The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North
The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North
Skeena completes pre-feasibility resource upgrade drilling North of 60 Mining News – February 5, 2021
Hole SK-20-655 cut 1.15 meters averaging 2.29 g/t gold and 889 g/t silver in the 22E zone at Eskay Creek.
Skeena Resources Ltd. Feb. 3 reported more impressive gold and silver intercepts among the latest batch of assay results from the resource upgrade drilling at the Eskay Creek mine project in British Columbia's Golden Triangle.
According to the most recent calculation, Eskay Creek hosts 12.71 million metric tons of surface mineable indicated resource averaging 4.5 grams per metric ton (1.82 million ounces) gold and 117 g/t (47.79 million oz) silver; plus 13.57 metric tons of surface mineable inferred resource averaging 2.2 g/t (984,000 oz) gold and 42 g/t (18.46 million oz) silver.
This resource formed the basis for a late-2019 preliminary economic assessment that outlined plans for a 6,850-metric-ton-per day operation at Eskay Creek that would produce an average of 236,000 oz of gold and 5.8 million oz of silver annually over an initial mine-life of 8.6 years.
The latest batch of results are from drilling within the 21B, 21C and 21E zones within the proposed open pit mine at Eskay Creek.
Highlights from this drilling include:
• Hole SK-20-575 cut 58.5 meters averaging 3.27 grams per metric ton gold and 59 g/t silver in the 21C zone.
• SK-20-580 cut 10.26 meters averaging 15.37 g/t gold and 20 g/t silver in the 21 C zone.
• SK-20-655 cut 33.85 meters averaging 1.73 g/t gold and 120 g/t silver in the 21 E zone.
• SK-20-668 cut 48.5 meters averaging 2.36 g/t gold and 6 g/t silver in the 21 C zone.
• SK-20-689 cut 40 meters averaging 2.62 g/t gold and 143 g/t silver in the 21 C zone.
Skeena says the wide intercept in SK-20-575 is 25 meters east of SK-20-579, a previously reported 2020 hole that cut 49.5 meters averaging 7.17 g/t gold and 146 g/t silver.
The company says the silver intercept in hole SK-20-655 includes higher-grade subintervals –including one meter averaging 2,260 g/t silver and 1.15 meters averaging 2.29 g/t gold and 889 g/t silver.
Infill drilling within the 21E and other zones throughout the Eskay Creek deposit continues to confirm and upgrade the inferred resources defined by wide-spaced historical drilling.
The phase 2 infill program, focused on upgrading resources in preparation for a pre-feasibility study slated for completion by mid-year, is now complete.
One drill rig is currently finalizing a 5,000-meter near-mine exploration program at Eskay Creek.
Over his more than 16 years of covering mining and mineral exploration, Shane has become renowned for his ability to report on the sector in a way that is technically sound enough to inform industry insiders while being easy to understand by a wider audience.
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