Granges hopes to revive Tartan Lake gold project

Having remained idle since October, 1989, the Tartan Lake gold mine near Flin Flon, Man., is once again rumbling under the pressure of drills.

Owner Granges (TSE), intent on boosting minable reserves, has identified a new area of mineralization 150 to 250 metres southwest of the Main zone’s underground workings.

Mineralized intervals of the new structure, called the West zone, are encountered at depths of 75 to 300 metres below surface along a strike length of 100 metres.

Granges notes that because of the coarse nature of visible gold in the drill core, samples are being assayed by both traditional fire assaying and a combination of fire and metallic assaying.

The mine operated for two years in the late 1980s. The final feasibility study called for a 500-ton-per-day operation targeted to produce 50,000 oz. per year. However, operating problems plagued the mine from day one, including lower-than-expected head grades and gold recoveries. In 1989, the year of the closure, the operating cost was US$393 per oz. Minable reserves stand at 375,000 tonnes grading 6.27 grams gold per tonne, and Granges hopes to increase reserves within 600 metres of the existing workings.

Using these revised figures, it will then assess the economics of reopening the mine. The company has so far spent $690,000 on exploratory drilling. Initial drill results are as follows:

Hole Width Fire Assay Fire Assay and

Metallic Assay

(m) (g/t) (g/t)

NAP-328 1.5 6.98 10.60

NAP-329 2.8 1.17 3.35

0.8 1.84 4.32

0.9 11.80 4.88

NAP-330 1.7 1.02 1.33

1.4 6.05 5.64

NAP-331 2.8 5.10 4.87

1.2 7.37 15.50

NAP-332 1.0 0.26 NA

NAP-336 5.0 9.50 13.70

NAP-338 1.5 0.42 2.31