EDMONTON, Alberta - Committee Bay Resources Ltd. (CBR: TSXV)
("Committee Bay" or the "Company") and Australian Redemption Joint Venture ("RJV") partner Focus Minerals Ltd. (FML: ASX) today announced a further increase in Indicated Resources at the advanced Perseverance Gold Project, located within the Tindals Mining Centre at the Coolgardie Gold Project, Western Australia.
Key Highlight Points
- 28% Increase in Indicated Resource to 490,700t @ 7.5g/t for 118,500oz.
- Indicated Resource for combined Tindals Mining Centre increases to 312,900oz
- Updated Perseverance resource model based on 13,974m of diamond and RC drilling over 5 defined ore zones.
- Grade control drilling significantly enhances understanding of Perseverance geological model with the deposit remaining open to the north and south.
A recently completed grade control drilling has resulted in a 28% increase in the Indicated Resource
from 448,000t @ 6.4g/t for 92,100 contained ounces to 490,700t @ 7.5g/t
for 118,500 ounces
, as a result of the conversion of additional ounces to the Indicated category. The updated Inferred Resource is 195,800t @ 3.4g/t
for 21,200 ounces
, compared with 406,000t @ 2.7g/t for 35,300 contained ounces previously (see CBR press release October 9, 2007)
The updated resource incorporates the recently released grade control results (see CBR press release December 12, 2007), which has further reinforced the potential of the Perseverance Project, where the RJV is preparing to commence initial gold production in April after completing a positive Feasibility Study in December 2007.
The updated Perseverance Resource model (Table 1) is based on 13,974m of drilling in 49 diamond core and 23 Reverse Circulation (RC) drill holes. The Resource comprises 5 distinct zones - the quartz-sulphide east zone, quartz-sulphide west zone, footwall west zone, upper diorite zone and the lower diorite zone.
The updated Perseverance resource was prepared by Mark Rigby BSc., MAusIMM, Senior Resource Geologist, Redemption Joint Venture. Ordinary Kriging (OK) estimation was used on the Quartz Sulphide East and West and Footwall West Zones, while Inverse Distance Squared (ID2) was used on the Diorite Zones. Top cuts of 52 g/t Au, 30 g/t Au and 20 g/t Au were utilized for the Quartz Sulphide East, Quartz Sulphide West and Footwall West Lodes respectively, and a top cut of 10 g/t Au was used for the Diorite Lodes
The Perseverance Resource upgrade has increased the current Tindals Mining Centre
resource inventory (Table 2) to an Indicated Resource
of 3.5 million tonnes at 2.8g/t Au for 312,900 ounces
and an Inferred Resource
of 2.3 million tonnes at 3.0g/t Au for
220,100
ounces
.. Historically the deposits comprising this centre have produced a total of 500,000 ounces from both open pit and underground operations.
The recent grade control drilling has had a significant impact on the new geological model, confirming the presence of the footwall lode, which is now more extensive than initially thought. The understanding of the main lode has also been enhanced, with the new information highlighting the fact that the main lode is actually two lodes that merge together near the centre of the deposit.
The deposit remains open to the north and south and the RJV plans to conduct further step-out drilling in order to increase the resource.
Table 1 - Perseverance Resource
Zone
|
Category
|
Tonnes
|
Au g/t
|
Ounces
|
Quartz-Sulphide East
|
Inferred
|
92,700
|
3.1
|
9,100
|
|
Indicated
|
265,000
|
9.9
|
84,600
|
|
|
|
|
|
Quartz-Sulphide West
|
Inferred
|
20,700
|
3.6
|
2,400
|
|
Indicated
|
103,600
|
5.9
|
19,500
|
|
|
|
|
|
Footwall West
|
Inferred
|
51,700
|
3.7
|
6,200
|
|
Indicated
|
95,900
|
4.2
|
13,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
Upper Diorite
|
Inferred
|
13,300
|
2.6
|
1,100
|
|
Indicated
|
26,200
|
1.6
|
1,400
|
|
|
|
|
|
Lower Diorite
|
Inferred
|
17,400
|
4.3
|
2,400
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total Inferred
|
|
195,800
|
3.4
|
21,200
|
Total Indicated
|
|
490,700
|
7.5
|
118,500
|
Resource reported at 0g/t lower cut-off grade
Upper cut of 52g/t used for Quartz-Sulphide East zone, Upper cut of 30g/t used for Quartz-Sulphide West zone, Upper cut of 28g/t used for Footwall West zone, Upper cut of 10g/t used for Diorite Lower zone, and no Upper cut was applied to the Diorite Upper zone as all grade were below 10g/t
Table 2 - Tindals Mining Centre Resources
Indicated
|
|
|
|
Prospect
|
Tonnes
|
Grade (g/t)
|
Ounces
