration in unaltered flow rocks."
"The four Dames & Moore surface rock samples were more than an order of
magnitude higher in gold than the surface samples(s) obtained by an Idaho state
Geologist."
"Dames & Moore confirmed, in another independent laboratory, that the flux used
in the fire assay procedure did not contain any gold (less than 0.02 parts per
million Au)."
"The use of a graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometer with automatic
dilution, duplicate sample averaging, values measured in the parts per billion
range, and rechecking with duplicate solution samples gave Dames & Moore with
high confidence in the results."
"The anomalous gold and silver values in the surface rock samples provide
further confirmation of Dames & Moore's previous independent third party work on
core samples that showed levels of gold ranging form 0.003 to 0.099 opt, 98C-9
and 98C-22 respectively."
Dames and Moore Report #4: Verification of Validity of Developed Extraction
Methods for the Blackhawk Project April 7, 1999
Some of the conclusions from this Dames & Moore report include:
"In light of the considerable difficulty in fire assaying the extraction
associated with the history of the Blackhawk Project core material, the three
extraction methods put forward by AuRIC are a clear positive accomplishment for
recovering the gold and silver in the material."
"The summary data in Table 4, Extraction Data Comparisons, verifies that the
AuRIC developed extraction methods do extract the gold and silver from the
Blackhawk Project core."
"The test results clearly indicate that Process 2 is the most effective process
for the samples tested, and Process 3 closely follows Process 2 in its apparent
effectiveness."
"Process 3 is a straightforward leaching process, although innovative when
compared to typical US gold industry standard practices. It also has the
potential to be environmentally friendly."
Summary: As the latest independent assessment information regarding the Property
obtained by the Company does not support the claims of Auric or Dames & Moore,
the Company advises that it will suspend indefinitely the further exploration of
its Blackhawk claims.
Class Action Legal Suit: The Company has been informed that certain shareholders
of the Company are commencing a shareholder lawsuit regarding issues raised in
this press release. If you are a shareholder and have interest in this regard,
please contact the Company's president, Gary Powers at (888) 848-7377.
Through the Company's subsidiary, "International Gold Corporation" the Intergold
Corporation now advises that it has ceased to explore its set of claims in the
State of Idaho - the Blackhawk I Project, which is comprised of 321 contiguous
unpatented lode mining claims in Lincoln County, Idaho.
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Contact: Intergold Investor Relations E-mail: investor@intergoldcorp.com
Phone: (888) 848-7377
SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT
Forward-looking statements in this release are made pursuant to the "safe
harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
Investors are cautioned that such forward-looking statements involve risks and
uncertainties, including, without limitation, commodity prices of precious
metals and actual results differing materially from projections because of
geological factors, operation factors, government regulations or factors relied
upon from independent sources, may either negatively or positively impact
exploration or mining operations. Forward-looking statements involve known and
unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause the Company's actual results in
the future periods to differ materially from forecasted results. The Company
assumes no obligation to update the information in this release.