Greens Creek | Exploration
At the Greens Creek mine in Alaska, exploration has been able to almost replace the mined ore for the last seven years, and 2007 was no exception. Both surface and underground exploration programs were continued during 2007. Most of the underground exploration focused on the silver-rich 5250 North Extension zone and the West Gallagher zone. In the 5250 zone, a hole was drilled 1,000 feet above and along strike of the known reserve and resource and intersected silver grades of 30 ounces per ton (opt) with 18% zinc and lead. This is about 50% greater than the average ore grade at Greens Creek, and could lead to a possible addition to resource in 2008. Any increase in resource in that area is within haulage distance of the current mine infrastructure and can be easily accessed and mined.
The surface exploration program conducted in 2007 consisted of 17,540 feet of drilling and focused on identifying resource extensions in proximity to the current Greens Creek infrastructure, as well as identifying “mine horizon” rocks and defining target areas elsewhere on the property that could represent a whole new deposit. Of great significance is an intersection from a surface drill hole northeast of the current mine workings that identified multiple zones of mineralization indicative of “mine horizon” intervals. This intersection could open up an entirely new area to explore for mine extensions in close proximity to the existing underground infrastructure. The sample intervals from this program will be analyzed during the winter months and will be used to design the 2008 summer drill program.
