Grande Portage Resources Ltd. Announces Diamond Drilling Underway, Camp Construction and Airborne Geophysics Near Completion as Multiple Large New Zones Identified
VANCOUVER, BC, June 20, 2006 -- Grande Portage Resources Ltd. (TSX-V GPG) ("Grande Portage" or "the Company") is pleased to announces that a diamond drilling rig from Westcore Drilling arrived this past weekend on the Merry Widow project near Port McNeill on Vancouver Island, BC. Coring has started at the first of several holes to be drilled around the former producing Merry Widow, Kingfisher and Raven open pit magnetite mines. Previous operations had identified substantial copper-gold-cobalt mineralization in the hanging wall extending the geological contacts of these past mines.
The Company will initially verify the thickness and grade of these zones and then commence to step out along strike and down dip in order to better assess tonnage potential. The Company also has 12 drillholes permitted to determine the nature and extent of sulphide mineralization associated with the 3-D I.P. ground geophysical target and Road Zone discovered in November, 2005.
The airborne Magnetic and EM Geophysical Survey presently underway by Aeroquest Limited has confirmed that, based on a preliminary evaluation of the data, the I.P. target corresponds with an EM response almost 4.5 km long and up to 500 m wide. A newly discovered parallel zone to the west trends almost 2k in length and also up to 500m wide. These EM targets are along strike from and within the similar geological units that hosted the former producing Cominco Coast Copper and Benson Lake underground mines.
From 1960-1973 these mines produced 2,621,131 tonnes that yielded 90,814,161 lb of copper, 377,165 oz of silver, 124,386 oz of gold and 507,207 tonnes of iron. Cobalt values were reported however no production volume has been verified. Two kilometres west of these targets another large 1km x 1km EM target has been discovered and along the western border of the survey multiple targets have been located. The airborne mag data has greatly helped to define the trend of the magnetite ore bodies and showings and any further associated copper-gold-cobalt targets.
The airborne survey should be completed within days, weather dependent, with final results expected shortly thereafter. At that point the Company, in consultation with its advisors, will determine the appropriate ground geological and geophysical follow-up of defined areas prior to selecting the next round of drilling targets.
Currently, aside from the drill turning and airborne completion, camp construction is well underway and an intensive silt sampling programme of all accessible drainages, seeps and draws is underway. Results will be released as they avail.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
________________________________________
Alistair MacLennan, President/CEO
invest at your own risk, based on your own due diligence, at your own risk tolerance
