Northgate expands Kemess campaign

Hole 11, which was supposed to wrap up the 2001 exploration drilling campaign on the Kemess North project in north-central British Columbia, has returned the program’s best intervals so far and prompted Northgate Exploration (NGX-T) to sink a few more holes before winter.

The hole cut 248 metres (from 146.3 metres below surface) grading 0.4% copper and 0.91 gram gold per tonne, including 146 metres (from 246.3 metres) of 0.53% copper and 1.3 grams gold and 100 metres (from 294.3 metres) of 0.6% copper and 1.54 grams gold.

Based on the positive results, particularly those from holes 10 and 11, Northgate has expanded the $500,000 program to include six more holes on the new high-grade zone.

Drilling is aimed at expanding the existing resource at Kemess North (360 million tonnes grading 0.154% copper and 0.3 gram gold).

Highlights from other holes in the program include:

• Hole 6 — 186.6 metres averaging 0.28% copper and 0.6 gram gold per tonne;
• Hole 7 — 209.8 metres averaging 0.37% copper and 0.82 gram gold;
• Hole 9 — 192.7 metres averaging 0.26% copper and 0.62 gram gold; and
• Hole 10 — 177.8 metres grading 0.51% copper and 1.2 grams gold.

Kemess North lies about 5.5 km north of the producing Kemess copper-gold mine, which is operated by Northgate.

“Weather permitting, we will continue drilling to the end of October with the objective of delineating the expanding high-grade zone,” says Ken Stowe, Northgate’s CEO. “Hole 11 continues to confirm the trend of increasing grades and gold-copper ratios as the drilling has moved to the northeast of the year-2000 exploration program target area.”

Six of the program’s holes were collared outside the previously reported mineral inventory for the project.

Northgate is mining the Kemess South open pit, which hosts proven reserves of 146 million tonnes grading 0.24% copper and 0.65 gram gold.

According to the company, the new mineralization remains open in all directions and the gold-to-copper ratios increase to the northeast. Northgate says the developing trend is that the copper and gold grades increase with depth.

Last year, Kemess produced 225,994 oz. gold and 50.4 million lbs. copper, with cash operating costs averaging US$248 per oz. gold (net of byproduct credits).

A total of 34.6 million tonnes of material was mined and operations milled 14.1 million tonnes of ore at the daily rate of 38,630 tonnes. The average mill head grade was 0.778 gram gold and 0.22% copper.

Recoveries were pegged at 64% for gold and 74% for copper.