Patricia aims to restart Island Gold

Junior Patricia Mining (PAT-V) is studying the feasibility of restarting production at the Island Gold project, 50 km northeast of Wawa, Ont.

Island Gold comprises the Kremzar, Lochalsh and Goudreau properties, as well as a modern, 640-tonne-per-day, carbon-in-pulp mill and related mining infrastructure. Patricia owns outright the first two of those properties plus the infrastructure, and holds a 53.4% stake in the Goudreau property; the remaining interest in Goudreau is held by Algoma Steel Corp.

Previous operators, in the 1980s, spent $50 million exploring and developing the project. Outlined were four main deposits with a combined 1.4 million tonnes grading 6.73 grams gold per tonne; one of those, Kremzar, was briefly exploited by means of a decline and yielded 46,798 oz. before operations ceased in 1990. Declining gold prices and the adoption of unsuitable mining methods are attributed to the cessation of operations.

The study, scheduled for completion by June, is focusing on material the company believes can be extracted by surface mining and treated in the existing mill. Such material (undiluted) is pegged at a combined 301,399 tonnes grading 7.75 grams gold and is expected to support an annual production rate of 25,000 oz. The resource is classified as indicated and inferred.

As part of its efforts, Patricia will drill a series of holes to upgrade and expand the near-surface resource. Stripping and channel sampling of new areas are also planned.

Meanwhile, the company has uncovered new gold showings 13 km southeast of the mill, on its adjoining Riggs property. Results include: 22.29 grams over 2 metres; 3.47 grams over 3.75 metres; and 3.02 grams over 1.9 metres.

Mineralization is associated with quartz veining in sheared and carbonate-altered mafic rocks. Pyrite is noted, and higher grades occur in the veins (an earlier sample of nearby quartz float returned 1,140 grams gold).

The zone ranges from 2 to 4 metres in width and outcrops over a length of 80 metres, striking southeasterly. Additional trenching and mapping are planned.

Mineralization at all four properties is associated with the Goudreau Lake Deformation zone, which is part of the Michipicoten greenstone belt. Other deposits found along this structure include Magino, southwest of Island Gold and exploited between 1988 and 1992, and Edwards, to the northeast. The Edwards deposit is periodically mined by River Gold Mines (RIV-T) and treated at its nearby Eagle River mill.