|
Dreadnought
|
3,024,000
|
2.0
|
194,400
|
Perseverance Quartz-Sulphide East
|
265,000
|
9.9
|
84,600
|
Perseverance Quartz-Sulphide West
|
103,600
|
5.9
|
19,500
|
Perseverance Footwall West
|
96,000
|
4.2
|
13,000
|
Perseverance Upper Diorite
|
26,200
|
1.6
|
1,400
|
Total Indicated
|
3,514,800
|
2.8
|
312,900
|
|
|
|
|
Inferred
|
|
|
|
Dreadnought
|
434,500
|
1.8
|
24,600
|
Perseverance Quartz-Sulphide East
|
92,700
|
3.0
|
8,900
|
Perseverance Quartz-Sulphide West
|
20,700
|
3.6
|
2,400
|
Perseverance Footwall West
|
51,700
|
3.7
|
6,200
|
Perseverance Upper Diorite
|
13,300
|
2.6
|
1,100
|
Perseverance Lower Diorite
|
17,400
|
4.3
|
2,400
|
Cyanide - Underground
|
367,000
|
5.5
|
65,400
|
Empress - Underground
|
129,500
|
4.7
|
19,500
|
Countess Underground
|
246,000
|
4.3
|
33,700
|
Big Blow Surface
|
180,000
|
1.6
|
9,300
|
Big Blow UG
|
88,000
|
5.0
|
14,100
|
Empress/Alicia
|
550,000
|
1.5
|
27,300
|
Happy Jack
|
107,000
|
1.5
|
5,200
|
Total Inferred
|
2,297,800
|
3.0
|
220,100
|
Coolgardie Project
, Western Australia
Committee Bay Resources Ltd.
entered into Exclusivity Agreement to negotiate the terms of the proposed sale of Committee Bay's 50% interest in the Redemption Joint Venture Project with its joint venture partner, Focus Minerals Ltd (see CBR press release January 30, 2008).
A key element of the Exclusivity Agreement is to effectively suspend the Redemption Joint Venture between January 1, 2008 and March 31, 2008. During this period, Focus Minerals accepts full responsibility for the Coolgardie Project. This enables development for the commencement of mining at Perseverance to continue, unaffected by the negotiations underway with Focus Minerals to purchase the remaining 50% of the project. If subsequent commercial terms for the purchase of Committee Bay's 50% of the RJV cannot be concluded, Committee Bay will resume its active role in the management of the RJV and will reimburse Focus Minerals for 50% of expenditures incurred on the Coolgardie Project between January 1, 2008 and March 31, 2008 (which is the date when the Exclusivity Agreement expires), excluding any expenditures made in January, being part of an earlier RJV cash call.
Committee Bay Resources Ltd., through the Redemption Joint Venture (Committee Bay in a 50% partnership with Focus Minerals Ltd. ASX: FML), has the mineral rights to more than 210 km2 of under-explored greenstone tenements, located in one of the world's most significant gold and nickel mining regions. These tenements contain Measured Resources of 31,014 ounces gold* (0.55 million tonnes at 1.77 g/t gold), Indicated Resources of 591,065 ounces gold*
(8.58 million tonnes at 2.14 g/t gold), and Inferred Resources of 1,024,417 ounces gold*
(11.31 million tonnes at 2.82 g/t gold). The RJV also has a 100% interest in the fully permitted, 1.2mtpa, Three Mile Hill Mill processing plant.*
*For more information on the stated gold resources and historic drill results of Committee Bay Resources Ltd., Coolgardie Project please refer to the detailed NI 43-101 compliant technical report filed on SEDAR by Committee Bay on February 26, 2007.
Committee Bay Resources Ltd. maintains an extensive quality control program in the preparation, shipping and checking of all samples from the property as detailed in Committee Bay Resources Ltd. 'Technical Report for the Coolgardie Gold Project, Coolgardie, Western Australia' by Dean Besserer - May 27, 2005 pp. 76-80. The program is supervised by Peter Kleespies, M.Sc. P.Geol., and Vice President of Exploration, who is the Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101.
On behalf of the Board
Committee Bay Resources Ltd.
/s/"John Williamson"
John Williamson, P.Geol.
President
For further information about Committee Bay Resources Ltd. or this news release, please visit our website at www.committeebay.com
or contact:
Derek Iwanaka
Investor Relations
Email: info@committeebay.com
Dial 604-646-4524 or toll-free 1-888-331-2269
The TSX Venture Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release
..
Certain disclosures in this release, including management's assessment of Committee Bay's plans and projects, constitute forward-looking statements that are subject to numerous risks, uncertainties and other factors relating to Committee Bay's operation as a mineral exploration company that may cause future results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Committee Bay expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.