Drill results from the Lucky Friday mine remain strong. Underground drilling from several stations during 2009 have materially upgraded resources to reserves and added new resources. Hecla’s drilling mostly targeted mineralization along the eastern portion of the deposit. Highlights for this vein include intercepts such as 85 ounce per ton silver and 32.7% combined lead-zinc over 3.1 feet and 50 ounce per ton silver plus 13% combined lead-zinc over 2.5 feet. In the 60 vein, a sub-parallel structure to the 30 vein, intersections such as 39.9 ounce per ton silver and 28.2% combined lead-zinc over 9.1 feet and 20.1 ounce per ton silver plus 24% combined lead-zinc across 10.9 feet reinforce the attractive opportunity and potential at depth. These intercepts occur at the 7600-7850 level in the mine and we believe the deposit remains open for extension in at least three directions. Drilling to the west past the Silver Fault has identified some veining with strong alteration.
Another example of the untested potential located 500 feet east of the resource boundary in the mine is an 87.6 ounce per ton silver intercept with 26.3% combined lead-zinc over a width of 1 foot. This result will be followed-up with additional drilling in early 2010.
Hecla completed approximately 48,600 feet of underground in-fill and underground drilling at the Lucky Friday in 2009.