Guinness drilling tin prospect next to East Kemptville Mine

The ground being investigated covers the contact between granitoids of the South Mountain batholith and a package of graywackes and slates of the Halifax Formation — ground which hosts Rio Algom’s East Kemptville tin mine. The claims are immediately adjacent to the mine and are held by Guinness Gold Resources (ASE).

The program is the first for tin in the area by any company other than Shell Canada, since it drilled off the East Kemptville deposit between 1979 and 1984. Shell subsequently sold the property to Rio Algom which built a $170-million mine.

Guinness picked up the property from Acadia Mineral Ventures (TSE) in a ground-for-shares swap earlier this year. Acadia retains the right to back in for a 40% participating interest.

Rio built a 21,000-tonne-per-day open pit mine at East Kemptville in 1984 and has done no exploration drilling in the area until last year, chief geologist Claude Poulin says. The mine has about 36 million tonnes of mineable reserves remaining, good for about eight years of mining at present rates.

The grade of those reserves averages 0.18% tin. However, the mill, which uses gravity and magnetic separation methods, works best at a grade of 0.23%, according to chief metallurgist Harold Wyslouzil.

Rio is stockpiling low grade ore which averages 0.08-0.12% tin. About 15 million tonnes of this material will be mined during the life of the pit.

Mined grades run as high as 0.3% tin.

Rio is completing a $6-million flotation circuit in its mill which should increase tin recoveries to the 72-73% range.

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