Coring Magazine Issue 14

PROFESSIONAL TO THE CORE

Issue 14

Drilling

Exploration & Mining Geology

November 2020

21 Questions // Grenville Whyte, Drilling Professional

Q&A from the Experts // Dr John-Mark Staude, CEO & President at Riverside Resources Inc.

In Focus // Global Drilling & Exploration Group ISSN 2367-847X www.coringmagazine.com

More Inside // Recommended and Legal Depth Capacity of Drill Rigs

Explorat ion

D ia mond

Issue Special: Mining in Mexico // The True Nature of Discovery; Mexican Silver Miners and Explorers Return to Operations as Precious Metal Prices Soar

D r i l l i ng

Table Contents /NEWS & EVENTS

/DRILL RIG INNOVATIONS

5

24 Swick Mining Services: Precision beneath the surface

by Nick Rossides, General Manager Operations - Global, Swick Mining Services

The latest in the industry

/21 QUESTIONS 8

Exclusive interview: Grigor Topev, Editor in Chief at Coring Magazine in conversation with Grenville Whyte, Drilling Professional

/IN FOCUS 14

Global Drilling & Exploration Group: Grounded in South-East Asia, but ready to take on the world

by John Horne, Founder and Co-Owner

/FIELD INNOVATIONS 28 Safer, cleaner and more efficient diamond drilling

by RaĂşl G. Lyon, Vice President at Geotec Boyles Bros. S.A.

/PRODUCT REVIEW 32

Lantern introduces new tools to help drillers, mining & exploration companies work better, together

by Andre Sonnichsen, CTO at Lantern

/PAID ADVERTORIAL 34 Explore the difference with RX-4 Son-Mak: keep doing the best, proudly

50 The Platosa mine remains a strong performer for Excellon Resources after COVID-19 by Esme Whitehouse, Junior Mining Researcher at Spotlight Mining 52

Mexican silver miners and explorers return to operations as precious metal prices soar

by Nicholas LePan, Natural Resources Editor at Visual Capitalist

/CATALOG 58 Diamond drilling services 60 Drilling equipment & accessories

/STATISTICAL REVIEW

65 Survey equipment

36 State of the market: Mining Q2-2020; Understand COVID-19 impacts: Metals & mining sector

by S&P Global Market Intelligence

66 Miscellaneous

/DRILL RIGS CAPACITIES

/EXPLORATION & MINING GEOLOGY

20 Recommended and legal depth capacity of drill rigs by Colin Rice, Managing Director at Colin Rice Exploration and Training (Pty) Ltd.

43 Q&A from the experts: Timothy Strong in conversation with Dr John-Mark Staude, President & CEO at Riverside Resources Inc. 46 The true nature of discovery

by Doug Ramshaw, President at Minera Alamos Inc.

/AUTHORS

Authors in this Issue Grenville Whyte Drilling Professional

Nick Rossides General Manager Operations - Global, Swick Mining Services

Doug Ramshaw President at Minera Alamos Inc.

John Horne Founder and CoOwner of Global Drilling & Exploration Group Pte Ltdtd

Raúl G. Lyon Vice President at Geotec Boyles Bros. S.A.

Esme Whitehouse Junior Mining Researcher at Spotlight Mining

Colin Rice Managing Director at Colin Rice Exploration and Training (Pty) Ltd.

Dr John-Mark Staude President & CEO at Riverside Resources Inc.

Nicholas LePan Natural Resources Editor at Visual Capitalist

CORING MAGAZINE November 2020 Cover photo

Global Drilling & Exploration Group Pte Ltd Issue 14 ISSN 2367-847X Not for resale. Subscribe: www.coringmagazine.com/subscribe

Contact Us Coring Media Ltd. 119B D. Petkov Str., Sofia 1309, Bulgaria Phone +359 88 953 2653 Email editorial@coringmagazine.com Website coringmagazine.com

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Publisher Coring Media Editor in Chief Grigor Topev Executive Officer & Editor Martina Samarova Editor Maksim M. Mayer Section Editor – Exploration & Mining Geology Timothy Strong Digital Marketing Manager Elena Dorfman Graphic Design Cog Graphics Printed by Dedrax Printing House

Coring Magazine is an international triannual title serving the exploration core drilling industry. Published in print and digital formats, Coring has a rapidly growing readership that includes diamond drilling contractors, drilling manufacturers and suppliers, service companies, mineral exploration companies and departments, geologists, and many others involved in exploration core drilling.

