Aur close to full production at Kierens zone gold deposit

Full commercial production is expected to get under way late next month at the Kierens zone where Aur poured 2,172 oz gold from development ore before Christmas.

Pending discussions with Bachelor Lake Gold Mines (TSE), production could also begin this year at the Hewfran prospect in Desmaraisville, Que. For much of 1988, Aur conducted underground drilling from the workings of the adjacent Bachelor Lake mine in an area separating Aur from Bachelor Lake ground.

Results so far have been extremely encouraging, Aur says. Underground exploration at the Hewfran East zone which extends from the Bachelor Lake deposit has outlined 144,000 tons grading 0.18 oz of mineable reserves between the 900 ft and 1,500 ft levels.

An East zone bulk sample recently yielded 637 oz gold and confirmed the compatibility of this ore with the Bachelor Lake mill. Talks involving both companies are in progress and could result in Bachelor Lake mining the East zone via its own workings.

“It wouldn’t take very much to develop it (the East zone),” said Aur vice-president Howard Stockford. Extend stopes

“Since they have mined to the boundary, its just a question of Bachelor Lake extending their stopes onto our side,” he said.

Meanwhile Aur is getting some good results from the Hewfran West zone which is located about 500 ft from the East zone. Of 32 holes drilled so far on the West zone, 11 intersected high grade gold mineralization.

Best results included 29 ft of grade 0.30 oz gold per ton, 20 ft of grade 0.33 oz and 84.2 ft of grade 0.23 oz. The weighted average grade of the 32 intersections is 0.17 oz over an average length of 15.7 ft.

Drilling on the West zone was confined to an area 700 ft long and 500 ft deep between the 750 and 1,250-ft levels. As it remains open at depth and unexplored 2,000 ft west, Aur is currently drilling in a bid to extend the deposit westward.

If everything goes according to plan at Kierens, Aur will produce 24,000 oz gold this year at $225(US) per oz. Located on Aur’s First Canadian property, the Kierens zone hosts 860,000 tons of grade 0.22 oz above the 1,600 ft level. Recent drilling suggests that additional reserves can be outlined below the 1,900 level. Louvem mine

At the Louvem property 13 miles east of Val d’Or, Que. Aur and 50/50 joint venture partner Louvem Mines (TSE) recently intersected significant copper-zinc-gold mineralization in two separate massive sulphide deposits.

The former Louvem mine produced over 2.2 million tons of copper-zinc ore from 1969 to 1979. According to Aur, the new mineralization lies below the old mine’s Zone 4 and 6 sulphide lenses.

In a hole drilled below the Zone 4 deposit, Aur intersected 280 ft of massive and disseminated sulphides at a depth of 1,500 ft. The intersection included separate intervals of 37.5 ft grading 3.35% zinc and 0.04 oz gold, 11.7 ft of grading 6.23% zinc and 0.08 oz gold, 11.2 ft of 1.03% copper, and 14 ft of 1.37% copper.

The intersection was encountered 750 ft below a block of unmined reserves previously estimated to contain 375,000 tons grading 7.48% zinc and 0.06 oz gold.

Late last year, Aur conducted a deep drilling program below the Zone 6 massive sulphide lens. Two holes located 650 ft apart along strike intersected massive banded sulphides underlain by a copper- rich stringer zone. Hole 309-30 intersected about 100 ft of semi- massive pyrite containing zinc and copper-rich bands grading up to 6.5% zinc and over 2.3 ft and 2.8% copper over 1.4 ft. Alteration zone

A major copper-rich alteration zone containing 0.84% copper over 386 ft followed the massive sulphides, according to Aur.

The copper-rich zone contained separate intervals grading 4% copper over 7.5 ft, 2% copper over 20 ft, 4.2% copper over 10 ft and 1.26% copper over 22.5 ft.

Hole 309-35 intersected 36.8 ft of massive sulphides with an average grade of 4.4% zinc, 0.45% copper, 1.5 oz silver and 0.02 gold. Aur is currently drilling a third hole in a bid to intersect the massive sulphide horizon 500 ft above the two intersections. Almost $1 million has been spent by Aur and Louvem Mines on the current program and a major drilling program designed to establish drill-indicated reserves may follow.

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