Hive took part in an underground drilling campaign at the Red Mountain project in the “Golden Triangle” of British Columbia.
Drill holes had been planned using software to punctuate the projected mineral zones, successfully adding gold ounces to the overall resource model.
Stations were established along a 1.2km underground tunnel with several offshoots, and drilling was then able to proceed in “3-dimensions” to best intercept mineralization.
Working underground presents challenges not experienced on surface, but working with expert contractors made the project a success.
This was drilling to the extreme! Our client site was on a series of steep-sided mountain ridges along ocean inlets on the BC-Alaska border.
Drilling here was logistically complex: everything had to be moved by helicopter, weather was highly changeable, planned pad locations were not suitable upon field inspection, water sources were not forthcoming, a multitude of health and safety considerations … the list goes on.
With careful management and boots-on-the-ground oversight, the subtle nuances that this program demanded were met, and several new ore zones were located in silver-bearing quartz veins, delivering for the client and their shareholders.
At Hive, we are always looking at new technology and how it might be applied to a job. This is especially relevant when we are trying to get “bang for your buck” exploration results, but also when it comes to environmental impacts.
Although drilling itself has a relatively small imprint, the actions of building trails or clearing pads is destructive and can take a long time to regenerate, as well as associated remediation costs.
In Yukon, we have successfully made use of track-mounted RAB drills that do not require infrastructure but can still gather data. The lack of water use also allows these to be used under Class 1 permits for the most part, speeding up understanding of a project.
