North of 60 Mining News - The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North

Constantine Metal Resources Ltd. June 13 announced the start of a 7,000-meter drill program with two drills at the Palmer volcanogenic massive sulfide project near Haines, in Southeast Alaska.

This is the first program under the newly formed Palmer joint venture between Constantine (51 percent) and Dowa Metals & Mining Alaska Ltd (49 percent).

The majority of this year's drilling is dedicated to discovery of new mineral deposits.

Palmer is host to numerous high-quality prospects with large hydrothermal alteration zones and high-grade base and precious metal mineralization exposed at surface - most of which have never been drilled.

Priority exploration targets include the Cap, Nunatak, HG, and JAG prospects that span a stratigraphically corridor of mineralization that is parallel to the South Wall-RW Zone trend.

The partners also plan to complete some expansion and upgrade at the South Wall-RW Zone resource, a high-grade VMS deposit with 8.1 million metric tons of inferred resource grading 1.41 percent copper, 5.25 percent zinc, 0.32 grams per metric ton gold and 31.7 g/t silver.

This year's program also will include property-wide airborne electromagnetic geophysical surveying, geological mapping and prospecting work.

The partners have budgeted US$7 million for the 2017 program.

-SHANE LASLEY