LionOre Australia’s chief geologist, Mark Bennett, has won the Prospector of the Year Award from the Australian branch of the Association of Mining & Exploration Companies (AMEC).
The award recognizes Bennett’s contributions to the discovery of the 2-million-oz. Thunderbox deposit in 1999 and, subsequently, the Waterloo nickel deposit, both of which are in Western Australia.
Also, LionOre’s exploration director, Peter Buck, received a special commendation for his contribution to both these discoveries and to the Emily Ann nickel deposit.
Bennett designed and managed the follow-up drilling program that resulted in the Thunderbox discovery.
“Rain interrupted the drilling program and could have prevented its completion,” said George Savell, AMEC’s chief executive. “It would have been easy to abandon the program prematurely. Fortunately, tenacity prevailed . . .”
Neither Thunderbox nor Waterloo had any surface expression, which made their discovery even more difficult.
The former is slated to pour its first gold in 2003, with production that year forecast at 220,000 oz.
The Waterloo nickel sulphide deposit was discovered in an area written off in the 1980s. Bennett and his team used transient electromagnetics to outline it.
The Emily Ann underground mine is currently producing 6,750 tonnes nickel per year, the value of which is pegged at A$35 million.
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