Windy Craggy copper bet continues to show promise

The crosscut is being driven through a wide area of massive sulphide mineralization and a 200-tonne bulk sample has already been flown out f or metallurgical testing.

According to Geddes President Gerald Harper, samples taken from the crosscut’s north wall suggest that the operating grade could prove to be higher than anticipated.

Reserves at the remote project, where a prefeasibility study is being completed, stand at 118 million tonnes grading 1.9% copper, 0.08% cobalt, 0.19 g gold per ton and 3.26 g silver.

But a 188 m (617-ft) massive sulphide intersection extracted from the wall of the North zone could have a significant impact on the economics of an open pit project which is expected to cost $400 million to bring into production, Harper told The Northern Miner. It averaged 1.90% copper, 0.44 g gold, 7.7 g silver, 0.07% cobalt and 0.54% zinc.

“We could dump some of the higher grade material into the mill early on,” said Harper who believes new massive sulphide zones will be discovered north of the North zone.

The North zone is one of two zones, about 300 m apart, which contain all of the reserves outlined at Windy Craggy so far. As reported (N.M., Sept 18/89), future plans include drilling between the zones to see if they are joined together in a giant U-shaped fold.

Mining contractors are extending the north drift further north to establish additional drilling stations and to break out on the north side of the mountain in the vicinity of outcropping massive sulphides.

“Stringer-type sulphide mineralization intersected in the drift extension means there is a good chance that if we follow the trend of the sulphide zone we could find more sulphides,” said Harper.

Sensing the future potential of a project, which Geddes says could produce 120,000 tonnes of copper concentrates annually, Cominco Ltd. (TSE) recently increased its stake in Geddes to 17%.

The open market purchase forced Northgate to protect its interest in Windy Graggy by upping its position in Geddes to 42% from 31%. Toronto-based Falconbridge Ltd. is also involved in the project by virtue of a 22.5% net profits interest payable after Geddes has recouped the costs of bringing the project into production.

Meanwhile, Geddes is doing about 2,500 m of surface and underground drilling per month on both the North and South zones.

Highlights from a batch of surface holes include 118 m (387 ft) of grade 1.92% copper. A series of underground holes targeting the South zone yielded 46 m (151 ft) of 1.47% copper.

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