Orford Mining completes winter drilling at Joutel Eagle, Quebec
Orford Mining Corp. [ORM-TSXV] has completed the winter drill program on the 100%-optioned Joutel Eagle property located along the fertile Casa-Berardi structural zone and historical Eagle-Telbel mine trend in the Abitibi greenstone belt, northern Quebec.
A total of 14 holes and 2,535 metres (see attached table) have been drilled, including an additional 500 metres in three holes since reporting of the positive preliminary results from drill hole 23-JE-004 on February 21, 2023, which returned grades of up to 28.7 g/t gold over 0.32 metres included in an interval of 4.1 g/t gold over 14.6 metres.
These previously reported results are from samples that were sent for rush analysis. All other remaining assays are pending. Note that all drilling intervals are down-hole lengths. True thicknesses cannot be estimated with available information.
David Christie, president and CEO, commented: “The 2023 drill campaign on our Joutel Eagle property has successfully confirmed the 400-metre strike of the South Gold zone. The program has also returned the best grade results to date on the zone in a crosscutting structure which could be a game-changer for the project’s economics. We eagerly await assay results for the completed drilling and the detailed structural interpretation that will follow.”
The recently completed drill program has successfully tested a 400-metre-plus strike length of the South gold zone. The possibility of parallel mineralized zones to the north (holes 23-JE 006 and -007), similar to the presence of the north mine horizon observed at the Eagle-Telbel mine located 8 km to the southeast.
There are possible cross-structures in the South gold zone observed in the recently flown airborne magnetic-electromagnetic survey.
To date both the 2022 and preliminary 2023 drilling results have shown that the South gold zone hosts higher-grade gold over wider intersections than had historically been reported. In addition, preliminary findings have identified a new structural corridor oblique to the South gold zone that is coincident with zones of higher-grade gold associated with an increase in quartz carbonate veining and pyrite as observed in hole 23-JE-004.
A similar system is also documented in holes 23-JE-014, 015, 006 and 007. Data were collected during the drill program with a core orientation tool and a full structural interpretation will be completed once all assays have been received and reported to identify additional targets in the South gold zone, econdary targets which may be associated with structures hosting higher grades oblique to the South gold zone and other targets along strike from the South gold zone to the northwest and southeast along the Eagle mine horizon.
The property is situated just to the northwest of Agnico Eagle’s past-producing Eagle-Telbel operation which produced in excess of 1.1 million ounces of gold from 1974 to 1993.
The Joutel Eagle property sits to the north of Orford’s 100%-owned Joutel South property and to the west of Orford’s 100%-owned McClure East property. On November 30, 2021 Orford, announced that it had entered an option to acquire 100% of the 50 km2 Joutel Eagle project from Globex Mining Enterprises Inc.
Orford’s principal assets are the Qiqavik, West Raglan and lithium exploration projects comprising a land package totalling over 111,000 hectares in the Cape Smith belt of Northern Quebec. The Qiqavik project hosts several new high-grade gold discoveries along a mineralized trend in excess of 40 km.
The West Raglan project hosts a number of high-grade Raglan-style nickel/copper/platinum group metal discoveries along a 55 km mineralized trend. In early 2023 Orford acquired large claim blocks targeting lithium in the Nunavik region. These lithium claim blocks have been carefully selected as having promising lithium potential after an exhaustive compilation of available data.
Orford also has four property positions in the Joutel region of the Abitibi district of Northern Quebec, which hosts historical deposits such as the Eagle/Telbel, Joutel copper, Poirier copper and Vezza deposits. Orford continually seeks new gold exploration opportunities in North America.