Ten metres downhole does not establish ten metres of true width

Length along the hole is not thickness across the zone

A reported drill interval measures distance along the drill hole, not necessarily the thickness of the mineralised zone. For an Australian comparing Canadian mining announcements, preserving that distinction avoids treating a longer angled intersection as evidence of a thicker zone. True width describes thickness across the zone, perpendicular to its boundaries in a simple tabular geometry. CIM’s estimation guidance distinguishes true thickness from horizontal, vertical and apparent thickness. (bcsc.bc.ca)

Think of a straight hole cutting diagonally through a flat sheet: it travels farther inside the sheet than a hole crossing at right angles. That geometric difference is why an interval and a true-width estimate should not be used interchangeably. The fictional example below isolates this geometry.

Fictional example: ten metres becomes five

Assume a mineralised zone has parallel, planar boundaries and constant thickness. A straight drill hole crosses the entire zone from 100 metres to 110 metres measured along the hole. Assume those endpoints coincide with the zone’s boundaries.

Downhole interval = 110 − 100 = 10 metres.

Label the angle between the hole and the plane of the zone α. For this deliberately simplified geometry:

True width = downhole interval × sin(α).

If α is 30 degrees, true width = 10 × 0.5 = 5 metres.

If α is 90 degrees, a perpendicular crossing, true width = 10 × 1 = 10 metres.

These are two hypothetical crossing geometries, not reported exploration results. The angle is measured relative to the zone, not automatically relative to horizontal. The calculation therefore cannot be applied merely because an announcement gives a hole’s drilling inclination.

What information is missing?

To assess an actual intersection, look for the hole’s direction through the mineralisation and the orientation of the zone itself. A collar location and starting angle do not, by themselves, establish the relationship at the intersection. A drill section and supporting geological interpretation help explain that relationship. Canadian technical-report requirements specifically address hole orientation and the relationship between sample length and true thickness. (bcsc.bc.ca)

The flat-sheet example is not a universal correction formula. Folded, irregular or gradational mineralisation may not have one simple pair of parallel boundaries. CIM’s guidelines call for geological interpretations to be assessed in three dimensions and for different deposit geometries to be understood. An estimated true width therefore depends on the geological model, rather than being another laboratory assay measurement. (bcsc.bc.ca)

Read the qualification with the result

For Canadian disclosures, NI 43-101 section 3.3 requires written sample, analytical or testing results on a property material to the issuer to include relevant widths and true widths to the extent known, alongside hole orientation and other information. Section 3.5 permits specified information to be supplied through a reference to a compliant previously filed document. The BCSC current register identifies the consolidation effective 9 June 2023 separately from proposed amendments. These are Canadian requirements, not a statement of NSX rules. (bcsc.bc.ca)

A practical example appears in King Global Ventures’ CSE-hosted release dated 19 May 2026. Beneath its Silver Cord results table, the company states: “Reported intervals are core lengths; true widths are unknown.” That qualification prevents treating those lengths as established perpendicular thicknesses. It does not, by itself, invalidate the assays or resolve the geometry. (webfiles.thecse.com)

A checklist before comparing intersections

Check the following alongside each result:

• Is the length labelled downhole, core length, estimated true width or true width?
• Are the hole orientation and mineralised-zone orientation explained?
• Does a section support the relationship, or does the issuer say it remains unknown?
• Are important sampling, recovery or analytical limitations disclosed, including in a referenced document? (bcsc.bc.ca)

Do not turn a geometry correction into a resource or economic conclusion. Resource estimation requires evidence about geological and grade continuity, while mine assessment involves additional technical and economic considerations. One intersection does not establish those matters or a share valuation. (bcsc.bc.ca)

For a concrete check, open the 19 May 2026 King Global release and locate the qualification beneath Table 1. When recording an intersection for comparison, carry that width qualification into the same note rather than copying the interval alone.