Weather halts construction of Golden Bear leach pad

Heavy rains have forced North American Metals (VSE) to suspend construction of a heap-leach pad at its Golden Bear mine in northwestern British Columbia.

North American Metals is 81.4% owned by Wheaton River Minerals (TSE). The companies had planned to construct a leach pad and plant, as well as mine and stack 360,000 tons of ore from the Kodiak A deposit, to produce 27,000 oz. of gold before year-end (plus a further 19,000 oz. in 1995). Ian McDonald, chairman of Wheaton and North American, said the site received rain in 16 of the last 21 days, including 3.5 inches in 16 hours. The rain washed out two bridges on the mine access road and destroyed the airstrip. McDonald expects the airstrip to be repaired shortly and the road to be operational within a few weeks. Both repairs will be covered by insurance. No irreparable damage was done to the leach pad site, but the project’s technical consultants advised that the installation of the liner be deferred until next spring. “Better to get it done correctly,” McDonald said. The company is now working out a settlement with Tercon, the mining contractor for the leach project.

The crushing and conveying plant has been almost erected and North American hopes to keep the equipment on site until startup next spring. All the news out of the property is not bad. Drilling on the Kodiak North area is outlining a “potential major discovery” on the Ursa deposit. The first four holes of a 12-hole program included a 48.3-ft. intersection grading 0.38 oz. gold per ton in hole 256 and a 28-ft. intersection in hole 258 grading 0.28 oz.

The sulphide content of the intersections is low, leading the company to predict that the material is non-refractory and possibly amenable to heap leaching.