B2Gold’s Goose mine drilling: resource growth and production outlook for engineers
Reviewed by Tom Sullivan

First reported on MINING.com
30 Second Briefing
B2Gold’s latest infill drilling at the Llama and Nuvuyak deposits in Nunavut’s Back River district returned multiple high-grade intercepts, including 13.7 metres at 41.95 g/t gold from 218.25 metres (hole 25GSE-702) and 38.2 metres at 17.95 g/t from 501.1 metres (25GSE-715Z1), reinforcing scope to extend the Goose mine’s nine-year, 2.3‑million‑oz. plan. Back River currently hosts 15.5 million indicated tonnes at 7.16 g/t (3.56 million oz.) and 10.1 million inferred tonnes at 7.54 g/t (2.44 million oz.), plus 2.63 million inferred tonnes at 8.26 g/t at Nuvuyak. B2Gold drilled 28,599 metres in 2025 and has lifted district exploration spend from $32 million in 2025 to $46 million in 2026, targeting depth extensions along the iron formation corridor feeding Goose, which is forecast to grow from 170,000–230,000 oz. in 2026 to over 300,000 oz. in 2027.
Technical Brief
- Standout Llama hole 25GSE-702 intersected 13.7 m at 41.95 g/t from 218.25 m depth.
- Deep Llama hole 25GSE-715Z1 cut 38.2 m at 17.95 g/t from 501.1 m downhole.
- Nuvuyak hole 25GSE-700Z2 returned 27.3 m at 6.65 g/t from 1,017 m vertical depth.
- Additional Llama intercepts include 19.5 m at 10.16 g/t (25GSE-715Z3) from 490.6 m.
- Hole 25GSE-720Z1 cut 18.8 m at 19.74 g/t from 513.6 m, confirming high-grade continuity at depth.
- Hole 25GSE-721Z2 intersected 21.85 m at 13.30 g/t from 470.6 m, supporting underground potential.
- Llama lies ~1,500 m north of Umwelt, enabling relatively short underground or surface haulage integration.
- Nuvuyak’s 2.63 Mt inferred at 8.26 g/t (700,000 oz) currently sits outside the Goose mine plan.
- The 2025 programme drilled 28,599 m in 140 holes, tightening spacing and testing iron-formation depth extensions.
Our Take
With Goose projected to supply 22% of B2Gold’s output by 2026, the mine’s 2.3 Moz over nine years positions Nunavut as a core leg of the portfolio at the same time the company is managing a CEO transition flagged in February 2026 coverage, increasing execution risk if ramp-up or resource conversion slip.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
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