Cranbrook, British Columbia (FSCwire) - Cranbrook, B.C., 20 April, 2015: Omineca Mining and Metals Inc. (TSX-V:OMM) is pleased to announce the completion of a drilling and geophysical program at the Wingdam gold project near Quesnel, BC. (see OMM NR 23 March, 2015). Surface drilling and surface and downhole seismic geophysical surveys were used to accurately define the location and shape of the gold-bearing Deep Lead Channel over a length of approximately 300 meters.

8 holes for a total of 392 meters/1286 feet were completed by Valiant Drilling of Vancouver, B.C. using sonic, rotary and diamond drilling methods. The holes were logged to determine the depths of the various lithologic contacts within the 50m-thick glacio-fluvial Lightning Creek gravel succession that lies above the Deep Lead Channel. Selected holes were completed with PVC pipe to allow for downhole seismic surveying. Seven of the holes targeted the outer rim of the Deep Lead Channel with one hole targeting the center.

Frontier Geosciences Inc. of North Vancouver, BC completed a total of 2000 line-meters of seismic refraction on 5 lines and 188.1 meters of downhole seismic logging in 4 holes. 

The final drillhole of the program was located using a cross-section generated by preliminary post-processing of a single seismic line. The drillhole was located to intersect the bedrock directly beneath the center of the Deep Lead Channel at the depth predicted by the seismic profile. Visible gold was observed in the sample during collection and the gold-bearing gravels will be processed to recover and characterize the placer gold.

A total of 26 1.5m length samples of clay, fine silt and sand that occur directly above the pay gravels of the Deep Lead Channel were collected and have been sent to Weir-Jones Engineering Ltd. of Vancouver, BC. The samples will be frozen and then undergo geotechnical testing to determine specific properties in relation to their structural integrity when frozen. This information will then be used to refine the final mine design for the next phase of production at Wingdam.

All of the seismic data and drilling data will be integrated with historical geophysical and drilling  data collected across the width of the channel to create an accurate model of the channel profile and identify the location of the highgrade keel in the center of the channel.

Chuck Downie, President of Omineca Mining and Metals states: “We are extremely encouraged that seismic refraction techniques appear to provide us with an accurate, cost-effective tool to map the Deep Lead Channel in detail. The next project milestone will be to finalize the mine design and capital expenditure costs for production.”  

Past efforts to extract gold-rich gravel with underground mining at Wingdam were frustrated by  the influx of unconsolidated fine silts and sands into mine workings. The ability to accurately predict the shape of the channel rim and the exact location of the channel center will be critical to developing the buried Deep Lead placer gravels using the freeze mining method pioneered by CVG Mining in 2011.   

About the Wingdam Project:

Through its’ 100% ownership of CVG Mining, OMM controls the Wingdam project, which holds strong potential to develop near-term gold production in a proven mining district. The property overlies both placer and hard-rock tenures along the Deep Lead Channel of Lightning Creek, where topographic conditions have created a deep overburden accumulation which effectively resulted in a large portion of the channel being excluded from conventional surface placer mining activity. On the Wingdam property, drilling and  geophysical work indicate that the Deep Lead Channel may occur throughout the entire 2.4km length of the Wingdam placer tenures, extending upstream and downstream an undetermined distance. Numerous attempts have been made to mine the Deep Lead Channel in the Wingdam area since the late 1880s, but all were hampered by an influx of water and unstable ground conditions and were ultimately abandoned. 

In 2012 CVG successfully completed a crosscut drift 23.5m across the Deep Lead Channel along the bedrock/gravel interface, using the Australian deep-lead mining method combined with a ground-freeze method. This effort not only proved the applicability of the freeze method, but also provided a bulk sample whereby “the gold recovered from the 23.5-meter drift advance across the paleochannel true width amounted to 173.495 ounces of raw placer gold (900 fineness) from 140 bank cubic meters. The refined-equivalent gold grade across this width amounted to 34.55 g/m³ or 0.453 oz/tonne. The grade across a central portion of the paleochannel totaling 14.8 m (3.8 to 18.6m) averaged 46.30 g/m³ or 0.608 oz/tonne” (S. Kocsis 43-101 technical report, Oct, 2012).

The abundance and physical nature of the placer gold recovered during the 2012 test mining operation indicates that it is in part, locally derived. Little or no systematic exploration work has been carried out on the property to test for the occurrence of lode gold, leaving excellent potential for the exploration and possible discovery of in-situ (hard-rock) gold mineralization in addition to the presence of a proven placer deposit. 

The Wingdam project received final permitting in January, 2015 to conduct Phase One testing along a 300m drift length, with potential for expansion contingent on favourable results.

The program was carried out under the supervision of C.C. Downie, P.Geo., hereby identified as the “Qualified Person” under N.I. 43-101.

About Omineca Mining and Metals Ltd.

Omineca Mining and Metals continues to advance the Wingdam/Lightning Creek project in central British Columbia within the prolific Cariboo Goldfields.  The project features a deep paleochannel containing undisturbed gold-bearing gravels. Numerous unsuccessful attempts have been made over the past 120 years, but recent technological advances in mining will be utilized to unlock the value of the project.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

Signed,

“Charles Downie”

President

For further information, please contact Mike Labach at

1 866 HUNT ORE (486 8673)

Email: mgl@ominecamining.com or visit our website at http://www.ominecamining.com/

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release may contain forward-looking statements including but not limited to comments regarding the timing and content of upcoming work programs, geological interpretations, receipt of property titles, potential mineral recovery processes, etc. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore, involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements.

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