Williams reserves up by 600,000 oz.

Last year’s exploration program at the Williams gold mine near Hemlo, Ont., outlined enough ore to replace 1990 production. This is all Corona (TSE) spokesman Brian Hay was willing to say about exploration results from the main zone before Corona and its 50% partner, Teck (TSE), issue an official press release later this month.

Production at Williams reached 594,128 oz. in 1990. If the equivalent number of ounces was discovered at depth on the main zone, the mine’s reserve should be given a boost in the order of 3.3 million tons, assuming a constant average grade of 0.18 oz. gold per ton.

As of January, 1990, proven and possible reserves at Williams stood at 32.6 million tons grading 0.18 oz. Teck, as operator, tested western and depth extensions of the main zone (B zone) from a drift at the 9175 level, 3,822 ft. below surface.

Hay added that exploration at depth on the C zone, currently mined as a source of backfill material and low-grade mill feed, is in the preliminary stages.