Gold exploration active in northwest's Red Lake district.

• Author: Costea, Thom
• Position: Gold Mining Report

Gold exploration active in northwest's Red Lake district

The Red Lake district of northwestern Ontario is built on a foundation of gold mining and in 1990 the tradition continues.

The district's two producing mines in Balmertown continue to churn out gold, while exploration projects are popping up across the Canadian Shield terrain and diamond drills are spinning accounts for one-third of Canada's gold production and two-thirds of Ontario's output. The Hemlo gold mines east of Thunder Bay have the lion's share, but Red Lake district mines have always been constant producers.

The A.W. White Mine operated by Dickenson Mines and the Campbell-Red Lake Mine operated by Placer Dome have produced more than 9.6 million ounces of gold in Balmertown since 1949. The Campbell-Red Lake Mine is the workhorse, with 262,000 ounces of gold per ton of ore. The Placer Dome mill operates at 1,170 tons per day. Proven and probable reserves are 6.2 million tons grading at .634 ounces per ton.

The Dickenson A.W. White Mine produced 78,000 ounces of gold in 1989 at .31 ounces of gold per ton of ore. Proven reserves are 1.397 million tons at .30 ounces per ton. The mill operates at 900 tons per day.

PROSPECTS

There are prospects for development in the Red Lake district, although no companies have announced they are ready to consider production. A number of properties are being explored near the two producing mines. New underground drilling is ongoing this summer at the Cochenour-Willans Mine which produced 1.2 million ounces gold from 2.3 million tons of ore between 1939 and 1971.

Inco Gold leads a venture with Wilanour Resources, Pronto Exploration and Bob Fasken of Pronto, who has an individual interest at the Cochenour-Willans site. The project has advanced beyond exploration and is now in pre-production activities. Further underground drilling is currently augmenting the 63,000 feet drilled last year, along with 17,000 feet of surface drilling. A bulk sample of about 7,000 tons will be extracted this summer.

"Certainly the bulk sample results will indicate whether any more work will be done here," says site geologist Tim Lloyd.

Underground drilling operations are working from the existing No. One Shaft down to the 2,200-foot level...