Issue link: http://resourceworld.uberflip.com/i/1125235
10 www.resourceworld.com J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 1 9 O ver 130 million oz. of gold, 800 mil- lion oz of silver and 40 billion lbs of copper have been discovered in the Golden Triangle region of northwest British Columbia and this is only scratching the surface. Some of this wealth came from the famous Eskay Creek Mine that was Canada's highest-grade gold mine and the world's fifth largest silver producer, with produc - tion well in excess of 3 million ounces of gold at 49 g/t and 160 million ounces of sil- ver at a spectacular 2,406 g/t. In addition to the two currently oper- ating mines – Pretium's high-grade, underground Brucejack Mine and the Imperial Metals open pit Red Chris cop- per-gold mine – exploration results by numerous junior explorers have made it clear that the Golden Triangle is metal- rich with further discovery potential. However, finding an economic mineral deposit in the Golden Triangle comes with challenges common to many junior explor - ers and some unique to this region. With most of the southern half of the Golden Triangle characterized by rugged mountains and some locales with no road access, helicopter access is needed. Some infrastructure improvements have made life easier, including the completion of a $700 million high-voltage transmission line to the Golden Triangle. The Northwest Transmission Line goes 335 km from Terrace to Bob Quinn Lake and north to the Red Chris Mine. Then there is the pav - ing of the Stewart-Cassiar Highway north from Smithers (Hwy 37), the opening of ocean port facilities for export of concen- trate in Stewart and the completion of a three-dam, 277 MW hydroelectric facility located 70 km northwest of Stewart. James Pettit, President and CEO of Aben Resources, told Resource World, "The min - eral potential in the Golden Triangle is fantastic based on its history. There have been some of the highest grade discover- ies in the world – Eskay Creek, Snip and Brucejack. There are also some of the largest undeveloped or development-stage copper deposits all within 30 to 50 kilometres of each other and now you're starting to see more. Red Chris is a pretty solid operation. It's really a unique area of the world." Pettit noted that exploration has occurred in cycles in the Golden Triangle. "Back in the old days there was very lit - tle access. After earlier discoveries such as Calpine and Stikine, work stopped because costs were so high and gold prices softened. Then there was a resurgence back in the 90s. Now there is a resur - gence with more infrastructure including a paved highway that runs right through it, plus power and natural gas. Glacial retreats are underway, making a lot more land available." Despite high exploration costs, with the snow melt underway, a number of juniors are at it again this year seeking to either discover a new mineral deposit or to follow up on previous encouraging exploration results. Below is a review of current activi - Huge opportunities with some challenges by Ellsworth Dickson EXPLORING BC'S GOLDEN TRIANGLE