Eastmain Resources to drill 63,300 metres at the Clearwater Project, Quebec
Eastmain Mine Camp Aerial View
Eastmain Resources Inc. [ER-TSX] announced a $7.7 million (63,300 metres) drilling program at the Clearwater Property, in Quebec’s James Bay gold district. Drilling is set to begin mid-August with a primary focus in and around the Eau Claire deposit.
“Within the past quarter, we have been executing on our strategic plan by building a strong management team, increasing our institutional shareholder support, and with the recent $11 million financing, strengthening our balance sheet,” said Claude Lemasson, President and CEO, Eastmain. “With over $20 million cash in the bank, and robust exploration programs now established for our three key assets, we will continue to evolve the company. This year will mark the largest exploration program Eastmain has ever initiated on Clearwater, and the results will be used along with 2015 drilling results obtained since our last resource estimate to update Eau Claire’s mineral resources in early 2017.”
The Eau Claire deposit is a near-surface gold deposit, defined within two main zones, the 450 West Zone and the 850 West Zone to a depth of 400 metres. The 49,500-metre drill program in the 450 Zone is aimed at improving resource confidence using the following:
- Infill drilling at shallow, pit-accessible depths (surface to 150-metre depth);
- Testing the extensions of high-grade veins along strike and parallel to surface exposed system;
- Infill of deeper veins (150-400-metre depth); and
- Identifying and improving vein continuity in widely drilled portions of inferred mineral resource and on the deposit’s current limits.
Approximately 6,200 metres are planned to expand the 850 Zone mineralization as a result of step-out drilling and the infilling of inferred domains.
Elsewhere on the Clearwater property, exploration drilling will test six additional mineralized zones. This phase of drilling will target near-surface mineralization where grab and trench sampling has reported numerous results ranging from 5 g/t to 30 g/t.
The company is initiating a full review of the Clearwater Project to include an evaluation of the current resource model and related geological, drill and estimation data in preparation for the proposed mineral resource update. The review will also include planning for initial environmental and engineering studies, which will support future advanced exploration or development programs at the property. These activities are expected to be completed by the end of the 2016.
Eastmain is a Canadian exploration company with 100% interest in the Eau Claire and Eastmain Mine gold deposits, both of which are located within the James Bay District of Quebec. Eau Claire has access to infrastructure within a favourable mining jurisdiction.