Scientists studying structural history at Con and Giant mines
Sarah Holland
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Dec 06/00) - The effort to boost mining in the Yellowknife area is alive and well.
That effort has been largely due to the EXTECH III (Exploration Science and Technology) project, which was initiated in 1998 by the GNWT, Natural Resources Canada -- Geological Survey of Canada, the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, as well as members of private industry.
James Siddorn, a researcher with the project, is studying the relationship between Con and Giant mines.
Siddon's research involves gathering geological information about the two mines for future use as well as searching for more economically-viable ore.
"We're getting a better handle on the geometry at Giant," said Siddorn, a structural geologist and PhD student at the University of Toronto, who made a presentation at the recent Geosciences Forum in Yellowknife.
"We're still trying to fully understand what's happening there. If we want to understand why there's no gold below 600 metres at Giant, yet Con has gold down to 2,000 metres, we need to understand the structural history of both mines."
One way Siddorn is doing this is by creating a computerized 3-D model of the two deposits with the help of Garth Kirkham, a geophysicist in Vancouver.
Siddorn says the rock is about 2.6 billion years old at both mines, "a common age for gold mineralization throughout the world," he said. He has also been studying the timing of the mineralization, basically when gold formed, in both mines.
"If we can look at other processes going on at the time of mineralization, it can help us to look for new deposits in the area. If we see a similar situation (in terms of geology), maybe we can find another gold deposit," said Siddorn.
No one can say what the future holds for either Con or Giant mine, but there is hope.
"If Giant shuts down, it's not necessarily permanent," said Siddorn. "It is possible to find gold where a lot of exploration has already been done. But even if it is shut down, we've been building information that can be useful."
