Sun Valley rehabilitating United Western mine shaft

Rehabilitation work is under way at Sun Valley Gold Corp.’s (VSE) United Western project near Oatman, Ariz. The Arizona Central Shaft is presently being refurbished to allow access to existing underground workings.

Mapping, sampling, and drilling are planned when access is achieved, the company states. The work is designed to define additional reserves in the main zone and in parallel zones, says Thomas Tough, president.

According to W. G. Timmins, an independent consultant for the company, exploration work on the United Western deposit to date indicates a reserve of 734,095 tons grading 0.2 oz gold across an average width of 15.7 ft. This reserve is based on 10,000 ft of underground workings and approximately 10,000 ft of diamond drilling. An initial pre-feasibility study was positive which prompted the company to mount the rehabilitation program.

The company’s claim group covers three producing mines including the United Western which produced 40,000 tons averaging 0.3 oz gold prior to 1940.

Gold occurs in native form and as electrum but not in association with sulphides. Ore shoots range from a few hundred to 1,200 ft vertically, across widths of 4-45 ft, and for several hundred feet along strike. The reserve inventory has been calculated in the area of underground workings in the United Western mine between the 400 and 950 levels and from recent and past surface and underground diamond drilling, says Timmins.

“In addition, there is excellent potential for the development of substantial additional reserves along the strike of the vein system both to the northwest and southeast,” he says.