Benchmark highlighted the results, saying the mineralization is increasing with high gold grades occurring within the high-grade bulk tonnage zones (30.5 metres at 8.96 g/t gold and 233.04 g/t silver, including 15.2 metres at 17.59 g/t gold and 454.33 g/t silver). There is also excellent continuity of infill and expansion drilling within the Cliff Creek North zone (531 metres at 1.24 g/t gold and 17.73 g/t silver, including 6.4 metres at 2.51 g/t gold and 54.94 g/t silver).
The new drill results show significant potential for expansion with the high grades occurring along the rim of the pit shell modelled in 2021, said Benchmark. The resource estimate within the pit shell (using a 0.5 g/t gold-equivalent cutoff grade) includes 40 million indicated tonnes grading 1.18 g/t gold and 38.1 g/t silver and 15 million inferred tonnes at 0.96 g/t gold and 25.1 g/t silver.
The Cliff Creek North zone is open along strike and below 550 vertical metres, which suggests that underground mining may be appropriate as well as open pit production. The out-of-pit resource includes 333,000 indicated tonnes grading 3.24 g/t gold and 110.1 g/t silver (using a 2 g/t gold-equivalent cutoff), plus 1.2 million inferred tonnes at 4.03 g/t gold and 152.3 g/t silver.
The total resources at the Lawyers project contain 1.5 million oz. gold and 50.2 million oz. silver in the indicated portion and 620,000 oz. gold and 18.1 million oz. silver in the inferred portion.
Benchmark completed a C$30 million flow-through share offering last year to fund work at the Lawyers project. The company hopes to outline 3+ million oz. contained gold and silver at the Lawyers project.
(This article first appeared in the Canadian Mining Journal)
