Variation of gold content with depth in the San Antonio gold mine

CIM Bulletin, Vol. 83, No. 941, 1990

B.H. Whiting, Lynx Geosystems Inc., Vancouver, British Columbia, and A.J. Sinclair, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia

The San Antonio gold mine, in the Archean Rice Lake Greenstone Belt, was in continuous production from 1932 to 1968, during which period the mine yielded 1.35 million ounces (41 985 kg) of gold and 195,000 ounces (6065 kg) of silver from 4.88 million tons (4.44 Mt) of ore for average grades of 0.28 ounces per ton (9.0 g/t) gold and 0.04 ounces per ton (1.3 g/t) silver. After the 1968 closure, several publications appeared implying that gold grade of ore decreased with increasing depth. Recent observations by the authors show that the relatively low grades in the middle levels of the mine are controlled geologically. However, the reduced average ore grade in the lower levels of the mine was due to inadequate mining control that led to a high level of dilution. The similarity of geological factors such as vein styles within structural domains, variations in mining control, recent ore muck sampling results and lithogeochemical profiles all indicate the similarity of ore in both upper and lower levels. Strict mining control should yield improved grades of gold for future production from the lower levels at San Antonio, in contrast with the production grades of the late 1960s that represented extensively diluted ore. High-quality production records are an essential component in re-evaluating a past producer, particularly where workings are accessible. Poorly founded conclusions which cannot be checked by access to workings can have a negative impact on the evaluation procedure.

Mots Clés: Gold mineralization, San Antonio gold mine, Archean, Veining styles, Structural domains, Mining control, Rice Lake Greenstone Belt.