Mineral Exploration is the official publication of the Association of Mineral Exploration British Columbia.
Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/428696
Entrance to the 960-level portal at the Max mine. Silver-lead-zinc-gold- copper mineralization at the Thor property. Photographs : Government of British Columbia W I N T E R 2 0 1 4 83 In May, Discovery Ventures Inc. completed a preliminary economic assessment on the Willa property, and acquired an interest in the nearby Max mine and mill facility. The company proposes to rehabilitate the historic underground workings at the Willa, and transport ore to the Max for processing. The operation has a proposed mining and processing rate of 500 tonnes per day. Average mine diluted grades are reported at 4.24 grams per tonne gold, 11.24 grams per tonne silver, and 0.79 per cent copper over the life of the mine. Margaux Resources Ltd. drilled at Jersey-Emerald, which hosts a variety of showings, targeting zinc-tungsten zones. Silver Mountain Mines Inc. drilled at Ptarmigan, extend- ing zones of silver-lead-zinc mineralization southward toward the Iron Cap and Nip and Tuck zones. SEDEX mineralization in Mesoproterozoic rocks continued to be an exploration target. MMG Ltd. conducted geological and geophysical work on the Findlay property, and drilled two holes at the Phoenix zone. Santa Fe Metals Corp. drilled a gravity anomaly on the Sully property. PJX Resources Inc. con- tinued work at Vine, with drilling and geophysical modelling. SPECIALT Y METALS AND INDUSTRIAL MINER ALS Baymag Inc. continued operations at the Mount Brussilof mine, which produces magnesite from Cambrian carbonate rocks. Farther west, MGX Minerals Inc. drilled for magnes- ite in Mesoproterozoic carbonate rocks at the Driftwood Magnesite property. Heemskirk Canada Ltd. worked on its frac sand project at the Moberley Silica mine. To meet product specifications, current operations need to be redeveloped; test and process optimization work is ongoing. Construction of a processing plant is expected to begin late 2014. CertainTeed Gypsum Canada Inc. produced gypsum at the Elkhorn mine. It also continued work on the proposed Kootenay West Mine, which is now in the pre-application stages of environmental assessment. The estimated production is 15 megatonnes gypsum over a 38-year mine life at an average rate of 400,000 tons per year. Eagle Graphite Corp. operates the Black Crystal flake graphite quarry. The plant and open-pit quarry have been on care and maintenance. This year, efforts focused on expanding exploration and construction. KOOTENAY-BOUNDARY