LaSARRE, Quebec AURIZON MINES of Vancouver has doubled the resource estimate of the newly-discovered 118-120 zones at its Casa Berardi project in Quebec. The new inferred resource is 332,000 oz of gold using a 3-g/t cut-off. Stated differently, the inferred resource is 1.7 million tonnes at 6.1 g/t Au. The zones are open along strike and at depth.
"We are confident that the 2003 drill campaign will continue to discover additional ounces," Aurizon CEO David P. Hall said in a press release.
The newly-discovered zones cover an area of 500 m by 500 m, are located 300 to 700 m east of the West mine area along the dip extension of the Principal zone, 500 to 1,000 m below surface. Gold is mainly associated with fine-grained pyrite and arsenopyrite in quartz veins and veinlets, quartz carbonate stockworks, and sulphide-rich schists with vein stockworks. Larger veins are developed close to the Casa Berardi fault. Gold grains are observed locally.
The Casa Berardi property produced 690,000 oz of gold from the East and West mines between 1988 and 1997. Aurizon owns 100% of the property including both underground mines, an existing 2,200-t/day mill, a tailings pond, and the equipment fleet. Mining permits are in place. Aurizon has studied the re-opening of the West mine at a rate of 3,920-t/day, five days a week. Re-opening may necessitate sinking a 1,031-m vertical shaft. Gold production would be about 200,000 oz annually.
Aurizon maintains an eye-catching and informative web site at www.aurizon.com.
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