Mineral Exploration

50 W I N T E R 2 0 1 5 Photographs : Government of British Columbia PRECIOUS METALS PPM Phoenix Precious Metals Corp. drilled the Cliff Creek and Duke's Ridge zones at the Lawyers project to better define mineralized zones and test a vein system to greater depth. This was the first exploration drilling program on the property in nine years. New Gold Inc. continued engineer- ing and environmental studies to sup- port the environmental assessment of its Blackwater project. A 2014 feasibil- ity study describes an open-pit mining operation with a 60,000-tonne-per-day processing plant. Exploration in 2015 focused on targets up to four kilome- tres south (Dave and Blackwater South) and up to 13 kilometres west (Kaolinite Ridge and Buck) of the Blackwater deposit. Activities included diamond drilling, heliborne and ground-based magnetics surveys, infill-induced polar- ization surveys, and grassroots work. Theia Resources Ltd. and Kootenay Silver Inc. followed up a 2014 trench- ing program with diamond drilling at 2 X Fred. Drilling tested the down- dip of mineralized quartz veins below the trenches at the Saki and Gold Hill target areas. Grassroots to early-stage explora- tion included programs at Porpoise Bay Minerals Ltd.'s BT, C.J. Greig & Associates Ltd.'s Holy Cross and Angel Jade Mines Ltd.'s Blackjack Mineral. PORPHYRY (COPPER-GOLD, COPPER- MOLYBDENUM AND MOLYBDENUM) PROJECTS Thompson Creek Metals Company Inc. completed its second full year of opera- tions at the Mt. Milligan mine, with ramp-up activities scheduled for comple- tion by year end. A temporary second- ary crusher is in use while engineering for a permanent circuit continues. An updated National Instrument 43-101 technical report was released in January. Exploration drilling began on three tar- get areas northwest of the mine, with ini- tial focus on Mitzi. The company placed the Endako molybdenum mine on care and maintenance mid-year following a suspension in late 2014. AuR ico Metals I nc. cont inued to advance t he proposed Kemess Underground (KUG) block-cave mine through environmental assessment and toward an updated feasibility study. Geotechnical drilling was undertaken on key infrastructure areas. Exploration drilling continued at Kemess East, where a similar size and style of deposit as KUG is being defined, and for which an initial resource estimate was released in January. Other targets across the broader Kemess property also saw drilling and grassroots work. Teck Resources Limited completed a step-out drilling program at Kiska Metals Corporation's Kliyul project to better define the geology and extent of copper-gold mineralization in the Kliyul zone. Several auriferous quartz veins on the property are also known, as is an extensive phyllic alteration zone. Pacific Empire Minerals Corp. fol- lowed up an induced-polarization sur- vey with diamond drilling at the Elbow and Sooner targets at Col-Later. The targets lie near an inflection point in the southern portion of the Hogem intru- sive complex. Grassroots to early-stage exploration included programs at Tech-X Resources Inc.'s Prince George SE, Stone Ridge Exploration Corp.'s Hanson, Kiska Metals Corporation's Chuchi, Serengeti Resources Inc.'s Jewel and Kwanika East-Smoke, Garibaldi Resources Corp.'s Red Lion, Pacific Empire Minerals Corp.'s Copper King and High Power Exploration Inc.'s Menard. OMINECA AND NORTHE AST Examining drill core at the Col-Later property with Pacific Empire Minerals Corp. geologists. Vein with bladed quartz from the 2 X Fred property of Theia Resources Ltd. and Kootenay Silver Inc.

• Cover