Espalau hopes to revive Bachelor and Hebecourt

Drill results at Bachelor Lake and an agreement to acquire an interest in the Hebecourt property offer Espalau Mining (ME) a chance to put two former producers back to work.

The company recently released drill results from the Bachelor Lake property near Desmaraisville, about 200 km northeast of Val d’Or, Que. The gold deposit was mined from 1982 to 1989 by Bachelor Lake Gold Mines, which Espalau acquired in 1994.

Drilling on the downdip extensions of the Main and B veins at the deposit has intersected mineralization 205 ft. below the lowest developed mine level. The extension of the Main zone had an apparent width of 39 ft. and an average grade of 0.19 oz. gold per ton, including an interval grading 0.23 oz. over an apparent width of 22 ft. The B vein intersection had an apparent width of 3.5 ft. and a gold grade of 0.13 oz.

Reserves on the deposit total 1.1 million tons with an average grade of 0.24 oz. gold per ton. An exploration program will attempt to prove additional reserves for an eventual return to production.

Up in the daylight, ground geophysics in the northeastern part of the property indicated magnetic and electromagnetic anomalies, which were also drilled. A structure striking east across a granite intrusion yielded intersections of 0.07 oz. gold per ton over 7.5 ft. and 0.05 oz. over 10 ft. The structure is about 1,000 ft. south of the Main vein.

Espalau has also signed a letter of agreement with AJ Perron Gold (TSE) covering that company’s Hbcourt property, 30 km northwest of Rouyn. Under the terms of the agreement, Espalau will operate mining activities, and Perron will continue to operate the surface work.

The property contains the Nuinsco mine, a former copper producer, with developed reserves of 790,000 tons grading 2.7% copper. The companies plan to put the deposit back into production using contract custom milling.