Mr. Ehman, Whoooooa, slow down there. You are reading WAAYYYY too much into what I said. I responded to a comment which said that there was virtually NO value in assay. I responded with my opinion that, in a hard rock mining situation, with standard testing methods are employed, there is quite a bit of value in COC, independently verified assays. I NEVER said nor implied that assays were a "be all, end all..." to anything.
I do not disagree with any of your post regarding the value of bulk sampling to determine not only the real cost per ton to extract, which I have posted about previously if you read back a bit, but also to get a clearer idea of the exact, extractable content of the ore.
In any case, Pre-Bre-X, a couple hundred assays could get the stock moving quiet well indeed. However, with that sting still felt in the industry, bulk sampling and real recovery, even on a pilot plant scale, has become a key ingredient in verifiable proof of the content of the deposit for any junior exploration company.
But no matter how you slice it, assays will remain a core element in estimating the size of the reserve. That combined with proven cost per ton and a viable extraction method are the key elements to getting any property on the map.
Tom F. |
