SASKATOON, SK, Aug. 20, 2021 /CNW/ - Omineca Mining and
Metals Ltd. (TSXV: OMM) ("Omineca" or the "Company") announces that
final preparations for the mining operations of its bulk sampling
program have begun at the Wingdam underground Paleoplacer project
located in the Cariboo Mining District, British Columbia.
Omineca's joint venture partner and mining contractor, now combined
under the name Lightning Creek Mining Corp. ("LCM"), has completed
dewatering and rehabilitating the 550-meter decline down to the
mining face. Staging of the first crosscut is well underway and
updates will be provided as operations progress and forward mining
plans are finalized.
Staging for 2021 Crosscuts and Processing
With the mine workings dewatered, final installation or
completion is underway for (but not limited to):
- Ground/wall preparation, shotcreting, drifting and mucking
- Grout plant above ground with slick lines to run to
underground
- Permanent underground electrical
- Permanent water management system (pumps, sump stations, pipes,
settling ponds)
- Permanent ventilation system
- Preparation for drifting: surveying, pilot hole drilling and
cutter/roadheader preparation
- Assembly/refurbishment of gravity separation facility (trommel
and wash plant)
Ground Stability
LCM has engaged Dr. Curtis
Berthelot, (P.Eng.), President and Chief Technology Officer
of PSI Analytics ("PSI") as their Lead Engineer and Mine Manager
for the underground project at Wingdam. PSI conducted
extensive lab testing on in situ overburden and bedrock material
and performed groundwater behavior analysis in the mine area. This
work determined that a specialized injected grout system would be a
safe, energy efficient, and time-saving method of stabilizing the
"Cariboo Slum" which lies above some parts of the targeted
Paleoplacer underground. PSI has engineered a mining model
based on this data to safely mine material for the bulk sampling
program. PSI's proprietary engineered grouting techniques have been
and are currently being successfully applied in several large
underground mining operations across North America.
Placer Gold Extraction
The mining method will involve a series of crosscuts and drifts
running the length of the underground paleochannel starting
downstream from the first crosscut bulk sample completed in 2012.
Stage 1 will take the series of crosscuts and drifts downstream for
the first 300 meters. The Company has mapped through sampling,
historic drilling, and 3D seismic, 2.4 kilometers of potentially
placer gold bearing paleochannel both upstream and downstream of
the successful 2012 crosscut. Omineca has an additional 14
kilometers of claims along the Lightning Creek valley which will be
explored for the potential continuation of the gold-bearing
paleochannel through drilling and 3D seismic programs. The
2012 bulk sample was extracted from a 2.4m x 2.4m x
23m crosscut and yielded 173.4 troy
ounces (5.4 kilograms) of placer gold using freeze mining
technology to stabilize the ground.
In the same way as the operations from 2012, the placer gold
will be recovered by gravity separation methods. The material
excavated from the bedrock sill of the paleochannel (gravel, sand,
and silt) will be processed using water with a trommel and wash
plant located underground.
Qualified Person
All scientific and technical information in this news release
has been prepared by, or approved by Stephen Kocsis, P.Geo Lead Geologist. Mr. Kocsis
is a qualified person for the purposes of National Instrument
43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.
About Omineca Mining and Metals Ltd.
Omineca Mining and Metals Ltd.'s flagship Wingdam gold
exploration and placer recovery project is located along the
Barkerville Highway 45 km east of the town of Quesnel. The Wingdam Property includes mineral
tenures totaling over 50,000 hectares (500 square kms) and in
excess of 15 linear kilometers of placer claims, both encompassing
the Lightning Creek valley where topographic conditions created
thick layers of overburden, which preserved a large portion of a
buried paleochannel containing placer gold-bearing gravels. Omineca
also has a diamond drill program currently underway exploring for
the potential multiple hard rock sources of the placer gold at
Wingdam.
SOURCE Omineca Mining and Metals Ltd