Launched in late 2015, Coring aims to provide a fresh perspective on the sector by sourcing authentic, informed and quality commentary direct from those working in the field. With regular interviews, insightful company profiles, detailed product reviews, field-practice tips and illustrated case studies of the world’s most unique diamond drilling and mineral exploration projects, Coring provides a platform for learning about the industry’s exciting developments.

Coring Magazine #14

/NEWS & EVENTS

The Latest in the Industry

October, 2020

July, 2020

First Drilling expands its fleet with a new deep hole drill

Major Drilling and Alianza Minerals partner at the Horsethief Gold Mine, Nevada

First Drilling, an American drilling company, announced the

Major Drilling is partnering with Alianza Minerals at the Horsethief Gold Property 25 km (16 mi) east of Pioche, Nevada. Results from six completed drill holes total 1770 m (5805 ft) of reverse-circulation drilling. Pioche, a historic site of old American discovery, is once again a base camp for mineral exploration.

‘We are pleased with our progress at Horsethief with our first drilltest of the property,’ Jason Weber, President and CEO of Alianza, said.

‘Our crews from Big Rock Exploration and Major Drilling have done a great job executing the program, especially as we all adapt to operate safely in light of the current health crisis.’

Drilling at Horsethief follows a successful program that included detailed mapping with geology consistent with other deposits in the region, such as the Long Canyon Gold Mine. Major Drilling equipment and crews at the Horsethief gold project have completed six holes, with five reaching target depth using Schramm 455 rigs.

The drilling team added a second shift to bolster Alianza plans to complete up to 3000 m (9842.5 ft) of drilling in up to ten holes at the Horsethief property.

Read more: www.majordrilling.com/news/

commissioning of an Epiroc CT-20 to expand its diamond drill fleet.

The track-mounted deep hole capacity rig completed commissioning in October, 2020 and is working at a Northern Nevada exploration project. First Drilling offers a wide range of specialty drilling, and this newcomer complements the fleet with over 5000 ft (1524 m) H-size depth capacity and 8000 ft (2438.4 m) N-size capacity.

‘Our best in class, highly-experienced team, combined with a powerful deep hole rig brings to our customers the solutions they are seeking,’ said Kyle Rhoderick, CEO of First Drilling. ‘We are absolutely committed to safety, productivity and innovation and with this new machine in our fleet, we can take on deeper holes and bigger core diameters without compromising on the key deliverables our customers need, ensuring those precious exploration dollars are delivering real results’ added Mr Rhoderick.

Read more: www.firstdrilling.com/2020/10/

Drillers’ trusted publication

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/NEWS & EVENTS

The Latest in the Industry

August, 2020

November, 2020

Navarre Minerals drilling programs continue during COVID-19 restrictions

PDAC 2021 goes virtual

Navarre Minerals (ASX: NML), an Australian-based resources company, announced that, despite the restrictions of COVID-19 lockdown, drilling will continue on a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week program in the Resolution Lode, within the Stawell Corridor gold project in Victoria, Australia.

‘The company continues to take the steps necessary to protect the wellbeing of those who work with us and for us,’ said Navarre’s managing director Geoff McDermott.

The Stawell Corridor is an extension of a corridor of rocks that host the historical Stawell (5 million ounce/ 141 747.6 kg) and Ararat (1 Moz) goldfields, where there is an ongoing 9000 m (29 527.6 ft) core drilling project, which continues scoping the depth potential of the 1.6 km (1 mi) long Resolution Lode. Navarre is also planning to have four drilling rigs in operation and geophysics surveys are set to begin at the recently acquired Jubilee gold project in south-eastern Victoria ahead of a drilling program scheduled for the December quarter.

