Equinox Gold Corp. (TSX-V:EQX) (OTC:LWLCF) is pleased to announce positive drilling results from near-mine exploration at the Company’s 100%-owned Aurizona Gold Mine in Brazil. Broad intervals of economic grade gold mineralization, including ultra high-grade gold values up to 1,005 grams per tonne gold were intersected near surface at the Genipapo, Micote and Mestre Chico targets. The Company tested six near-mine exploration targets with 45 holes totalling 5,500 metres

Genipapo Drill Highlights

• 1.89 g/t Au over 6.0 m in hole D552
• 1.18 g/t Au over 60.0 m in hole D626
• 0.87 g/t Au over 22.0 m in hole D627  
• 0.70 g/t Au over 24.0 m in hole D631

Micote Drill Highlights

• 3.28 g/t Au over 9.0 m and 1.90 g/t Au over 11.0 m in hole D554
• 84.3 g/t Au over 21.0 m including 1,005 g/t Au over 1 m and 735 g/t Au over 1 m in hole D612

Mestre Chico Drill Highlights

• 1.05 g/t Au over 30.0 m in hole D600
• 1.56 g/t Au over 16.0 m and 8.50 g/t Au over 5.0 m in hole D615
   
• For a map of regional drill targets, click here
• For a complete table of regional exploration drill results, click here

“The bulk of recent exploration work at Aurizona has successfully focused on resource growth at the Piaba West target,” said Scott Heffernan, EVP Exploration of Equinox Gold. “Concurrently, near-mine exploration drilling has highlighted three targets east of the Piaba gold deposit with significant near-surface gold mineralization, clearly demonstrating the growth potential at Aurizona.”

The Genipapo target, located east and north of the Piaba gold deposit, measures several square kilometres in area and covers numerous NW-SE trending gold-in-soil and geophysical anomalies. Drilling focused on the largest gold-in-soil anomaly, measuring 500 m by 1,000 m, and has now intersected gold mineralization on three distinct structures within a 400 m wide corridor. The NW-SE orientation of these mineralized structures is new and unique to this portion of the Piaba trend.

Drilling at Micote, located several kilometres to the east along trend from Piaba, successfully tested a typical ENE-SSW trending structure over a strike length of 200 m before being truncated by a NW-SE trending fault. Recent mapping and historical drilling suggest that the zone might be displaced approximately 100 m to the NW. Of note, drilling returned two ultra high-grade gold assays of 1,005 g/t Au and 735 g/t Au from within a broader zone of 84.3 g/t Au over 21.0 m. Exploration composites are calculated on uncapped assay values. The samples are from the saprolite zone where surficial processes can significantly enrich gold content. Applying the 40 g/t Au cap that was used for saprolitic material in the Piaba resource estimate would change the interval to 5.29 g/t Au over 21.0 m.

Drilling at the Mestre Chico target was limited to an area measuring 100 m by 100 m. The target is associated with a NNE-SSW shear zone where several structures converge forming a complex fault system associated with rare felsic plutonic rocks. 

The exploration team at Aurizona is currently focused on updating geologic models and refining plans for future drill campaigns, including a first pass drill program at the Tatajuba target that the Company plans to commence in the second half of 2018.

About Equinox Gold

Equinox Gold is a Canadian mining company with a multi-million-ounce gold resource base, near-term and growing gold production from two past-producing mines in Brazil and California, and a long-term growth platform with a diverse portfolio of gold and copper assets in North and South America. Construction is underway at the Company’s Aurizona project in Brazil with the objective of pouring gold by year-end 2018, and a prefeasibility study is underway at the Company’s Castle Mountain project in California with the objective of restarting production.