Emerald Isle and Stralak plan garnet production

VSE-listed Emerald Isle Resources and Stralak Resources have announced production plans for their high-grade almandine garnet project in Street Twp., about 24 miles from Sudbury, Ont.

An all-weather road, recently completed, provides access to the site, and another road provides access to the mineralized zone.

Permitting is under way and mining is scheduled to begin later this year. Using open-pit and open-cut methods, the partners plan to extract and process 200 tons of garnetiferous material per day.

The garnets occur in a zone 8,000 ft. long, with widths ranging from 40 to 80 ft. Work to date has concentrated on three pits. The first pit area, which is ready for production, is 1,700 ft. long, and 35 to 40 ft. wide. Recoverable garnet grades are estimated to range between 40% and 52%, based on diamond drilling on 100-ft. centres to a depth of 125 ft. The mineralization is open in all directions.

Stripping is under way on Pits 2 and 3. The second pit is about 75 ft. wide and 550 ft. long, with an average garnet grade of 70-85%. The third is 800 ft. long and 27 to 30 ft. wide, with similar grades.

Initially, the joint venture will focus on producing garnet for use in sand blasting, waterjet cutting and filtration products. Current garnet prices range from US$150 to US$340 per ton (depending on the product), with certain high-end applications listed at around US$640 per ton.

The balance of the project will be funded through a private group based in Indiana, which has committed to spend $1 million in order to earn a one-third interest. Stralak and Emerald Isle will each retain a one-third interest.