Norbeau ponders drilling program

An underground drilling program which will permit closely- spaced detailed drilling with relatively short holes at the Norbeau mine near Chibougamau, Que., is being considered by Norbeau Mines.

The sixth and last hole of the company’s deep diamond drilling program to test the downward extension at the mine site was completed in March, President John Kearney reports. Five of the holes were drilled to depths of about 2,000 ft; one hole was abandoned at 1,100 ft.

Best results previously reported were from Hole 87-2, which intersected 1.32 oz gold per ton over 1.7 ft and 0.18 oz over 18.6 ft. Of the holes not previously reported, best results were from No 87-5, which intersected 0.21 oz over 1 ft and 0.11 oz over 0.9 ft.

Although the drilling program yielded a considerable number of anomalous intercepts and revealed the existence of four veins with significant gold-bearing potential, no high grade veins comparable to the two previously mined structures were located, Mr Kearney reports.

Meanwhile, three holes were drilled in March to test a known mineralized structure marked by a geophysical anomaly on the north shore of Bourbeau Lake, a half- mile north of the mine site. Narrow widths of sub-economic mineralization were encountered, with one of the holes intersecting 0.04 oz gold, 0.06% zinc and 0.35% copper over 2.5 ft.

Also, three drill holes tested a localized geochemical anomaly high in gold values on the Norbeau property three miles west of the mine site. Source of the anomaly was not positively identified but low values of 0.03 oz gold over one- to 2-ft widths in a geological contact were unexpected and warrant further investigation, Mr Kearney reports.

Norbeau recorded a loss of $83,908 for the 9-month period ending March 31.