TSX-V: ROK
VANCOUVER, Sept. 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - Roca Mines Inc.
(TSX-V: ROK) ("Roca" or "the Company") announces that an initial
geotechnical review of the sill pillar collapse announced on
September 21, 2010 has now been
completed at the MAX Molybdenum Mine. Management and staff have
also developed a revised mine plan to return to production as
quickly and safely as possible.
Key elements of the revised mine plan reflect management's
desire to effectively isolate all future production from the
stoping areas that have recently caused various production delays.
Approximately two weeks is required to rehabilitate the manway and
ventilation raises damaged during the last event. An additional six
weeks of stope development work needs to be completed before the
mine can return to continuous production on the recently achieved
725m Level.
Having now reached this depth, an exploration drilling program
is also planned to immediately test the Main zone (below the
current mining area and at depth) and further delineate other
mineralized zones. For example, an initial drill program was
recently completed that successfully intersected geology and
mineralization on the periphery of the "Ethyl Zone", located less
than 150m from existing workings. This zone has never been mined
and its definition is an important component of a planned mine
expansion plan. Future diamond drilling will quickly target this
area, where DDH78-05A (completed by Newmont Mines Limited and Esso
Minerals Canada) returned the following selected intervals:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Drill Hole # From (m) To (m) Interval (m) Mo (%) MoS(2) (%)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
DDH78-05A 566.93 608.38 41.45 1.25 2.08
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
including 571.20 602.89 31.70 1.52 2.53
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
including 587.04 596.19 9.14 2.52 4.20
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
The MAX mine has been actively engaged in achieving its
permitted production increase to 1,000 tonnes per day throughput.
Work this summer included exploration and definition drilling,
raising tailings dams, installation of a third ball mill and
ongoing mine development that will facilitate that expansion. This
work was being funded from cashflow; however, the recent production
shutdowns have created an unsustainable working capital deficit.
Therefore, the mine and mill will remain on a temporary care and
maintenance program until suitable funding can be arranged to
complete the required rehabilitation and development work described
above.
Scott Broughton, P.Eng. is the
qualified person as defined by national instrument 43-101
responsible for the preparation of this news release.
ROCA MINES INC.
"Scott Broughton"
--------------------------------------
Scott E. Broughton - President and CEO
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services
Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX
Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or
accuracy of this release.
SOURCE Roca Mines Inc.
Copyright . 22 PR Newswire