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

Kinross Gold Corp. March 14 announced that the Peak Gold project in eastern Alaska has been renamed Manh Choh, which means Big Lake in the Upper Tanana Athabascan language. This name, chosen by Village of Tetlin Chief Michael Sam and the tribal council, refers to the 7.5- by 4.5-mile Tetlin Lake, a site of high cultural significance in the Tetlin community.

Kinross says this mutual agreement on the name is symbolic of the mining company's approach in developing the high-grade gold project.

Contango ORE Inc., which originally discovered gold at Manh Choh, has outlined 9.2 million metric tons of measured and indicated resources averaging 4.08 grams per metric ton (1.21 million ounces) gold and 14.19 g/t (4.2 million oz) silver in two adjacent deposits on the project.

With the idea of processing high-grade ore from Manh Choh in the mill at its Fort Knox Mine north of Fairbanks, Alaska, Kinross paid US$93.7 million to buy a 70% stake in this project that encompasses 675,000 acres of lands leased from Tetlin Village Council.

Residents from the village of Tetlin handling drill core from exploration that outlined the gold-rich deposits at Manh Choh.

Prior to agreeing to acquire an interest in Manh Choh, Kinross met with the people of Tetlin and members of the village council. As a result, Tetlin Village continues to indicate support for the project plan based on transparent, strong partnerships that focus on trust and mutual respect.

"We look forward to the safe and responsible development of the project and the positive benefits it is expected to generate for our community," said Chief Sam. "We also look forward to further building a relationship with Kinross, a company with a strong track record in Alaska."

Kinross anticipates the first ore from Manh Choh to the Fort Knox mill in 2024.

Further details on Kinross' acquisition of a 70% interest in Manh Choh and its plans for the project can be read at Kinross cuts deal for Alaskan Peak Gold in the October 2, 2020 edition of North of 60 Mining News.

Author Bio

Shane Lasley, Publisher

Over his more than 16 years of covering mining and mineral exploration, Shane has become renowned for his ability to report on the sector in a way that is technically sound enough to inform industry insiders while being easy to understand by a wider audience.

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