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Rambler Metals & Mining

Rambler Metals and Mining cuts 2.9 metres of 3.05 g/t Gold and 5.19% Copper

Rambler Metals and Mining is no stranger to releasing drill results, with an extensive drilling program underway at the Ming Copper Mine in Newfoundland in Eastern Canada delivering plenty of news flow. Today however, the drill results were significant not for their copper grades, but for the elevated gold grades associated with it.

Drilling highlights were plenty, but the pick of the bunch was drill hole RMUG08-64 which cut 2.9 metres grading 3.05 grams per tonne gold and 5.19% copper.  Other highlights included 2.5 metres grading 4.08 grams per tonne gold and 1.47% copper in drill hole RMUG08-96 and 1.05 metres grading 6.39 grams per tonne gold and 3.22% copper in drill hole RMUG08-93.

The drilling highlights were emanating from the Ming Massive Sulphide Horizon, and Rambler Metals and Mining stated that the results could have a “significant impact” on the overall resource, especially in light of the fact that mineralisation is close to the existing infrastructure. Rambler intends to release an updated resource estimate in “early 2009”.  The April 2008 Rambler announced a NI 43-101 resource of over 13 MT at weighted grades of 1.77% copper and 0.36g/t gold, the gold being a small but handy bonus.

In addition to the drill results, the company also added that it was “exploring opportunities” to add the historic pillar remnants to its resource.  There is an additional 453,000 tonnes of 3.7% copper & 1.88 grams per tonne gold remaining in the pillars; though at this time it is classified as a non-NI 43-101 compliant estimate.  

On the metallurgical front, Rambler confirmed that it had secured the services of Thibault Associates to complete testing on a 400 kilogram bulk sample attained from the 1807 Zone.

George Ogilvie, P.Eng, President and CEO, Rambler summarised:

“Rambler continues to produce impressive drilling results from the Ming Massive Sulphide that will benefit our resource update and cashflow models in early 2009.

When the mine was originally in production the old mining areas were never backfilled hence the reason why so many high grade pillars were left in place. These pillars are standing and intact as we have been able to physically verify them following the dewatering of the mine.  We believe by backfilling into the old mine workings we will create the opportunity to recover these pillars.

We are also pleased to see that the bulk 400 kg representative sample of the 1807 zone returned a head grade of 5.21% Cu and 5.35 g/t Au. Underground crews are currently developing towards the 1807 zone with ore expected to be reached before the end of September. The development drifts into the 1807 zone will provide us the opportunity to test the up-plunge and down-plunge extension of the 1807 zone which is open. These developments drifts into the ore will later be used for production mining purposes.

The Company is on track to bring the former Ming Mine back into production.”

Mining at the Rambler property has been a stop-start affair.  Operations at the Main mine originally started in 1964 with the linchpin Ming mine following in 1972, halting abruptly in 1982 upon reaching the property boundary.  Mining briefly resumed between 1995 and 1996 when the adjoining Ming West opened, but the near-surface resource was soon exhausted.  By this time low commodity prices prohibited further exploration or development, so the mine was abandoned and all sections allowed to flood.


2001 proved to be a watershed year.  The government decided to consolidate the old mines with the next-door properties as part of a wider review, and Altius Minerals picked it up.  Rather than develop it itself, in 2003 Altius sold the project on to Rambler for shares.  Rambler listed first on the TSX and later on AIM in April 2005, and set about proving up enough resource to justify reopening.


Several years of hard work later, it seems to be paying off.  According to SRK’s promising scoping study earlier this year, drilling (over 91km of it) has proved up a viable initial resource and identified extensions to mineralisation.  The Ming Mine has been dewatered, initial equipment ordered and key management positions filled.

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