TORONTO (miningweekly.com) – TSX-V- and Aim-listed Rambler Metals & Mining’s exploration campaign over the last nine months at its flagship Ming copper/gold mine, in Baie Verte, Newfoundland and Labrador, has extended the resource, with the results to be included in a prefeasibility study (PFS) on the project, reportedly on target for midyear completion.

The East-Coast-of-Canada-focused junior miner on Thursday reported that it had completed 4 544 m of diamond drilling in the 1807 zone, successfully extending the high-grade copper zone.

The deepest drill hole extended the resource model for the 1807 zone by 100 m more than the deepest reserve level at the 630L zone and drilling along strike to the west had extended the zone an estimated 40 m beyond previous plans.

The newly defined mineralisation was being modelled for inclusion in the 2016 fiscal budget and PFS with the Lower Footwall zone, the company explained.

Rambler had also identified a new target nearby, that was thought to have copper and gold mineralisation over a broad intersection. This area had not been previously included in the resource or reserve estimates.

The company had drilled 1 457 m on the 1806 and 1805 zones, intersecting visible gold with grades ranging up to 18.32 g/t gold, 1.14% copper and 41.61 g/t silver over 9.5 m. That included intersections of 37.63 g/t gold, 1.64% copper and 54.86 g/t silver over 3.82 m. Drilling continued in these two zones.

"It is encouraging that all of the massive sulphide zones in the mine remain open at depth and have good potential for continued success under the exploration programme. The massive sulphides currently being mined have been known to return some significant high-grade intersections while production from these areas can produce good cash flow," president and CEO Norman Williams noted.

The company would continue mining these areas throughout fiscal 2016 and beyond. The planned increases in mill throughput would be made possible through integrating Lower Footwall zone material, Williams added.

Rambler was targeting the lower end of its fiscal 2015 production guidance of 5 400 t to 6 700 t copper, 5 600 oz to 6 600 oz gold and 39 000 oz to 46 000 oz silver.