TORONTO, Ontario, April 21, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Eastmain Resources Inc. (Other OTC:EANRF) (TSX:ER) announces assay data from 5 of 20 drill holes completed during the winter campaign on its wholly-owned Eau Claire Gold Deposit located in James Bay, Northern Quebec (Table 1). Visible gold was intersected in 16 of 20 drill holes. Drilling delineated 27 quartz-tourmaline veins containing from 1 to more than 50 grains of visible gold as well as visible tellurides.
A total of 6,650 metres of drilling was completed during the 2009 winter program to test the Main Group of Veins within the central portion of the deposit. Highlights of the first five holes include: 38.58 g/t Au (1.13 ounces per ton) over 1.5 metres, including 81.0 g/t Au (2.37 ounces per ton) over 0.5 metres in hole ER09-177; 33.41 g/t Au (0.98 ounces per ton) over 1.5 metres, including 69.1 g/t Au (2.02 ounces per ton) over 0.5 metres in hole ER09-180; and 19.26 g/t Au (0.56 ounces per ton) over 1.5 metres in hole ER09-181. Assay data is pending for the remaining 15 drill holes.
Over the past 16 months, 125 HQ drill holes, for a total of 21,720 metres, have been completed to expand the gold resource within the upper 300 metres of the Eau Claire Gold deposit. The deposit is characterized by abundant very-fine-grained, "flour-sized" gold particles within vein and schist zones. The gold at Eau Claire is not normally visible to the naked eye. When gold grains can be seen and counted, positive assays can generally be expected. Visible gold in core confirms the high-grade nature of this deposit.
In 110 drill holes, 250 gold-bearing, quartz-tourmaline vein intervals with an average grade of 18.0 g/t Au (0.53 ounces per ton) at an average thickness of 1.29 metres have been intersected (Table 1). 100 vein intervals contain an average grade of 37.5 g/t Au (1.09 ounces per ton), 50 vein intervals contain an average of 61.4 g/t Au (2.93 ounces per ton), 10 vein intervals exceeded 190 g/t Au (5.58 ounces per ton) and three intersections have an average of 540 g/t Au (15.79 ounces per ton).
The large diameter drilling has been very successful in confirming the lateral and vertical continuity of the Main Group of Veins within the Eau Claire gold deposit and in defining new veins which are not part of the previous resource calculation. Future exploration objectives include a summer drill program focused on testing the new T-Vein swarm, located north of the deposit, and continued drill-testing high-grade veins located southeast of the 450 West Zone (Map 1, website).
"Hundreds of high-grade gold intersections, obtained over the past 16 months, will have a positive impact on the size and grade of the deposit. The currently reported resource calculation, completed in 2005, was based on 182 drill intersections. We now have more than double that number of intersections, many of which are at much higher grades than those previously used in calculating the Eau Claire gold resource. An additional 328 gold intercepts are a direct result of closer-spaced drilling using larger diameter drill core." stated Don Robinson, President and CEO of Eastmain. "The abundance of free gold (visible gold) within the deposit signifies that an extremely rich, gold-bearing mineral system was active at Eau Claire at the time of its formation. These free-milling gold grains also suggest that a portion of the contained gold within the deposit will be amenable to simple gravity separation techniques during the milling process." This news release was prepared by Dr. Donald Robinson, P. Geo., the qualified person supervising the project in accordance with NI 43-101.
About Eastmain Resources Inc. (TSX:ER)
Eastmain is a Canadian gold exploration company with 100% interest in the Eau Claire and Eastmain gold deposits. The Corporation has in excess of $20 Million in working capital and holds an interest in 12 projects within the James Bay District, including the Eleonore South property, where a gold discovery has been found in a similar geologic setting to Goldcorp's Roberto deposit. Eastmain has an annual budget of $4 million for gold exploration in Quebec.
