BRITISH COLUMBIA

MINING, DEVELOPMENT &

EXPLORATION - 2009

David Grieve, Bruce Madu, Bruce Northcote and Paul Wojdak

Regional Geologists
Jay Fredericks
Mineral Development Office
Dave Lefebure
BC Geological Survey

Mineral Exploration Roundup Conference

January 18, 2010
 Further Information
[Link]/Mining

Copies available at the EMPR booth or online

 2009 Highlights
Hi hli ht
8metaland9coal Mineexpansions Twometalmines
minesoperating underway indevelopment
((Endako,Gibraltar,HVC,Line
d k ib l i (
(NewAfton,CopperMtn)
f )
Creek,Elkview)

23projectsin Infrastructure Significantforeign

Environmental upgrades investment
(NorthernTransmissionLine,Mt (CopperMtn,Gibraltar,Teck,
Assessment MilliganRoad,RobertsBank) RavenCoal)

Historiccamps CuAuporphyries NW“elephant”

reviving
reviving show deep roots deposits
showdeeproots depositsexpanding
expanding
(Slocan,Nelson,Salmo, (RedChris,MtPolley,New (KSMSnowfieldBrucejack)
Bralorne,Barkerville,Atlin) Afton)
 Infrastructure for the Province

Northwest Transmission Line

•Power to region will benefit many

p j
projects

•Terrace to Bob Quinn Lake -335 km

•Province
Province committed to building
transmission line
•Invested $10 million for EAO
•Financial partner with industry

•$130 million from federal Green

Infrastructure Fund

•$404 estimated capital cost

 T lk Outline
Talk O li
• Trends, Statistics
• Copper-Gold Porphyry Targets
• Copper-Molybdenum Porphyry Targets
• Molybdenum Targets
• Vein and Related Targets
• Base Metal Massive Sulphide Targets
• Specialty Metals
• Coal
• BC Government Initiatives
 Solid Mineral Production
$5.7 Billion in 2009 Estimated
 Metals Production 2009
$1.8 Billion Estimated
800
Copper (Cu)
700
Moly (Mo)
600
Gold (Au)
500
ns of $$

Zinc (Zn)
400
Silver (Ag)
Million

300

200

100

Based on 2009 average metal prices

BC Mineral Exploration
E
Expenditure
dit
$154 million in 2009
Copper-Gold
Copper Gold Porphyry
Targets
 Copper-Gold Mines

Kemess M
Mount
t Polley
P ll
Northgate Minerals Imperial Metals

• Mine life to 2011 • Mine life to 2015

• 19,000 t/day
• 52,000
, t/day
/ y
• Exploring U/G resources

Kemess Mine Mount Polley Mine

 Copper-Gold Mine in construction

New Afton
f
New Gold Inc.
• $590 million capital cost, 11 000 t/day, 2012 start-up
• 5 km u/g develop., 3 km of 4.5 km conveyor portal completed
• Updated reserve work underway

Completed mill building

1
Deep high-grade mineralization
1. Photo courtesy of New Gold Inc.
 Copper Mine Under Construction

C
Copper M
Mountain
t i
Copper Mountain Mining Corp

• 35 000 tpd mill under construction

• Mitsubishi Materials Corp partnership
• Super pit incorporating 3 previous pits
• Estimated capital cost of $437 million
• Permit amendment process continues 1
Mill foundations being poured
1. Photo courtesy of Copper Mtn Mining
 Copper-Gold Mine Development on Hold

Galore
l Creek
k
Teck Corp & NovaGold Resources Inc.

•Updated feasibility
and environmental
certificate required

•Access road now at

Km 48 (106 km
total length)

•Potential
beneficiary of the
NW Transmission
Line

Idle construction camp at Km 89.5

 Copper-Gold Porphyry Through Environmental Assessment

R d Ch
Red Chris
i
Imperial Metals
• Env. Assess. certificates in place

• Mines Act permit applied for

• 30 000 tpd open pit mine

planned

• Potential beneficiary of the NW

T
Transmission
i i Line
Li

• Ongoing success deep drilling

and exploration
• 152.5 m of 4.12% Cu and 8.83 g/t Au Innovative short hole drilling
 Copper-Gold Projects through Environmental Assessment

Mount Milligan
Terrane Metals Corp.
• Environment Assessment
certificates received
• Mines Act permit in place

