| | | "Are there other companies with large landholdings in the area of NDM's Pebble Creek project?"
The short answer is, I don't think so.
The long answer is twofold. One is that the company that defined the area by aerial surveys - ZTEM -, held it in what was the largest collection of mining claims ever assembled, the Big Chunk Super Project (BCSP), not to be confused with their first claim, simply the Big Chunk project. I think they identified 22 or 23 caldera's, of which about 18 were thought to be highly mineralized, including the one of which Northern Dynasty (ND) holds a small piece. Their story goes back around twenty+ years, which as also around the time of NDs troubles with environmentalists and some politicians. It became a real flashpoint, as you may recall, over concerns that development of NDs mine could damage commercial fishing some distance away in Bristol Bay.
Those concerns stalled any further exploration work in the area. Even NDs investor's pulled out - Mitsui and Sumitomo. Thereafter, no company wanted to make further investments in the area, despite the fact the most of that cluster of calderas do not drain toward Bristol Bay.
Eventually, the holder of the BCSP claims could not afford to keep renewing those claims as they failed to find investors owing to NDs legal issues. The claims were lost and returned to jurisdictions of the US government and Alaska State Lands Commission where I believe they have remained without further interest pending resolution of NDs litigations and requested mining permit.
By the way, NDs Pebble Project is at the southern tip of the land package formerly comprising the BCSP,
Also, the potential in this area was overlooked for years, because glaciation removed the classic signatures of volcanic calderas. And there is good news in that. Glaciation removes most of the overburden and improves access for exploration and adding infrastructure.
I could refer you to the geologist who was behind the BCSP, but he lost the company after developing dementia. He died last year. I was privileged to have known James A. Briscoe on a personal level.
New executives with his company - Liberty Star (LBSR: OTCQB) - have removed volumes of information about BCSP and other intriguing projects of his from the company Web site, including maps. Those may be available from US BLM and Alaska State Lands Commission.
VP in AZ |
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