The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North
The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North
North of 60 Mining News - May 3, 2024
Drilling has outlined 20.5 million metric tons of resources averaging 10.1 g/t (6.8 million oz) gold across a five-mile trend on the Pogo mine property in Alaska.
Northern Star Resources Ltd. May 2 reported a slight drop in gold reserves and resources at its Pogo mine in Alaska.
According to the new calculation, Pogo hosts 9.99 million metric tons of indicated resource averaging 9.8 grams per metric ton (3.14 million ounces) gold and 10.5 million metric tons of inferred resource averaging 10.5 g/t (3.43 million oz) gold.
This overall mineral resource of 20.5 million metric tons averaging 10.1 g/t (6.8 million oz) gold includes 5.88 million metric tons of proven and probable reserves averaging 8 g/t (1.52 million oz) gold.
Northern Star says the higher-grade resources in comparison to reserves reflects the option to refine and optimize mine planning.
The 6.8 million oz of gold resources at Pogo are found in a series of deposits that extend five miles (eight kilometers) from Goodpaster to the northwest through the main Liese zones and onto Liese East at the southeast end.
Last year, Northern Star reported the discovery of Star, a high-grade prospect in a gap between the East Deep and South Pogo deposits at the southeast end of the underground mine infrastructure and Liese East.
Highlights from 2023 surface drilling at Star include:
• 9.7 meters averaging 52.9 g/t gold in hole DH23-001.
• 7.8 meters averaging 5.4 g/t gold in hole DH23-002.
• 1.7 meters averaging 22.1 g/t gold in hole DH23-006.
• 22.7 meters averaging 3.8 g/t gold in hole DH23-012.
Now, the company reports that underground drilling has identified high-grade gold in East Deep, which is accessible by underground mine infrastructure and about 1,000 meters northwest of the Star area outlined so far.
East Deep is a previously mined area east of the Liese deposits that has provided most of the ore at Pogo that is separated from the main Liese lodes by a diorite intrusive.
Because East Deep was being used to store mine water, it has not been accessible for further resource drilling. Northern Star, however, has completed a dewatering campaign that has allowed drilling to resume in this area of the Pogo underground mine. The company reports that this drilling has tapped high-grade gold.
Highlights from recent East Deep drilling include:
• 6.7 meters averaging 26.7 g/t gold in hole 24U0036.
• 5.5 meters averaging 31.4 g/t gold in hole 24U0037.
• 6.7 meters averaging 9.3 g/t gold in hole 24U0588.
• Two meters averaging 50.3 g/t gold in hole 24U01658.
Northern Star says the high-grade gold mineralization drilled adjacent to underground infrastructure at East Deep highlights "a key strategic opportunity which may bring additional optionality into the mine plan."
The company will now look at realizing this opportunity with infill drilling to evaluate the resource potential of the most prospective East Deep targets identified.
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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