COAL - Usibelli Coal Mine in Healy July 24 reported it achieved a one-year safety record of no lost-time injuries. The record extends from May 30, 2007 to the present. UCM’s 95 employees collectively have achieved in excess of 420 days of continuous operations without a lost time-injury.
GOLD - Tyhee Development Corp. July 28 said it submitted a revised Project Description Report for its Yellowknife Gold Project to the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board. The submission envisions a combined open-pit and underground mining operation delivering to a centrally-located mill adjacent to the Ormsby Zone. Due to changes in the project’s operational parameters the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board and the Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board advised Tyhree to submit the revised report in place of the application submitted in March 2005. It is expected that once the MVEIRB holds scoping sessions and issues terms of reference for the Developers Assessment Report, Tyhee could then be in a position to prepare the DAR for submission early in 2009.
DIAMOND - Diavik Diamond Mines Inc. the operator of the Diavik Diamond Mine July 25 reported that ore production accelerated in the second quarter due to improved operating conditions. Ore was mined predominantly from the A154 South kimberlite pipe, with smaller tonnages mined from the A154 North and A418 pipes resulted in 2.522 million carats of diamonds being recovered during the quarter, 23 per cent below the same quarter of 2007. Diamond production is now forecast to be from 10 million to 10.5 million carats in 2008. Diavik said work continues to prepare the mine site for underground mining. Below surface, tunneling work has now passed 8 kilometers. Underground mining is projected to begin in 2009 and to replace open-pit mining by 2012.
URANIUM - Alberta Star Development Corp., July 28 said it has successfully mobilized a drilling rig, drilling equipment, drilling personnel and has commenced its 2008 drill program at its Eldorado and Contact Lake iron oxide-copper-gold and uranium projects in the Northwest Territories. The company said geophysical surveys performed in July 2007 identified several large radiometric anomalies of up to 3.5 kilometers long and suggests a potential near surface uranium target at the Eldorado South iron oxide-copper-gold and uranium claims. Alberta Star says these large uranium anomalies have never been explored or drill-tested and will be an important focus during its 2008 drill program.
GOLD - Yukon-Nevada Gold Corp. July 30 reported significant new intercepts were encountered in drilling in the Peel, Tarn, and Break targets within the Manto Zone at the Ketza River property in Yukon Territory. Highlights of the drilling include 14.47 meters grading 8.95 grams per metric ton gold, including an interval of 2.4 meters at 15.16 g/t gold at a depth of just 32 meters in the Peel Target. In addition, one drill hole in the Tarn Target intercepted 3.05 meters of 13.25 g/t gold at a depth of just 11 meters. The diamond drill holes were completed between May 3 and June 9, with two drill rigs and for which assay reports were received between July 1 and July 27. Additional drilling has been targeted within known resource areas as part of pit planning and an effort to upgrade the quality of the Ketza River Project resources, the company said. To date 22,104 meters from 170 holes have been drilled in 2008.
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