The life of the Golden Bear mine will be extended by five years under a new plan devised by North American Metals and its 81% owner Wheaton River Minerals (TSE). The mine-life extension will depend on heap leaching to render economical many of the low-grade deposits found on the property.
“We’re pretty happy about the new production plan. This technology will open up a lot of new ground for exploration,” company spokesman Kerry Knoll said.
Currently, mining is being focused on high-grade, refractory ore from the Main zone. This zone is nearing completion and will be phased out within the next several months.
According to the company, potential problems with heap leaching in the climate of northwestern British Columbia are not serious. “It was a question we spent time thinking about as well. We talked with several companies that operate heap leach mines at high altitudes and we don’t think the cold will be a problem,” Knoll said.
He cited Pegasus Gold which operates the Beal Moutain gold mine in Montana. It is at a similiar altitude and the grade there is 0.047 oz. gold per ton. “We also think the snow will be beneficial to the operation because it will act as an insulator,” he added.
Production from the three deposits known as Kodiak A, B and C will run through to 1997. Following this, 2.5 million tonnes of stockpiled ore averaging 1.5 grams per tonne (0.044 oz. per ton) will be heap leached. Total reserves from the Kodiak A, B and C deposits, combined with the stockpiled material, are 3.3 million tonnes averaging 2.9 grams (0.085 oz. per ton).
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