The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North
The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North
Lidar datasets to assist zinc exploration, mine development North of 60 Mining News – November 18, 2022
The exploration camp on the Akie zinc exploration property.
ZincX Resources Corp. Nov. 15 reported that it has received high-resolution lidar data that will aid future exploration and development on Akie and Mt. Alcock, two of 11 properties that make up the company's expansive land package that covers a 140-kilometer- (87 miles) long stretch of the Kechika Trough in Northern British Columbia.
The Cardiac Creek deposit at Akie, the most advanced of the properties fully owned by ZincX, hosts 22.7 million metric tons of indicated resource averaging 8.32% (4.16 billion pounds) zinc, 1.61% (804 million lb) lead, and 14.1 grams per metric ton (10.3 million ounces) silver; and 7.5 million metric tons of inferred resource averaging 7.04% (1.17 billion lb) zinc; 1.24% (205 million lb) lead, and 12 g/t (2.9 million oz) silver.
A 2018 preliminary economic assessment for the Cardiac Creek deposit on Akie envisions a 4,000 metric ton underground mine providing ore for a 3,000-metric-ton-per-day mill that is expected to produce 3.27 billion lb of zinc and 362 million lb of lead over an initial 18 years of mining.
Earlier this year, British Columbia-based Eagle Mapping Ltd. flew high-resolution lidar surveys over Akie and Mt. Alcock, which lies roughly 25 miles (40 kilometers) to the north.
The data from this survey includes a high-resolution 0.5-meter digital elevation model and digital surface model; a bare earth point dataset; and a fully detailed topographical dataset including contours.
ZincX says this detailed lidar data will be used extensively to assist geological mapping and drill targeting during future exploration programs at Aki and Mt. Alcock in future exploration campaigns. The dataset will also assist proposed ground-based gravity geophysical surveys over the Cardiac Creek deposit and the zinc-, lead-, and silver-rich barite showing on the Mt. Alcock property.
In addition to exploration, the lidar mapping data is also expected to provide a solid foundation for infrastructure; and engineering design plans related to developing a mine at the Cardiac Creek deposit as outlined in the 2018 PEA.
In addition to the lidar survey, ZincX completed 2,669 meters of drilling in five large-diameter diamond holes to collect samples from the Cardiac Creek deposit for metallurgical testing now being conducted at the Hunan Research Institute under the supervision of the company's strategic partner Tongling Non-Ferrous Metals of China.
Earlier this month, ZincX reported that the initial phase of this metallurgical work is underway.
"We are delighted to be working with our strategic partner Tongling to further enhance both the metallurgical characteristics and economical potential of the deposit," said ZincX Resources President and CEO Peeyush Varshney. "We look forward to further updates from Tongling on the ongoing metallurgical test work that is being carried out on the drill core from the Cardiac Creek deposit."
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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