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The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North
New COO, board, technical team reflects Klaza advancement North of 60 Mining News – August 20, 2021
Sun sets on Rockhaven's exploration camp at Klaza.
Rockhaven Resources CEO Matt Turner inspects core from the Rusk target at the company's Klaza gold-silver project in the Yukon.
Rockhaven Resources Ltd. Aug. 19 announced major changes to its board of directors, management, and technical team that reflect a transition toward prefeasibility and permitting at the company's Klaza gold-silver project in the Yukon.
A preliminary economic assessment completed last year outlines plans for a mine at Klaza that would produce roughly 750,000 ounces of gold and 13.8 million oz of silver over 12-years.
This scoping level study is based on 4.46 million metric tons of indicated resource averaging 4.8 grams per metric ton (686,000 oz) gold and 98 g/t (14.1 million oz) silver; plus 5.71 million metric tons of inferred resource averaging 2.8 g/t (507,000 oz) gold and 76 g/t (13.9 million oz) silver outlined at the Klaza project so far.
In preparation for a pre-feasibility study, this year's planned 12,000-meter drill program includes exploration of high-priority expansion targets and infill drilling focused on upgrading the inferred resource to the higher confidence indicated category.
The 33 planned infill holes will also support metallurgical test work and engineering studies.
With the focus at Klaza shifting toward mine design, the company has added a new director, chief operating officer, and two technical advisors that bolster Rockhaven's engineering and operational expertise.
"Designing a robust, permittable and long-lived mining operation takes skilled and experienced professionals and this corporate restructuring gives Rockhaven the expertise needed to advance Klaza to the next level," said Rockhaven Resources CEO Matthew Turner.
The Rockhaven board of directors now consists of incumbent members Robert Carne, Bradley Shisler, Matthew Turner, Bruce Youngman, Glenn Yeadon, and the newest member Doug Eaton. Bruce Youngman will succeed Carne as chairman.
Eaton brings over 50 years of exploration experience and 40 years of public company involvement to Rockhaven. He has gained exceptional knowledge of Yukon geology and has contributed to several important discoveries throughout his career. Eaton is the president and CEO of Strategic Metals Ltd., which holds a 33% interest in Rockhaven. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology from the University of British Columbia and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Alberta.
Manuel Estrada, a mining executive with extensive experience in mining operations spanning the Americas, is Rockhaven's new chief operating officer. An engineer, Estrada worked 14 years at Capstone Mining Corp.'s Cozamin (Mexico) and Pinto Valley (Arizona) copper mines.
Another Capstone alumni, Stephen Quin, joins Rockhaven's technical team. A mining geologist with more than 40 years of experience in the mining and exploration industry, Quin has held upper management positions with numerous mining and exploration companies, including president and CEO of Midas Gold Corp. (now Perpetua Resources Corp.) and Sherwood Copper Corp; president and COO of Capstone; and executive of Miramar Mining Corp.
At Sherwood Copper, Quin led the advancement of the Minto Mine, which is located 60 kilometers (37 miles) north of Klaza, through feasibility, construction, and production. Through this work, Quin acquired extensive experience with Yukon's permitting and regulatory processes.Randall Thompson, who has spent the last three decades building and operating open pit and underground mines in Canada, Australia, and the Middle East, also joins Rockhaven as a technical advisor. He has supervised large development projects, including the $450 million construction of the Jabal Sayid mine in Saudi Arabia for Equinox Minerals and the $100 million expansion of the Huckleberry Mine in British Columbia for Huckleberry Mines Ltd. Thompson has also worked as the former General Manager at the Minto Mine and as the chief operating officer at JDS Silver, which operated the Silvertip Mine in Northern BC.
To make room for the new additions, Allan Doherty, David Skoglund, and Randy Turner have resigned as directors of Rockhaven; and Ian Talbot has stepped down as COO.
"As we welcome the new members of the Rockhaven team, we would like to sincerely thank Messrs. Doherty, Skoglund, Turner, and Talbot for their many years of service with Rockhaven and their help in the success and growth of the company," said Matt Turner. "We wish them the very best in their future endeavors."
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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