Total Erickson completes major exploration program

A major exploration program has been completed at Total Erickson Resources’ Cassiar, B.C., gold property. And with the company’s new process plant now in operation, production from the Erickson mine during 1987 is expected to be 300 tons per day at 0.4-oz gold.

Significant additions to the ore reserves have been made in three areas of the 10,000-ft-long Vollaug vein this year, says the company. The G-H zone has been extended along strike to more than 1,650 ft and the western portion is still open to extension beyond the last two holes. They returned 0.45 oz gold and 1.9 oz silver across 11.5 ft and 0.33 oz gold and 0.41 oz silver over 5.9 ft.

This year’s drill program has also expanded the Troutline No 2 zone where Hole 86-613 returned 3.6 ft of 0.9 oz gold and 4.9 oz silver. That hole was intended to confirm block integrity for mining purposes.

The 850-ft-long ore shoot was recently extended by more than 165 ft when it was cut by an underground exploration drift. At that point the vein was 2.6 ft thick and averaged 0.6 oz gold per ton. This ore shoot is open to further extension, says Total Erickson. A new oresehoot has been outlined in the Troutline No 3 zone with good results reported over widths of 1.6 to 4.9 ft. Gold values ranged from 0.31 oz to 0.55 oz.

At least six new gold veins were discovered on the Cusac property which Total Erickson describes as “geologically complex.” Further work is planned on these discoveries in 1987. In the meantime, mining on the Eileen vein is consistently averaging above 0.6 oz gold per ton.