Diamonds sparkle at Cordilleran Roundup (February 07, 2000)

At the 17th annual Cordilleran Round-up, held here in late January, the mining community once again poked its head out from its winter hole to survey the surroundings. The prevailing mood was one of cautious optimism.

About 2,100 delegates and 135 exhibitors attended the 4-day event, held at the Hotel Vancouver and the Hyatt. This year’s theme — “Vancouver: Gateway To Discoveries” — was designed to promote the city that has become a worldwide centre for exploration technology and finance.

The conference featured 30 core shacks and more than 150 technical papers, as well as numerous presentations and poster displays. The event was preceded by a short course on Carlin-type gold deposits.

The most popular session focused on South America. Two Peruvian projects were highlighted: Manhattan Minerals‘ (MAN-T) Tambo Grande massive sulphide deposit and Pacific Rim Mining‘s (PFG-T) Luicho low-sulphidation epithermal gold prospect. Also represented was Homestake Mining (HM-N), which operates the Veladero property in Argentina.

A session on the Tintina gold belt in Alaska and the Yukon provided information on several projects, including: Donlin Creek, held by Placer Dome (PDG-T); Scheelite Dome, held by Copper Ridge Explorations (KRX-V); and Pogo, held jointly by Teck (TEK-T) and Japan’s Sumitomo group.

Platinum and palladium exploration was discussed in session that touched on geological models for platinum group metals in Russia, the Far East and North America.

Delegates also heard presentations concerning mineral deposits in Central America and the Caribbean. Specific talks dealt with the various styles of epithermal gold mineralization in the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Guatemala and Costa Rica.

No geological conference would be complete without a diamond program, and this year presentations focused on modern exploration techniques. Speakers discussed advances in the fields of geophysics, geochemistry and geostatistics that are currently being applied to exploration and deposit evaluation.

James Rothwell, president of BHP Diamonds, a division of Broken Hill Proprietary (BHP-N), offered an overview of the Ekati mine in the Northwest Territories. The mine produces about 5%, by value, of the world’s diamonds. Grades from the operating Panda pit are averaging US$165 per carat. BHP is the operator and has a 51% interest; Dia Met Minerals (DMM-T) holds 29%; and the remaining 20% is split evenly between geologists Charles Fipke and Stewart Blusson.

“We are pleased with our market entry and we’ve gained some valuable experience over the past year,” said Rothwell. “The market began strengthening in 1999 and has remained firm. We believe 2000 will be another good year for diamonds.” He added that BHP’s marketing strategy is evolving to include more branding, e-commerce and continuing vertical integration.

“We’ve not only built a new mine; we’ve established a new industry for Canada. We’re not just producing a mineral commodity; we’ve established Canadian diamonds as an exciting new product in the market,” he stressed.

Pezim award

The annual awards ceremony was highlighted by the presentation of the first Murray Pezim Award, which was created to honour financiers who have contributed to the mining community of either British Columbia or the Yukon.

This year’s (posthumous) recipient was Murray Pezim himself, who played a key role in discovering the Snip and Eskay Creek mines in northwestern British Columbia and the Hemlo mines of Ontario. The award was accepted by Pezim’s son, Michael.

“Few can do this job well,” he said, referring to his father’s career as a promoter and financier. “It is a roller-coaster ride of exhilarating highs and excruciating lows, but Murray Pezim was made for it. Even in the most difficult of times, the flame would flicker in readiness for the day when the market would turn and all good things would become possible.”

The “Spud” Huestis Award for outstanding achievement in prospecting was awarded to Richard Haslinger of Fort St. James, B.C. Among his discoveries are: the MBX zone at the Mt. Milligan copper deposit; the Boot/Steele, Windy and Mitsi Lake copper-gold properties; and, most recently, the Butterfield Lake copper property.

The Edward Scholz Award for outstanding contribution to mine development in British Columbia went to John Kalmet, president of Wheaton River Minerals (wrm-t). Kalmet played a major role in reopening the Golden Bear heap-leach mine, northwest of Telegraph Creek. More recently, he announced his intention to evaluate and possibly develop the Red Mountain project, near Stuart.

The Chamber of Mines Frank Woodside Past President’s award was presented jointly to Robert and Bruce Brown of ALS Chemex Labs in North Vancouver. For many years, the twin brothers helped administer the Chamber’s activities.

The Chamber of Mines also presented an award for outstanding contribution to Canadian Cordilleran geology. The recipients were nine pioneer geologists of the Cordilleran division of the Geological Survey of Canada: Richard Campbell, Hu Gabrielse, Lew Green, Jan Muller, John Reesor, James Roddick, Jack Souther, Howard Tipper and John Wheeler. The award recognizes their regional mapping efforts, which helped create the geologic framework for the Canadian Cordillera.