Limited continuity in the Cliff Creek zone at the Lawyers mine in north-central British Columbia has forced owner Cheni Gold Mines (TSE) to lower its ore reserves once again.
Paul Savoy, president of the company, noted that diluted and minable reserves in the Cliff Creek north zone are now stated at 153,700 tons grading 0.20 oz. gold and 5.8 oz. silver per ton, down from about 425,000 tons grading 0.18 oz. gold and 7.7 oz. silver.
Prior to the company’s last revision in September, 1990, reserves stood at more than 1.3 million tons at a similar grade.
Ore reserves were also reduced on the Dukes Ridge zone, adjacent to the Cliff Creek zone. Reserves in the zone dropped to 24,000 tons grading 0.23 oz. gold and 6.33 oz. silver, down from the previous estimate of 75,400 tons grading 0.23 oz. gold and 6.57 oz. silver. Because of current metal prices, Cheni has deemed the zone uneconomic.
Cheni expects to finish mining on the Al claims, to the north of the mine, by the end of September. An estimated 70,000 tons grading 0.39 oz. gold will be stockpiled for blending with Cliff Creek ore.
The company plans to blend about 23,000 tons of the ore through the fourth quarter of this year.
Savoy noted that ore still remains on the Al claim’s Bonanza zone where the company has not yet received a mining permit. He estimated the tonnage at about 40,000 tons grading better than 0.4 oz. gold although he said more work will have to be done to prove up the material.
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