Mineral Exploration is the official publication of the Association of Mineral Exploration British Columbia.
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s p r i n g 2 0 1 4 13 team systematically co-ordinated the early-stage soil geochemical sampling, excavator trenching and geophysical surveys with the objective of identify- ing and defi ning drill targets in advance of initiating drill programs. The drill- ing programs commencing in 2010 were well planned. The fi rst discovery of gold mineralization was made in the carefully selected fi rst drill site with an exciting intersection of 17.1 grams/ton Au over 15.5 metres. Following this dis- covery, 302 diamond drill holes total- ling 72,000 metres and 369 reverse-cir- culation holes totalling 59,000 metres have been completed to the end of 2012. Sixteen zones of mineralization have been identifi ed along an aggregate eight-kilometre strike length. Recognizing the signifi cance of the project, Kaminak instituted a compre- hensive best management practices pro- cedure in 2010 that guided exploration activities to minimize environmental impact. Baseline environmental and archeological studies were initiated at an early stage, incorporating ongoing dialogue with the Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in First Nation, leading to the signing of an exploration co-operation agreement in May 2013. In order to permit the increased exploration activities, a five-year min- ing land-use permit was obtained in 2011 that included provisions for an 80-person camp, a 40-kilometre access road, tempo- rary trails to allow improved access to the property, and surface drilling and explo- ration activities. This careful planning of infrastructure has allowed Kaminak to consistently be the fi rst in the fi eld and the last out to town every year. The rapid exploration progress was benchmarked with a December 2012 NI 43-101–compliant initial resource, for four of the 16 mineralized zones, of 3.2 million ounces gold in the inferred cate- gory at 1.6 grams/ton Au grade, including 1.4 million ounces gold in near-surface oxide zones and an additional 1.4 million ounces gold in deeper transition zones. Preliminary metallurgical tests carried out in 2012 confi rmed good gold recov- eries by simulated heap leach testing of oxide and transitional material. Carpenter and the Kaminak team are to be congratulated for their vision, perseverance and technical expertise that have enabled the remarkably rapid but systematic delineation of one of the few recent greenfi eld gold discoveries in Western Canada. 2013 AME BC Awards By the AMe BC AwArds CoMMittee, with introduCtion By JonAthAn BuChAnAn p12-23_Awards.indd 13 14-02-14 3:08 PM