Idaho Consolidated active at Stillwater complex

Denver — Idaho Consolidated Metals (IDO-V) expects to begin its first round of drilling on the Stillwater complex in southwestern Montana.

The junior, which owns 110 sq. km adjacent to the platinum palladium mine of Stillwater Mining (SWC-X), intends to complete 4,000 metres of diamond drilling. The program will focus on several targets within the same layered mafic intrusion that hosts the JM reef.

Drilling will begin at the Fishtail Creek target, a 3.5-km segment of the JM reef, southeast of the Stillwater mine. The JM reef is a laterally continuous zone stretching more than 40 km. Stillwater’s reserves over a portion of the reef are about 29 million tonnes averaging 24.5 grams combined platinum and palladium per tonne, or 25.3 million oz.

Idaho Consolidated will also test the Iron Mountain-Crescent Creek zone, a possible apex of another 3.5-km segment of the JM reef. Other targets include the Volatile Enriched zone, which sits 300 metres stratigraphically below the JM reef and is known to contain elevated platinum group values. The zone is believed to be a stratabound horizon with a strike length of 19 km.

In addition, the company will test the basal A and B chromite layers for platinum group elements. Previous hand samples from this section returned up to 90 grams per tonne over 1 metre.

Along with the drilling, Idaho Consolidated will conduct further geophysical, geochemical and geologic work over the JM reef, the Volatile Enriched zone, the A and B chromites, and the Picket Pin horizon. Picket Pin is a smaller reef running parallel to the JM reef.