Partners test Clearwater extensions

Partners Eastmain Resources (ER-T) and Soquem (which is owned by the Quebec government) have completed a six-hole, 2,250-metre drilling program on their jointly held Clearwater (or Eau Claire) gold property in the James Bay region of northwestern Quebec. The program was aimed at testing eight known veins at depth, as well as a new group of 10 veins encountered in hole 96-06.

Three holes were collared on the eight veins.

Hole 90 cut veins G, H and I and extended the drill-indicated resource below a depth of 200 metres. Visible gold was observed in the H Vein, which assayed 7.3 grams gold per tonne over 0.5 metre at a depth of 250.6 metres. The hole also returned 1.45 metres of 15.5 gram gold at a depth of 272.5 metres.

Hole 91 tested below hole 90 and cut veins G, H, I and JQ below 300 metres of depth. This hole was highlighted by a 5.8-metre interval grading 5 grams gold per tonne, including 0.5 metre of 34.8 grams gold. Other intervals typically graded between 1.6 and 13 grams over widths of about 0.5 metre. The intervals are located 500 metres down-plunge from the high-grade P and JQ veins, which are exposed on surface.

Hole 92 cut gold-bearing veins between 331.5 and 351.1 metres of depth. The veins are interpreted as extensions of the JQ and R veins, 425 metres downdip from their surface expression. Grades ranged between 3.8 and 11.76 grams over widths of between 0.5 and 4.2 metres.

Holes 93, 94 and 95 tested a new group of gold-bearing quartz-carbonate-tourmaline veins ranging from 1.34 to 16.87 grams gold per tonne. Visible gold was encountered in each of the holes. Intervals are generally less than 1 metre. Gold grades fell between 1.37 and 16.9 grams.

The partners plan a $400,000 surface-stripping program for June and July to evaluate the 850 West Zone at Eau Claire, plus the Boomerang, Cannard and Natel gold occurrences. Metallurgical test work is also planned for the high-grade P, JQ, R and V16 quartz-tourmaline zones.

In March, the partners upped Eau Calire’s resource estimate, taking into account veins D, G, H, I, JQ, P, R and S. The indicated resource now stands at 700,000 tonnes grading an uncut 10.43 grams gold per tonne (8.59 grams cut). This is a 30% increase. In the inferred category are 420,000 tonnes grading an uncut 4.15 grams gold for a total of 291,784 contained oz. gold. This is a 50% increase.