HudBay makes rich zinc strike deep below Trout Lake mine

Deep drilling at the Trout Lake mine near Flin Flon, Man., has uncovered another high-grade lens below the current workings. At the 3,050-ft. level, about 920 ft. below the shaft bottom, the new lens returned grades of 22.5% zinc, 2.06% copper and 0.063 oz. gold per ton and 0.89 oz. silver over 98 ft., including 20.6 ft. averaging 47% zinc.

Last November, Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting (TSE), which owns a 44% interest in the mine, announced the discovery of three separate high-grade lenses at the 3,280-ft. level, about 2,132 ft. north of the new lens (T.N.M., Nov 12/90). The richest of these returned 18 ft. grading 22.8% zinc, 8.07% copper, 0.18 oz. gold and 1.72 oz. silver.

The latest hole was intended as a followup to further delineate promising alteration and sulphide mineralization intersected by the earlier drilling. But the two sulphide zones appear to be unconnected, said Alastair Walker, vice- president of exploration for Hudson Bay.

The mine is a joint venture between Hudson Bay, Granges (TSE), which owns 29%, and government-owned Manitoba Mineral Resources, which owns the remaining interest.

Hudson Bay, as operator, is mining the orebody — two main massive and stringer sulphide zones — at a rate of 2,350 tons per day. Reserves stand at 6.6 million tons grading 5.8% zinc, 1.8% copper 0.043 oz. gold and 0.33 oz. silver.

The new zones occur within the same “favorable package of rocks,” as the orebody, Walker said. Underground holes are currently being collared at the 1,840-ft. level, but Walker said the depth potential of the mine horizon is anybody’s guess.

A second hole will test the new zone at about 3,450 ft., but a lot more drilling will be needed before grades and tonnages can be evaluated, the company said.

Recently, Hudson Bay completed a 2,100-ft. shaft on the mine’s North zone. The shaft replaces truck haulage as the primary means of transporting ore to the surface.