482 Mt @ 0.2% Cu, 0.39 g/t Au

Magnetite Breccia Zone

• 60,000
60 000 tpd mine proposal • Updated feasibility completed

• Capital cost $915 million • Gov’t to upgrade access road

Copper-Gold Mines in Environmental Assessment

Prosperity
Taseko Mines Ltd
Provincial EA Approval 831 Mt @ 0.23% Cu, 0.41 g/t Au
January 14, 2010 (P+P)

Schaft Creek
Copper
pp Fox Metals Inc
812 Mt @ 0.3% Cu, 0.21 g/t Au,
0.02% Mo (M+I)

Morrison
Pacific Booker Minerals
207 Mt @ 0.39% Cu, 0.2 g/t Au (M+I)
1
1. Photo courtesy of Pacific Booker Minerals
 Copper-Gold Porphyry Exploration

KSM
Seabridge Gold Inc.
•Preliminary
feasibility study
underway
•Infill drilling,
engineering
g g and
baseline studies in
2009
•Potential
beneficiary of the
NW Transmission
Line
1.5 Bt of 0.64 g/t Au and 0.18% Cu (M+I)
 Copper-Gold Porphyry Exploration

Snowfield
fi ld
Silver Standard Resources
•Largest 2009 exploration program– 7 drills, >41 km
•Resource definition drilling in the Snowfield North
zone
• Appears to be related to
the Mitchell zone at the
KSM property
• 847 Mt of 0.72 g/t Au,
0 12% Cu and 92 ppm Mo (M+I)
0.12% (M I)

• Wide-spaced drilling at
Brucejack property

Drilling the Brucejack property

Copper-Gold Porphyry Exploration

Kwanika
Serengeti Resources Inc.

• Central zone resource released

• 182.6 Mt of 0.29% Cu and 0.28 g/t Au
• West fault zone identified

Native Copper in hole K-08-114

Copper-Gold Porphyry Exploration

W dj
Woodjam N
North
th
Gold Fields Horsefly Exploration Inc.

• Drilled Takom and

Deerhorn zones
• Airborne geophysical
survey
• Ground geophysics
• Geochem and geology
 Copper-Gold Porphyry Exploration

Ajax-Afton
Abacus Mining and Exploration Corp.

• Preliminary economic assessment completed

• Late season drilling
g at Ajax
j East extension
• 442 Mt of 0.3% Cu and
0.19 g/t Au (M+I)
Ajax East

Ajax West Ajax East

extension

Map courtesy of Abacus Mining and Exploration

Porphyry Copper Exploration

R
Rogers C
Creek
k C f
Catface C
Copper
Wallbridge Mining Imperial Metals Corp.

• 2007 discovery
2009 Resource estimate:
• Large IP anomaly
identified • 56.9 Mt of 0.40% Cu (Ind)
• 262.4
262 4 Mt of 0.38%
0 38% Cu (Inf)
• Initial drilling confirms
porphyry style Cu–Au
Copper-Molybdenum
Porphyry Targets
 Copper-Moly Mines

Highland Valley
Teck & Highmont

•$120 million on 2019 mine plan •115 000 t of Cu produced

•Expansion of Valley pit underway •2 700 t of Mo produced
 Copper-Moly Mines

Gib lt
Gibraltar
Taseko Mines Ltd & Sojitz Corp.
•Major expansion and modernization
•Cu output to increase 50%
•25% interest purchase by Sojitz Corp
•~25 years of reserves remaining
 Copper-Moly Mines

H kl b
Huckleberry
Imperial Metals (50%)

•Mine Life extended to 2012 •18,000 tpd

•Potential for extensions •Produced 16 000 t Cu
 Copper-Moly Porphyry Exploration

Rateria and West Valley

Happy Creek Minerals Ltd
• Zone 2 expanded by 450 m at Rateria
• Also drilled “High-Res” target
• New NTP zone at West Valley
(high-grade grab samples)
M l bd
Molybdenum T
Targets
t
 Molybdenum Mines

Endako Mine
Thompson Creek Metals Co & Sojitz Corp

Mill expansion
underway
•28 000 to 50 000
tpd
•Cost of ~$498
million

ased on
Based o 3.5
3 5 km
long ‘Super-Pit’
•Reserves to 2024
Porphyry Molybdenum Mines

MAX
Roca Mines Inc.

