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In addition to extensive geological mapping, geochemical surveys and induced polarization (IP) surveys, previous owner Cominco (now Teck) undertook ~75,000 feet of drilling in 164 holes from 1988 to 1997. Since 2001, Northern Dynasty and the Pebble Partnership have expanded surface investigations and completed another ~992,500 feet of core drilling in 1036 holes.
In total, the Pebble deposit and surrounding exploration lands have undergone 1,000,000 feet of drilling in ~1,200 holes. That's more than 150 miles of drilling, making Pebble one of the most intensively studied, undeveloped mineral systems in the world.
Core drilling at Pebble is undertaken for a number of purposes, including:
- exploration and delineation holes to define subsurface mineral resources;
- geotechnical holes to support engineering design of mine facilities;
- metallurgical holes to support engineering design of ore processing;
- holes for groundwater monitoring wells.
The January 2010 Pebble mineral resource estimate is based on results from 509 core holes. At a 0.30% copper equivalent (CuEQ) cut-off, total known mineral resources are:
- 5.94 billion tonnes of Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources grading 0.78% CuEQ, containing 55 billion pounds of copper, 67 million ounces of gold, and 3.3 billion pounds of molybdenum; plus
- 4.84 billion tonnes of Inferred Mineral Resources grading 0.53% CuEQ, containing 25.6 billion pounds of copper, 40 million ounces of gold, and 2.3 billion pounds of molybdenum.
Drilling Summary
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