Re: Important update ...meaning of?
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posted on
Mar 18, 2013 09:26AM
(Edit this Message from the "Fast Facts" Section)
Once again, the waste ore will not yield 16 g/t. The assay measures 100% of the gold and silver in the ore. The assays published on SFMI's web site, which are generally around 4-5 g/t, are how much is in the ore to start with, not how much was recovered. If they start with 5 g/t (on average), then they recovered ~1 g/t, and ~4 g/t is still left in the ore.
As for the "3.75 oz/ton to more than 325 oz/ton",those numbers are from "earlier geological assessments", measurements made before SFMI was around. There's no information provided as to how those numbers were derived, though there is a lot of stuff around (see below). As to how SFMI decided those numbers are "correct", again no information or numbers are given other than that the samples were from the face of the vein. However, one can assume that the information is either from grab samples or channels cut in the surface (probably grab samples), and that the assays returned values between 3.75 and 325 oz/t. There is both good and bad about that. The bad is that grab samples tend to overstate the average richness of the ore, since one tends to pick the richest looking spots to sample. The good is that in the Sinker tunnel you can just look at the surface and pick out spots that are that rich. It's unlikely that the Sinker just happened to intersect the Oro Fino at the one hot spot of a vein more than a mile long on the surface and half a mile deep (at least). One can assume that the vein is either consistently rich all the way down from the surface where historical production records show how rich the veins are, or if what was sampled in the Sinker was a "hot spot", that there are probably many more within the vein structure- since it is unlikely that the Sinker intercepted the only one.
Here is some historic information (some fairly recent) on the grades on WEM:
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An ore analysis was reported by D.A. Yeager, and C.K. Ikona, of Pamicon Developments, Ltd. "Investigations indicate at least one year's reserves in place at the bottom of the Illinois-Central; with ore indications of 11,205 tons @ 103 g/t Gold (3.6 oz Gold/ton)," wrote Mr. Yeager.
The survey of the waste dumps was performed by D.A. Yeager, and C.K. Ikona, of Pamicon Developments, Ltd. "The dumps were created in the 1800s with ore that was considered low in value and was stockpiled for the day when metal prices were higher. Generally speaking, the cut-off value for ore to be further processed and transported to the refinery was 2 ounces of Gold per ton. The ore that did not meet this requirement was stockpiled. It seems apparent, both from a perusal of the history of the mines and from the results of the preliminary sampling, that the mineral reserves of War Eagle Mountain were by no means exhausted," wrote Mr. Yeager.
Initial findings estimate that probable recoverable gold and silver metals from the tailings stockpiles could exceed 19,200 Gold oz, and 221,440 Silver oz, or approximately $19 Million gross ore value.
Note: In the quote above, note that the dollar values quoted correspond to gold at maybe $700- because the assays were conducted relatively recently, not in the 1800s.
Keystone Adit: 63 g/t Gold (2.2 oz Gold/ton) 1,109 g/t Silver (39.1 oz Silver/ton)
Illinois Central Adit: 477 g/t Gold (16.9 oz Gold/ton) 3,180 g/t Silver(112.2 oz Silver/ton)
And recent results from another company:
A total of 49 holes were drilled by NERCO, Inc. The holes ranged from 70-feet in depth, to 700-feet in depth, with samples taken at 5-foot intervals, and were intended to test near-surface average mineralization. The drilling used reverse circulation methods and was not designed to provide results similar to blocked-out or core drilling methods, which yield a detailed analysis covering the entire length of the core.
"We are definitely pleased with the exploration and drilling results that have been obtained thus far in the area. Hole 'W14' indicated nearly 445 vertical-feet of mineable-grade ore at .18 to .85 oz Gold/ton; while, hole 'W40' returned nearly 380 vertical-feet of .11 to ..45 oz Gold/ton. The remaining holes indicated yields from .24 to .88 oz Gold/ton over scattered intervals.
And more:
The independent drilling program was conducted by Donald Tully, P. engineer. “Five angle holes, totaling 684 meters (2,245 feet) were drilled In the Oro Fino area. Two angle holes, totaling 312 meters (1,025 feet) were drilled in the Keystone & Illinois Central area. Three vertical holes, totaling 209 meters (685 feet) were drilled in the Cow Cornice Basin area,” wrote Mr. Tully.
Mr. Tully added, “The two holes that were drilled in the Keystone & Illinois Central and North Empire zones of the Central Vein system on the Mountain, approximately midway between the North and South shafts of the Poorman mine, struck extremely strong new veins. These structures showed mineable width indications of mineralization, with results of 1,000 ppm of Gold, or 660 g/t Gold (23.27 oz Gold/ton). It is concluded that the War Eagle Mountain property is an excellent exploration bet in a favorable geological environment for discovering additional and new deposits of precious metals, in addition to mining of the existing deposits.”
And more:
The preliminary surface sampling and assayed results of the mineralized ore bearing quartz veins found within the Illinois-Central zone revealed the following (reported-ounces per ton (OPT)):
Location Vein width (ft) Au (OPT) Ag (OPT)
Illinois Central .42 16.846 111.20 [/quote]
And more:
According to Met-Solve Labs, the samples from the Poorman’s tailings contain 3.3 g/ton Gold and 94.5 g/ton Silver.
And more:
An independent drilling program was also conducted by Nerco, Inc., and a “Hot-Zone” was discovered as a result of a structural study based on color air photos. This report states, “A prominent east-west lineament was observed. A total of 49 holes were drilled in the areas between the Poorman Vein, the Afterthought Vein, and the Cornice Basin (Cornice Zone), with samples taken at 5-foot intervals. A majority of the drill-holes intersected mineralized zones, ranging from 5– 45 feet in width. Gold and Silver content ranged up to .62 opt Gold and 8.48 opt Silver per ton. Considering the random pattern in which the holes were drilled, and the intervals of samples, exploration has succeeded in demonstrating the potential for medium-to-high grade underground deposits to be excellent.”
Yet more:
according to Met-Solve Labs, these latest samples from the tailings contain 6.9 g/ton Gold and 50.9 g/ton Silver.
And one more for good measure:
Donald W. Tully, P. Engineer on April 14, 1998 recapped the drilling report as follows:“The Drilling Program was done with a large rotary down-hole-hammer drilling machine which was capable of drilling both vertical and angle holes. Samples were taken at five foot intervals. Five angle holes, totaling 2,245 feet, were drilled in the Oro Fino area. Two angle holes, totaling 1,025 feet were drilled in the Keystone/Illinois Central area. Three vertical holes, totaling 685 feet were drilled in the Cow Cornice Basin area. This was a limited exploratory program. The two holes that were drilled in the Keystone/Illinois Central and North Empire zones of the Central Vein System on the Mountain, approximately midway between the North and South shafts of the Poorman Mine, struck extremely strong new vein structures. These structures showed 1,000 ppm in Gold (23.86 oz Gold / Ton).