Committee Bay cuts high-grade at West Plains

Reconnaissance drilling by Committee Bay Resources (CBR-V) has returned an encouraging interval from the Lowlands showing in the southwestern portion of the Committee Bay project in Nunavut.

Hole 4 returned 36.8 metres (beginning 28.8 metres below surface) grading 6 grams gold per tonne, including 8.7 metres (from 56.9 m) of 14.8 grams.

The hole encountered a 45-metre-wide zone of silicate iron formation containing broad bands of semi-massive pyrrhotite cut by centimetre-to-metre wide quartz veins. These locally banded veins contain up to 15% pyrrhotite. The high-grade zones are silica flooded with fine-grained pyrrhotite disseminated throughout.

Meanwhile, drilling went 2 for 3 on the West Plains area, 1.2 km to the northeast. Hole 1 yielded 1.4 metres (from 70.4 m) of 0.3 gram gold; hole 2 cut 0.49 metre (from 113.1 m) of 1.1 gram gold. The holes tested the northeast extent of a 3-km-long electromagnetic (EM) anomaly, and intersected a thick silicate iron formation with patches of pyrrhotite that corresponds to low grade gold values.

A third hole designed to test a sub-parallel EM anomaly 500 metres to the west failed to cut any significant mineralization. The anomaly is coincident with sheared and altered sedimentary rocks containing pyrite and arsenopyrite. Previous surface sampling yielded up to 6.95 grams gold in a grab sample. Follow-up drilling is planned.

Surface mapping and airborne geophysics has identified a series of north-to-northeast-trending iron formations at the West Plains area; in all the formations extend for 8km. Outcrop sampling along the western-most formation returned up to 18.7 grams gold and 12 grams gold, with 8 other samples exceeding 5 grams gold.

The drilling is part of an ongoing program aimed at high-grade surface showings along the Committee Bay belt, including Raven, Anuri, Antler and Three Bluffs.

Committee Bay holds a 45% interest in its namesake gold project; joint-venture partner Gold Fields (GFI-N) holds the remainder.