There is always additional value to seeing the bride with her clothes off before you marry. But don't put all your stock in appearances. Try her cooking too.
I have seen deposits that looked easy once stripped. But they defied explanation on drilling. Still it is like a drift, you can sample more closely and learn the structure to a degree. The third dimension is always missing, so it helps to drill vertical sometimes, even if ostensibly you are in a narrow shear zone.
It is temping to ascribe the structure to what you see on the surface. Don't fall for that until much more work is done. Even if there has been some production and allegations of a structure. I have seen miners misinterpret even after mining quite a few tons. Or at least the descriptions can be misleading.
You might be able to get a better handle on grade, assuming surface showings agree with some interpretation of structure that proves true. Closer spaced samples and bulk sampling and metallurgy are always more instructive than drilling.
Rules are:
Trust close channels more than drilling.
Trust bulk samples more than channels.
Also trust cuttings in gold more than core. Never mind what psuedo geos say. Cuttings are more accurate as they have more gold. They cannot concentrate gold and the smearing effect often talked about is minor, and more to the point cannot concentrate gold. Lights will be only marginally more than heavies if at all.
The smaller the field sample in relation to the laboratory sample, the better the accuracy. However in extremely nuggety properties only bulk milling will elucidate grade.
There were I believe 13 mines over one million ounces in Timmins. I don't know all of them, but Broulan, Buffalo Ankerite, Dome, McIntyre, Hollinger, Kinross 1060, Hoyle Pond, Aunor, Paymaster, Preston East Dome, Pamour are 11. Hollinger and McIntyre are together 36 million ounces production at an average grade of 0.39 ounces per short ton.
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