Rio Tinto Exploration Canada (RTEC) has started drilling at TSX-V-listed Forum Energy Metals’ Janice Lake sedimentary copper/silver project, in northern Saskatchewan.

A rotary air blast (RAB) drill is on site and has started investigating historic and newly mapped regional copper showings, as well as recently developed geophysical targets buried by overburden to help delineate the extent of the sedimentary-hosted copper/silver mineralisation over the 52 km length of the Janice Lake property.

Copper/silver mineralisation currently extends for about 8 km in outcrop and in drillholes along strike of the Janice Lake basin.

“RAB drilling is a quick, cost-effective and efficient method of testing the numerous showings on the project that have not had any historic drilling. This will aid in the development of a diamond drill programme for the winter of 2021,” explains Forum.

The junior also says that RTEC's exploration programme is making substantial progress. Construction continues at the Burbidge Lake camp, which is nearing completion, geology crews continue to map and sample outcrop, soils and vegetation and the geophysical crew has completed its IP resistivity survey over the Jansem deposit.

The Burbidge Lake camp will be used for the 2021 exploration programme, starting with a drill programme to build off the success of the 2019 drill programme, test areas that are difficult to access during the summer (bogs and lakes) and areas of structural complexity that may host higher grades of mineralisation.

Forum entered into an agreement granting RTEC a four-year option to acquire a 51% interest in the Janice Lake by spending $10-million in exploration, making $490 000 in cash payments, and servicing the remaining $200 000 in underlying cash payments to Transition Metals.

Rio can earn a further 29% interest (total 80%) by spending a further $20-million in exploration over a three years (total $30-million) and making further cash payments of $150 000 to Forum (total $640 000).