Global projects and exploration
in the pipeline on 29 March 2018. This leak of non-
hazardous iron ore slurry was stopped within eight
minutes and caused no disruption to local water
supply. It occurred in close proximity to a similar
leak on 12 March, near a pumping station.
Specialised technical equipment will now be used
to identify any other areas of potential weakness
within the pipeline. Due to the length of the
pipeline and the priority of ensuring the protection
of the natural environment, the current expectation
is that it will take approximately 90 days for the
full inspection to be completed, during which time
operations at Minas-Rio will remain suspended.
Spain
Results reflect high gold grades
Assay results from an initial reconnaissance
programme at Apollo Minerals’ Aurenere Project
in Spain returned high-grade gold of up to 33.90
grams per tonne (g/t) and high-grade tungsten
up to 5.49% WO3, from rock samples. Apollo
Minerals recently announced the acquisition of a
75% interest in NeoMetal, which holds the rights
to the Aurenere Project.
Late last year, an initial reconnaissance field
programme was carried out by NeoMetal over an
outcrop of pyrrhotite-rich skarn in the north-
east of the project area. Having announced the
acquisition of its interest in the project, Apollo
Minerals has been able to verify the results from
the NeoMetal field programme.
The Aurenere Project is contiguous with the
company’s Couflens Project in neighbouring
France, and provides an extension of strike along a
highly prospective corridor for tungsten and gold.
Recent field campaigns at the Couflens Project
have highlighted significant potential for shear-
hosted gold mineralisation to be associated with
large fault structures extending to the west of the
Salau Mine area towards the Aurenere Project.
Global
Drilling company Boart Longyear has expanded its
international drilling fleet.
Riggs for expanding exploration
budgets
The expansion of drilling company
Boart Longyear’s international drilling
services fleet is a good indication
that mining companies are starting to
invest more in exploration projects.
Boart Longyear has deployed new drilling rigs in
Chile and the US.
In Chile, a brand new LF160 top-drive
coring rig is being added to a current
customer project where two LF160
rigs are already working on site. The
operations team in the US is also adding
two LF160 rigs, and a brand new LF350e
rig. The LF350e is the latest deep-coring
surface rig that can reach up to a depth
of 3 360m.
Also in the US, the Boart Longyear
engineers and technical services group
are working on several up-fitting
projects, including adding a rod loader
to an LRTM90, a large rotary rig, and
putting remote controls on an LR90H
large rotary horizontal rig to add drilling
controls to a trailer that can be as far
away as 30.5m — a big safety benefit
to move drillers away from high-walls.
In Africa, the company is purchasing
two new Schramm T685WS rigs for
multipurpose drilling applications,
including exploration, and adding two
LF230 surface coring drill rigs.
JUNE 2018 MINING MIRROR
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