•Application to expand
from 200 to 1000 tpd
p
•Quartz stockwork
related to Cretaceous
T
Troutt Lake
L k intrusive
i t i
•1.7 Mt at 0.73% Mo
(M+I) resource
Molybdenum Projects in Environmental Assessment

D id
Davidson Ch
Chu
Thompson Creek Metals TTM Resources Inc.

80 km S of Vanderhoof
313 Mt @ 0.06%
0 06% Mo (M+I)

Adit

2000 tpd u/g mine proposed

Ship ore to Endako Mine
 Porphyry Molybdenum Exploration

Kitsault
i l
Avanti Mining Inc
• Studying new mill and tailings impoundment options
• Prefeasibility study completed
• 40 000 tpd operation
• Estimated cost of US$641 million
Town site preserved
Pit developed
d l d
(separately owned)

Reserves 215 Mt @ 0.09% Mo

Vein and Related
Targets
Underground Gold Mines

QR B
Bonanza L
Ledge
d
Procon Mining (Cross Lake) (Int’l Wayside Gold Mines)

• Proposal to mine Bonanza

Ledge
• 200 tpd open pit
• Process ore at the QR mill
110 km away

• QR Mine is on care and

maint.
• 900 tpd mill
• Gold-bearing skarn
Images courtesy of Int’l Wayside Gold Mines
 Gold Vein Mine

Yellowjacket
Eagle Plains Res & Prize Mining Corp

• Targeted rate of 350 tpd

• Mechanical and electrical delays
reduced throughput
• 2.3 kg gold bar produced
• Resource estimate and drilling
ongoing to identify near-term
production

All photos courtesy of Prize Mining Corporation

 Underground Gold Mines under Development

C
Cassiar
i G Gold
ld (Table Mtn & Taurus)
Hawthorne Gold Corp
• Table Mtn is a past
producer of u/g vein
gold
• 270 tpd mill on site
• To exploit the East
Bain vein

• Taurus bulk sample

stockpiled to
augment feed

• Envision a minimum
of 2 years of
resources Excavation of a ramp to access the East Bain vein
 Underground Gold Mine Exploration

B l
Bralorne
Bralorne Gold Mines Ltd

•BC’s largest historical

gold producer

•Ongoing exploration of
the BK zone
• Two adits underway to
access the zone
• surface drilling
• new veins discovered

Images courtesy of Bralorne Gold Mines Ltd

 Gold Vein Projects in Permitting

Dome Mountain
Metal Mountain Resources Inc
• Application made to re-
open mine
• Early 1990’s production
of 360 kg Au
• 250 tpd mine proposed
• Off-site custom milling
• 2009 activities
• Reserves confirmation
• u/g mapping
• metallurgy
Image courtesy of Metal Mountain Resources Inc.
 Epithermal Gold-Silver

Bl k t Gold
Blackwater G ld
Richfield Ventures Corp
Targeting a bulk-tonnage epithermal gold deposit
• 2009 intercepts:
• 329 m off 1.25
1 25 g/t
/t Au
A
• 207 m of 1.06 g/t Au

• Large program for

2010 planned

Nearby Projects
•Capoose-Silver Trend
(Silver Quest Res.)
•Nechako Blackwater Gold project SW of Vanderhoof
(Endurance Gold Corp)
Image courtesy of Richfield Ventures Corp. website
 Epithermal Gold-Silver? Exploration

H
Homestake
t k Ridge
Rid
Bravo Venture Group

• Extending resource
zones and exploring
th Homestake
the H t k Silver
Sil
zone
•C
Completed
l t d 13 km
k off
drilling
• Main zone
• 2.3 Mt of 7.5 g/t
Au 31 g/t Ag,
Au, Ag
0.27% Cu (Inf.)
 Epithermal Gold-Silver and Massive Sulphide Exploration

T
Treaty
t CCreek
k
American Creek Resources

• Searching for
Eskay-type
mineralization
i li ti
at Treaty Ridge

• Testing
epithermal
gold-silver
ld il
veins at other
zones
Looking across the Treaty glacier
 Polymetallic vein exploration

Y k
Yankee-Dundee
D d
Duncastle Gold Corp
•Past-producer Yankee Girl and Dundee mines in Ymir camp
•Exploring for extensions to previously-mined veins

