Aurizon heads east

Aurizon Mines has wrapped up a program of widely spaced holes on the extension of zone 113 and zones 118-120 at the Casa Berardi gold project, 100 km north of Rouyn-Noranda, Que.

Results from drilling on the down-dip extension of the Principal Zone, along Casa Berardi fault are listed below;

• Hole S77G — 6.7 metres (beginning 585.5 metres below surface) grading 1.2 grams gold;
• Hole S79B — 5.6 metres (from 541 m) of 1.8 grams gold;
• Hole S81A 10.3 metres (from 1310 m) running 1.8 grams gold;
• Hole S87 36.5 metres (from 835.5 m) averaging 1.1 grams, including 2.7 metres (from 873 m) of 6.9 grams; and
• Hole S87B, which was highlighted by 15.6 metres (from 766.3 m) running 2.8 grams.

Three other holes were sunk on the same extension, but 100-150 metres south of the Casa Berardi Fault.

Hole S81A, collared 100 metres south of the fault cut 3.5 metes (from 1166.9 m) grading 4.5 grams gold.

Holes S88 and S89 tested the extension 150 metres south of the fault and were highlighted by a 5-metre interval (from 408.8 m) containing 5.9 grams gold per tonne in hole S88. Hole S88 was collared west of two previous holes, which returned 7.2 grams over 7 metres and 5.1 grams over 5.7 metres, respectively. Gold is associated with sulphide-rich altered volcanics. Aurizon says the holes confirm the continuity of the upper levels of zones 118 – 120.

The company says the recent drilling also confirms the continuity between three mineralized horizons (along and south of the fault) and the resources in zones 118-120.

Says Aurizon’s General Manager, Michel Gilbert, "The current program has successfully extended mineralization over 1,000 metres east of the proposed shaft with deep surface drilling. Future infill drilling will be performed more efficiently from underground.”

Earlier this summer, Aurizon doubled its estimate of inferred resource in zones 118-120 to 1.7 million tonnes grading 6.1 grams gold, based on a cutoff grade of 3 grams gold (T.N.M.,.Jul. 7-13/03).

The two zones are 300-700 metres east of the West mine’s known reserves, downdip of the Principal zone, which is 500-1,000 metres below surface. The resource lies south of the Casa Berardi fault, except for area 117N, which is 20 metres north of the fault, 800-1,000 metres below surface.

With the surface drilling complete at the West Mine, Aurizon has moved two drill rigs 3 km to the east to begin testing the East Mine area. The East Mine produced some 344,200 oz. of gold between 1988 and 1997.

Aurizon has already completed its first hole at the East Mine, with no. S90 returning a 3-metre section running 20.6 grams gold. The intersection was encountered in a stockwork 150 metres south and 25 metres below the bottom of the 379-metre East Mine shaft built in 1995. Most of the gold is found in a 0.65-metre-wide vein containing some 71 visible gold grains.

Aurizon says the mine’s previous owner cut vein material in a low-sulphide, altered volcanic unit south of the deposit in the upper mine levels, 100 metres above hole S90. Gold grades ran between 1-30 grams; the vein intersections were narrower than 1 metre.

Other significant historic intersection from the outer margins of a 50-metre corridor around the old mine include 9.8 metes of 10.3 grams, 16 metres of 11.7 grams and 12.1 metres grading 5.5 grams.

Aurizon initially plans a program of widely spaced holes to define priority targets. Closer-spaced drilling will follow.