For further information please contact Eastmain Resources Inc.: Dr. Donald J. Robinson, President or Catherine Butella, Exploration Manager at (519) 940-4870, fax (519) 940-4871, by e-mail: info@eastmain.com or visit our website at www.eastmain.com.
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.
Table 1. Clearwater Project - Assay Data
Eau Claire Gold Deposit 2007-2009 Average composite gold grades
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Cut off grade Number of Length Average Grade
Au g/t Intercepts m Au g/t Au oz/ton
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0.0 328 1.30 14.2 0.41
3.1 250 1.29 18.0 0.53
4.4 200 1.29 22.3 0.65
6.4 150 1.30 26.9 0.79
11.0 100 1.23 37.5 1.09
18.6 50 1.20 61.4 1.79
31.2 25 1.18 100.3 2.93
46.0 10 1.21 191.2 5.58
100.0 3 1.00 540.8 15.79
2009 Assay Results
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Hole From To Length Au g/t Au oz/ton Vein Notes
ID (m) ID
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ER-09-177 60.5 61.5 1.00 11.44 0.33 D VG 6+
incl. 61.0 61.5 0.50 21.80 0.64
163.0 165.5 2.50 7.64 0.22 P
incl. 164.0 164.5 0.50 17.85 0.52
incl. 164.5 165.0 0.50 12.25 0.36
167.5 168.5 1.00 14.05 0.41 JQ
incl. 168.0 168.5 0.50 27.80 0.81
171.0 172.5 1.50 38.58 1.13 R
incl. 171.5 172.0 0.50 81.00 2.37
incl. 172.0 172.5 0.50 29.80 0.87
ER09-178 149.0 149.5 0.5 11.85 0.35 H
165.9 171.4 5.50 4.12 0.12 I
incl. 166.9 167.4 0.50 12.25 0.36
184.7 185.7 1.00 10.41 0.30 P
incl. 185.2 185.7 0.50 20.80 0.61
193.7 194.7 1.00 19.22 0.56 JQ
incl. 194.2 194.7 0.50 38.40 1.12 VG 7, TE 3
222.8 223.3 0.50 15.40 0.45 R/S VG
ER09-179 84.1 85.1 1.00 5.75 0.17 C VG
102.5 103.5 1.00 16.55 0.48 D
incl. 103.0 103.5 0.50 32.90 0.96 VG 10+, TE 5+
ER09-179 192.4 196.4 4.00 3.20 0.09 I
192.9 193.4 0.50 6.30 0.18 VG 6, TE 6
ER09-180 53.4 54.4 1.00 6.19 0.18 C
incl. 53.9 54.4 0.50 12.35 0.36 VG 10
135.7 137.2 1.50 33.41 0.98 H
incl. 136.2 136.7 0.50 69.10 2.02
incl. 136.7 137.2 0.50 26.20 0.77
177.9 178.9 1.00 18.63 0.54 P
incl. 177.9 178.4 0.50 19.60 0.57
incl. 178.4 178.9 0.50 17.65 0.52
190.9 192.4 1.50 9.47 0.28 JQ
incl. 190.9 191.4 0.50 21.80 0.64
ER09-181 113.4 114.4 1.00 14.04 0.41 D
incl. 113.9 114.4 0.50 27.80 0.81 VG 6, TE 10
195.5 197.5 2.00 9.74 0.28 I
incl. 195.5 196.0 0.50 19.40 0.57
incl. 196.0 196.5 0.50 13.15 0.38
217.8 219.3 1.50 19.26 0.56 P
incl. 218.3 218.8 0.50 43.20 1.26 VG 3
Chemical analysis was completed by ALS CHEMEX Laboratories using a 50-gram split and gravimetric techniques. The visible gold samples were mechanically screened and assayed for metallics. Internal standards provided by an independent company and blank samples were inserted for quality control purposes.
Note: Sample length approximates true thickness. VQTL VG - Quartz-tourmaline vein with visible gold. VG5+ = five grains of visible gold were identified in the sample. TE - visible grains of tellurides.