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Seabridge didn't acquire Iskut until the
2016 field season was already underway.
Threlkeld began sifting through the
property's archives. It was the first time that
data from the old mine and more recent
exploration had been consolidated under
one roof and examined with the experience
that KSM granted the Seabridge team.
"We found a lot of the characteristics
of the KSM property," Threlkeld says.
Then they started drilling and it looked
even better. While KSM and other deposits
in the area – Brucejack, KSP and Eskay
Creek – are fractured deposits exposed
by thrust faults, Seabridge's early work
suggested the Iskut deposit may be intact.
"We were surprised to find a cap
over the porphyry system," Threlkeld
says. "It's a quartz rise that looks like it
belongs in Chile or southern Arizona."
Planned exploration work for 2017 will drill
into the cap to see if a hypothesis gleaned
together from a 40-year career is correct. But
the Iskut property is more than just a potential
mine to Seabridge – it's an opportunity to
refresh the B.C. mining industry's image.
The original Johnny Mountain
Mine on the property represents
the old, irresponsible days of mining,
when companies walked away from
properties without cleaning up first.
Shaking that image is one of the biggest
hurdles to building a mine at KSM.
"This is a di¤erent era. You can't do
things today that we would have done 30
or 40 years ago," he says. "Nothing can
demonstrate our intentions like action."
Buying Iskut represents an opportunity
to clean up Johnny Mountain, a goodwill
move that Threlkeld hopes will convince
opponents and skeptics of KSM that
Seabridge isn't just talking when it comes
to its environmental commitments.
Iskut's early success just adds to
the excitement. Thelkeld says his work
today is the highlight of his career. "We're
having fun, and what's super exciting
is the quality of the team," he says.
"It's like working with a good group of
friends who all happen to be really good
geologists. I learn something new every
day and it never feels like work."
Sonic Drilling
Geotechnical Site Investigations
Heli-portable Drilling Systems
Global Drilling Solutions
www.Foundex.com • sales@Foundex.com
604-594-8333
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482380-XX-22.indd 1 16-11-15 2:13 PM
Down to Earth.
Up to the Challenge.
