Feb 23 2011
Pretium Resources Inc. (TSX:PVG) has reported mineral resources at its wholly-owned Snowfield Project of 25.9 million ounces of Measured and Indicated gold resources and 9.0 million ounces of Inferred gold resources at a cut-off grade of 0.30 grams of gold-equivalent per tonne. The Snowfield Project is located 65 kilometers north of the town of Stewart, British Columbia.
Silver, copper, molybdenum and rhenium mineral resources at the Snowfield Project now total:
- Silver resources of 75.8 million ounces of Measured and Indicated resources and 51.0 million ounces of Inferred resources;
- Copper resources of 2.98 billion pounds of Measured and Indicated resources and 1.10 billion pounds of Inferred resources;
- Molybdenum resources of 258.3 million pounds of Measured and Indicated resources and 127.7 million pounds of Inferred resources; and
- Rhenium resources of 22.5 million ounces of Measured and Indicated resources and 11.5 million ounces of Inferred resources.
Snowfield and Brucejack
With the mineral resource estimate for Snowfield and the recently announced mineral resource estimate for the Brucejack Project (see news release dated February 22, 2011), bulk-tonnage gold and silver mineral resources have increased by 33% and 64%, respectively, at the combined project. Measured and Indicated resources increased to 34.1 million ounces of gold and 191.9 million ounces of silver and Inferred resources increased to 21.7 million ounces of gold and 202.2 million ounces of silver (at a cutoff grade of 0.30 grams of gold-equivalent per tonne).
Exploration expenditures at the Snowfield and Brucejack Projects during 2010 totaled approximately $21.5 million. This translates to finding costs of $1.26 per ounce of gold-equivalent or $0.028 per ounce of silver-equivalent (equivalent based on gold and silver only and a gold/silver ratio of 45).
Grade and tonnage estimates within the 0.3 grams of gold equivalent per tonne optimized pit shell at a cut-off grade of 0.5 grams of gold-equivalent per tonne contain 25.2 million ounces of Measured and Indicated gold resources and 6.8 million ounces of Inferred gold resources:
Grade and tonnage estimates within the 0.3 grams of gold equivalent per tonne optimized pit shell at a cut-off grade of 1.5 grams of gold-equivalent per tonne contain 4.4 million ounces of Measured and Indicated gold resources and 275 thousand ounces of Inferred gold resources:
The above mineral resource estimates were prepared by Eugene Puritch, P.Eng., F.H. Brown, M.Sc. (Eng.), CPG Pr.Sci.Nat., and Antoine Yassa, P.Geo., of P&E Mining Consultants Inc. ("P&E") of Brampton, Ontario, independent qualified persons, as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Puritch and Brown have reviewed and approved the contents of this news release.
The Snowfield Project resources were estimated from 192 drill holes completed by Silver Standard Resources Inc. totaling 76.4 km in length. Grade capping levels were derived for each resource domain from examination of probability and capping graphs. Bulk density values were derived from a total of 601 measurements and applied per lithological unit. The Snowfield Project mineral resource estimate is contained within a volume of 15,520 million m3.
Engineering Studies
With the significant increase in bulk-tonnage resources and the definition of a high-grade resource at the Brucejack Project, Pretivm is assessing various alternatives for advancing the combined projects to pre-feasibility. Pretivm has initiated a preliminary economic assessment examining the economics of a higher grade mining operation at the Brucejack Project, which is expected to be completed in the third quarter of this year. Concurrently, engineering studies will be advanced to optimize economics of the Snowfield Project.
Source: Pretium Resources Inc.