Getty, Noranda increase Tundsra reserves by 21%

Drilling continues to expand reserves at the Tundra gold project — Canada’s largest undeveloped gold resource.

Based on work completed by partners Noranda Inc. (TSE) and Getty Resources (TSE), the deposit hosts reserves of 32.5 million tons grading 0.2 oz gold per ton. At a grade cut-off of 0.12 oz, that represents an in situ gold resource of 6.5 million oz. The project is in the Northwest Territories.

The new reserve estimate is 21% larger in gross tons from the 26.4 million tons grading 0.18 oz, announced by the partners in January.

Noranda and Getty, which hold a 51% and 49% interest in the deposit respectively, are in the midst of a 2-year $35-million underground exploration program. A shaft, which is at 330 ft, is expected to reach its target depth of 1,500 ft by early March, 1989, Reg Comeau, manager of exploration at Getty, explained to The Northern Miner.

The program will also include 65,000 ft of underground drilling, 3,000 ft of drifting, in addition to raising and crosscutting through the entire deposit.

Gold is associated with 17 steeply- dipping, sub-parallel mineralized zones hosted within a larger 600-ft wide unit. Each zone is defined by a minimum true width of 9.8 ft and a minimum grade of 0.11 oz. Drilling has outlined reserves along strike for 4,750 ft and to a depth of 3,800 ft. The zones remain open at depth and along strike.

“We have potential for some open pit production,” Comeau adds. The 600-ft wide disseminated sulphide zone averages 1.5 g gold per tonne (0.043 oz gold per ton). “We have had several shallow holes of very good grade, but this must be further defined,” Comeau explained.

Both companies are also encouraged with the metallurgical testing results. A majority of the Tundra gold is associated with disseminated arsenopyrite; a refractory mineral. Laboratory tests have yielded recoveries up to 98% following acid pretreatment and pressure oxidation. Both techniques are not new and are in use at several large tonnage refractory gold mining operations in the United States.