Ekaton testing silica at kaolin deposit

Development work is continuing on the Wood Mountain kaolin property in Saskatchewan, operator Ekaton Industries says. A laboratory facility has been built on site which is evaluating the silica potential of the deposit. Ekaton says the silica is a potential profitable by- product of kaolin operations.

The company also has exposure to calcite via an interest in Blue River Mines. The latter company plans to build a pilot plant near the town of Blue River, B.C.

In order to increase its interest in Blue River, Ekaton has traded a 50 cents -per-ton royalty on calcite production into 100,000 shares of Blue River, giving Ekaton a 25% stake in the company. A 5% interest has also been acquired in Ark Energy, a company involved with gold exploration in Canada.