Yukon ore shoot in Yankee Girl structure a target in 2009

• 4.5 m at 3.4 g/t Au, 84.4 g/t Ag, 1.6 % Pb and 2.6% Zn
 Intrusion-related gold vein Exploration

J
Jumping
i JJosephine
hi
Astral Mining Corporation
• Quartz vein stockwork in
Nelson granite
• Discovered in 2003
• 900 m strike length based on
drilling; up to 4m at 21 g/t Au
• 2.5 km possible strike extent
(geology, geochem, geophys)

• Large geochem program in

2009

• Bulk sample planned in

2010
 Gold vein (porphyry) Exploration

Kenville
ill Gold
G ld Mine
i
Anglo Swiss Resources Inc.
• Part of largest ever contiguous property group in area
• Nelson Mining Camp holdings
• Includes past-producer Granite-Poorman (Au,
(Au Ag
Ag, Cu
Cu, Pb
Pb, Zn)

• U/G and surface drilling, airborne VTEM, in 2009

• Potential for systems at depth (“Deeps”)

High-grade qtz veins hosted by Jurassic Eagle Creek pluton

 Silver-lead-zinc vein Exploration

Sl
Slocan Sil
Silver
Klondike Silver Corp
• Five “camps” in the prolific Slocan district, including Sandon
• 100 tpd Silvana mill at Sandon operational; smelter contract

The Silvana mill Sandon The Silvana Lode

Silvana and Wonderful mines Jackson Basin, Hewitt-Van Roi

•Underground exploration and •Surface exploration
t t mining
test i i
•Extended the Silvana Lode to
west
Sediment-hosted Gold Exploration

Spanish Mountain
Skygold Ventures & Wildrose Res

• Orogenic gold within folded,

highly deformed argillites
• M+I resource 102.3 Mt of
0.79 g/t gold for Main zone
• 2009 work
•infill drill program – targeting a
near-surface higher grade zone
•mineralization extended 350 m
beyond Main zone
•drilled the Spanish Creek property
 Gold Vein Exploration

Mineral Creek
Bitterroot Resources Ltd
• 8600 m drilled
•Tested continuity
y
of Ember vein
• Bulk sampling of
Linda vein

Ember Vein Visible Gold Ball mill & gravity table processing bulk sample
Gold Vein Exploration

Ladner Gold Project

Module Resources Incorporated
•Coquihalla Gold Belt

•Re-habilitation of part of
former Carolin Mine
underground workings
•Testing tailings for
possible
ibl goldld recovery
•Drilling extended
McMaster Zone eastward
Base Metal Massive
Sulphide Targets
 Volcanogenic Massive Sulphide Mines

Myra Falls Operations

NVI Mining (Breakwater Resources Ltd)

• Temporary shut down averted

• New lenses brought
g into
production

• Approx. 1300 tpd processed

2009 Production (in concentrate)

Zn Cu Ag Au
31.5 Kt 3.5 Kt 17,325 kg 440 kg

Port facility near Campbell River

Volcanic Massive Sulphide Development Stopped

Tulsequah
l h Chief
hi f
Redfern Resources
•In receivership, assets
being sold
•$170 million spent on
project
•New airstrip operational
•Equipment barge from
Juneau
•Landing road built
•Mill equipment
purchased
 Sedex Zinc-Lead in Environmental Assessment Process

Ruddock Creek
Imperial Metals Corp.
• Late 2008 introduction to
BC Env. Assessment process
• New E Zone resource
estimate
•N
Numerous zones along
l 5.5
55
km strike length
• Merger of Selkirk Metals
and Imperial Metals
• Surface geology, geophysics
and
d geochemistry
h i iin 2009
Underground viewing of the E Zone
 Volcanic “Massive” Sulphide in Env. Assessment Process

Harper Creek
Yellowhead Mining Inc.
• On hold in Environmental Assessment process
• Indicated resource 538 Mt @ 0.32% copper
• Env. studies,
di d
data compilation,
il i deposit
d i studies
di iin 2009

1cm
Sedex Zinc-Lead Exploration

Akie and Pie

Canada Zinc Metals
•Regional exploration in 2009
• New mineralization identified at GPS
anddB
Breccia
i showings
h i on Pi
Pie property
t
•Akie resource – 23.6 million t @ 7.6%
zinc,, 1.5% lead,, 13 g/t
g Agg

1. Photo courtesy of Canada Zinc Minerals

Volcanogenic Massive Sulphide Exploration

Bodine
Amarc Res. Ltd – Falkirk Res. Corp.

