Sheesh, Kent, I think Andy is showing his "misunderstanding" about VB by writing:
>>This drill intersection is the most significant in the Voisey's Bay
area since Diamond Fields hit the now famous ovoid in 1994. (Andrew Muir, Canaccord Research).<<
I guess Andy never heard about Eastern Deeps or Western Extension or Western Deeps etc. I'm guessing 97-96 was "most significant" for Canaccord .
Most mining people know the "+100-meter-thick-Ovoid" wasn't hit until January 1995 (with DDH-7); the then uneconomic "mini-Ovoid" which was discovered in October-1994 (DDH-2) intercepted 33.2 meters of massive and 8 meters of semi-massive mineralization which averaged 2.96% Ni, 1,89% Cu, and 0.16% Co.
Teck-Donner-NAI are to be congratulated for intercepting +15 meters of massive sulfides at the base of their HL troctolite. Sadly, it appears to me they apparently had to release intercepts WITHOUT grades because their drilling personnel(?) could NOT keep drilling information confidential. (FYI, in most mining companies such an un-professional drilling (or geological/management?) staff would be fired for such a sorry spectacle. I don't think my old buddy Harvey is too happy right now with some the staff he's inherited.)
Vaughn, I agree with some of your comments: when assays are finally released from DDH-97-96, grades closer to 97-67 will most likely be acquired--more like 1-to-2% Ni, but 3-to-4% Ni is possible for such "low-R-Value" mafic-rocks like Harp Lake (and Reid Brook) troctolites. However, I think Walt was right, it is unlikely that 30 million tons of even 4% Ni and 4% copper would be open pitable (or economic even with underground techniques) at depths below 150 meters at Harp Lake.
You must keep in mind that DFR's +30-million-ton, 3.7%-Ni Ovoid in 1995 was barely economic because of the severe infrastructure we faced near Nain (yup, DFR had some very "nervous" metallurgists & engineers in May-95, ha, ha)--it was actually our later geophysical discoveries at Western Extension and then Eastern Deeps which made the Ovoid and Mini-Ovoid orebodies very economic to mine.
Harp Lake has even worse infrastructure since the mineralization is deeper (than the very shallow Ovoid being 10 meters beneath "till") and any HL ore probably will be shipped farther to reach any deep-water ports. (At VB, INCO plans to ship from Anaktalik Bay which is about 8 km north of the Ovoid.) Having INCO's VB complex 90 km to the north does help the economics for any Harp Lake mineralization, though. (Another side-note: SVB is also apparently closer to the Innu nation; and the Innu are much more "aggressive" aboriginal-rights negotiators IMO than the Inuit. Both DFR and INCO learned that aboriginal land-claims can affect the economics severely.)
Ed, you've done a great job on this Donner board. Happy Holidays and good luck to all on your investments. Hopefully, Teck-Donner-NAI will follow up 97-96 with some in-fill holes to prove up ore-grade tonnages.
Best Regards, T. |
