TORONTO, Oct. 17, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Eastmain Resources Inc. (TSX:ER) (Other OTC:EANRF) is pleased to announce that a 2,500-metre definition drill program is underway at its 100%-owned Clearwater Project. Forty-three large diameter, HQ drill holes will test a potential open pit area in the Eau Claire gold deposit. The objectives of this program are to establish the geometry and mining grade of the gold-bearing veins for future exploitation, and to collect sufficient material for metallurgical testing. Exploration drill holes designed to search for additional gold resources nearby are also planned.
This in-fill drill program, expected to evaluate the Eau Claire deposit for a length of 300 metres and to a vertical depth of 50 metres, will generate about 100 gold-bearing intersections. These intersections will be used to determine whether there is compatibility between the ores at Eau Claire and the ores at Goldcorp's Roberto deposit with respect to future custom mill processing. The current program will also include metallurgical testing of the gold-bearing system as an adjunct to a future bulk sample test and continued economic assessment of the deposit.
Drilling at Eau Claire has demonstrated a positive correlation of drill hole spacing with gold grade -- gold grade appears to increase with closer drill spacing. Drilling in 2006 extended the deposit to a vertical depth of 900 metres. To date, the gold deposit contains in excess of 1,000 ounces of gold per vertical metre (NI-43-101- Dec 30, 2005; 2006 AR).
Eau Claire is a high-grade gold deposit with multiple surface veins averaging 23.5 g/t or 0.70 ounces per ton in the area of a proposed bulk sample (Composite average grade calculation P, JQ, R veins- NR Sept 6, 2000; AIF 2003). Situated near the EM-1 power facility recently commissioned by Hydro Quebec, Eau Claire is located approximately two kilometres from Hydro's road network.
Eastmain holds 100% interest in the Clearwater Project, which hosts Eau Claire. Goldcorp owns 100% interest in the Eleonore Project, which hosts the Roberto Deposit, through its wholly owned subsidiary Les Mines Opinaca Ltee. Eau Claire is within trucking distance to Roberto. New Hydro Quebec installations will provide excellent future access between the two projects. Both projects are located in the Eastmain/Opinaca territory of James Bay, Quebec, a relatively unexplored region with the potential to become a major gold district. Eastmain's primary focus is gold exploration within this emerging mining district.
This press release was prepared by geologist Dr. Donald J. Robinson, P. Geo, qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.
Eastmain is a Canadian gold exploration company with 100% ownership of the Eau Claire and Eastmain gold deposits, and a new sedimentary-gold discovery at Eleonore South, located in James Bay, Quebec. The Company has an annual budget of $3 million for gold exploration in Quebec.
The statements made in this Press Release may contain forward-looking statements that may involve a number of risks. Actual events or results could differ materially from the Company's expectations and projections.