True North Gems-2006 Drilling Completed on Baffin Island Sapphire Property
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(CCNMatthews - Oct. 31, 2006) - True North Gems (TSX VENTURE:TGX) is pleased to announce the completion of its 2006 drilling program for the Beluga sapphire property located near Kimmirut, along the south coast of Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada. The recent drilling has identified numerous pods exhibiting mineralogical similarities to the main Beluga sapphire occurrence. The intermittent pods ranged in thickness from less than 0.5 metres and up to 9.5 metres and were intersected from near-surface intervals to depths of more than 35 metres.
The 2006 drilling centred on several high priority targets hosting visible, colorless to deep blue, pink and yellow sapphire, and prospective outcrops, trenches and drill core intervals identified during the 2005 8-hole drill program.
True North Gems drilled 40 holes with an aggregate depth of 1,482 metres. The depth of the individual holes ranged from 20 metres to 65 metres with the majority of the holes exceeding 30 metres. The drilling pattern was based on a 25 metre grid spacing, to provide insight into the geological and structural features.
The 2006 drilling confirmed the widespread presence of several minerals spatially associated with the Beluga sapphire mineralization, in each of the Beluga, Muktuk and Bowhead occurrences. Drilling of other known sapphire occurrences has been deferred pending completion of the 2006 geochemical and heavy mineral analysis.
"The property continues to exhibit exceptional potential for Beluga-type high grade sapphire mineralization, given the frequency and thickness of drill core intervals. The mineral assemblages are generally consistent with the known sapphire occurrences," said Greg Davison, True North Gems' Vice President Exploration. "Additionally, we still have several high priority sapphire-bearing targets, which remain to be drill tested in 2007, and pending results from 2006 ultraviolet prospecting, soil geochemistry and heavy mineral surveys."
A total of 548 samples of sawn core, ranging from 10 cm to 1 metre in length, have been shipped from Kimmirut to Vancouver for detailed geological, mineralogical, petrographic and geochemical analysis, and as required, processing for sapphire extraction. In addition, intervals of the Beluga sapphire-bearing pod and the Bowhead pod, exhibiting similar geological characteristics have been shipped in their entirety to provide samples for investor presentations, in-house mineralogical analysis and ongoing petrological research, currently underway at the University of British Columbia under the direction of Dr. Lee Groat, and by consulting mineralogist, Dr. Tony Lecheminant of Petrogen Consultants.
The planning and execution of the sapphire exploration programs at the Company's Canadian properties, including Beluga, are under the supervision of Greg Davison, P.Geo., Vice President Exploration, who is a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.
True North Gems is a public company listed on the TSX Venture exchange and is engaged primarily in the exploration and development of coloured gemstone deposits in North America and Greenland.
The Company relies on litigation protection for "forward-looking" statements.
The TSX Venture Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the release.