• Generative program in
Sitlika Copper-Zinc belt,
• NW of Prince George
• Drilled down dip from 2008
h l
holes
• Also exploring the Huge
South and Olsen properties

Graphics courtesy of Amarc Resources Ltd

S
Specialty
i lt Metals
M t l
 Iron Skarn Exploration

Pearson
Pacific Iron Ore Corporation
8300 m drilled in
2009
• to expand 7.8 Mt
resource (Inf)
• other targets
(skarn, magmatic
PGE)

Magnetite Iron on Vancouver Island

 Polymetallic

Jersey
y Emerald
Sultan Minerals Inc. (W skarn/Mo porphyry)
(stratabound Pb-Zn)

Was 2nd largest W

BC’s 2nd largest producer in Canada
past-producer of
Pb-Zn New Resource:
• 2.7 Mt @ 0.358% WO3
(M+I)

Acquired HB
Mine property
• BC’s 3rd largest 2009 drilling:
past-producer
of Pb-Zn • Victory
Vi t W property
t
• 4m at 0.76% WO3

• new Lost Creek zone

• extended prospective W
corridor to 7 km in length
 Carbonatite – Tantalum-Niobium Exploration

Blue River
Commerce Resources Corp.

• New Upper Fir Resource

estimate
• Preliminary economic
evaluation, metallurgy,
engineering
i i studies
di
underway
• Also active at Carbo
property NE of Prince
George with Canadian Int.
Minerals

Image courtesy of Commerce Resources Ltd

 Carbonatite - Syenite Breccia – Rare Earth Elements

Wicheeda
Spectrum Mining Corp.
Rare Earth Elements 80 km NE of Prince George
• Stimulated interest
i carbonatites
in b tit andd
syenites along
Rocky Mtn Trench
• Hole 2009-09 : 144
m intercept
• 1.3% Cerium
• 0.64%
Lanthanum
• 0.26%
Neodymium

Location map courtesy of Commerce Resources Corp website

Coal
 Coal Mines

9 Operating Coal Mines

• Produced
21.7 Mt in 2009
Brule

• Southeast BC Perry Creek

• 5 mines
Trend

• Northeast BC Fording River

• 3 mines Greenhills

• Southwest BC Line Creek

Q i
Quinsam Elk i
Elkview

• 1 mine Coal Mountain

 Coal Production 2009
$2.9 Billion Estimated

NE Mines SE Mines SW
 Coal Mines

Q i
Quinsam Coal
C l Mi
Mine
Vitol Anker International B.V.

• New owner
• Thermal coal
• ½ million tpy
• ~ 390,000 t
produced in
2009
• cement plants
and export
market

Vancouver Island’s Undergound Coal Mine

 Coal Exploration

Raven
Compliance Energy Corporation (Comox Joint Venture)

Feasibility study in progress

•9900 m drilled to upgrade
resource
•2 million tpy
•U/G metallurgical
g coal

Entered Env. Assess. process

 Coal Exploration

M
Mount
t Michael
Mi h l
Teck Coal Limited
• Line Creek Phase II Expansion Project
• in-fill rotary drill program
• In the EA process along with Burnt Ridge North
 BC Government
Initiatives

• QUEST-South, new Geoscience surveys

• Northwest Transmission Line – Federal funding
• Revenue sharing with First Nations
• Flow-Through share tax credit extended to 2010
• Exploration tax credit - 20% extended to 2016
• 10% more in Mountain Pine Beetle impacted areas

• Competitive corporate tax rates

• Support the “one project
project, one review” process
 2010 Outlook

• Modestincreaseinmineraloutputfrommine
expansions(likelyhigherforcoal)
• Ongoinginterestfromforeigninvestors
• Buoyantpreciousmetalsexploration
Buoyant precious metals exploration
• Increasedinterestinzincleaddeposits
• Steadyinterestinmolybdenumexploration
• Heightenedawarenessofhightechandindustrial
g g
minerals
 Acknowledgements

Jay
Fredericks
d i k
Vancouver Dave
Lefebure
Victoria

Dave Grieve Paul Wojdak Bruce Northcote Bruce Madu Maybe You?
Cranbrook Smithers Vancouver Kamloops Pr. George
Ministry
y staff at BC booth
and Seymour Room!