Read more: www.navarre.com.au/asx-announcements/ 6

The Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) announced that its annual convention will be entirely virtual in 2021 for the first time in its 89-year history.

The decision comes in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, as the virtual event offers a safer and innovative solution for the industry to access the opportunities that are traditionally provided in-person during the convention in Toronto. The event will take place from March 8 to March 11, 2021.

‘We are excited to adapt the PDAC Convention by offering a fully virtual experience to participants for the first time,’ said PDAC Executive Director, Lisa McDonald. ‘The PDAC Convention plays a vital role in keeping the global mineral exploration and mining community connected, and that is more important than ever as our members, exhibitors, sponsors, attendees and partners overcome challenges presented by the global health crisis.’

The virtual PDAC convention promises bigger audiences and more connections from all over the world, as well as various interactive presentations, demonstrations and more opportunities to communicate with businesses and colleagues.

Coring Magazine is proud to be amongst the media partners of PDAC 2021 and shall provide the traditional event coverage. Additionally, for the first time, Coring will feature a virtual booth for guests and partners.

Register for PDAC 2021: www.pdac.ca/convention/registration Coring Magazine #14

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/21 QUESTIONS

Exclusive interview with

Grenville Whyte

questions

Drilling Professional

Grenville Whyte was raised in an off-thegrid homestead near Kirkland Lake, Ontario.

He was the third child of four and back then, the implementation of school buses saved him from being home-schooled.

In 1960, he wanted to go to the Arctic and a suggestion from his teacher helped him land a mechanic’s job there.

Just a year later Whyte found himself working for Heath and Sherwood Drilling (‘H&S Drilling’). This ultimately led to his 60-year long career in drilling.

Whyte and five of his colleagues bought the company in 1986 and ran it until 2002 when Cabo Drilling Corp. purchased it.

With Whyte on board, Heath and Sherwood was the first to develop and implement slim-hole drilling and to this day holds the record for setting up the deepest wedge. The company supported Northern College and driller training courses for surface and underground diamond drilling helpers and operators.

During his career, Whyte has worked on drill sites across the entire world.

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Grigor Topev: How and why did you choose to pursue a career in drilling?

Grenville Whyte: During my high school years, I specialized in Auto Mechanics but longed to see the Arctic. My auto teacher suggested that I contact a local company that had many projects there. I took Mr O’Keefe’s advice and did just that. They hired me immediately and put me on a mechanics apprenticeship on May 1, 1960. I became a journeyman licensed mechanic, as soon as I completed it.

GT: Tell us the highlights of your career with Heath & Sherwood Drilling.

GW: H&S Drilling was doing a lot of work for Labrador Mining in the Labrador City and Schefferville, Quebec areas. So, in 1961, I went to the Labrador City area to help build camps, maintain four drill rigs, and operate an on-site dozer for drill moves for a period of six to seven months straight. Afterward, I went to Panama with field supervisor Nick Roman to assess a project and refurbish drill rigs owned by the mining company.

During these periods, I would go back up north and work at Fort Chimo. Our base was Schefferville, a few air miles south of there. We stayed in a tent camp, an hour’s flight north of Chimo.

I went there in late March 1964 and came back home in early November, got married, but kept traveling to the drilling areas.

In the following years, I spent time as a field mechanic throughout Canada. I moved up to shop and field supervisor for all mechanical projects and then to managing field and shop operations domestically and overseas.

In 1986, six of us employees, including myself, Jim Savage, Andy Attwater, John Halsall, Blaine Pullen and Brad Pullen got together with some investors, purchased the company, and named it Heath & Sherwood Drilling (1986) Inc. We ran it until 2002 when Cabo Drilling bought it and has been operating it ever since under the same name.

Coring Magazine #14

GT: You have 60 years of experience in the drilling industry. What is your most memorable drilling experience so far?

GW: During my 60 years in the drilling industry all with the same company, but under different ownership, I spent time in every Canadian province and many American states, plus quite a number of overseas and South American countries around the world, such as Peru, Colombia, Panama, Venezuela, Honduras, Liberia, India, Spain, France, England, Albania, The Dominican Republic, Cuba, Mexico.

Once, H&S Drilling was contacted by the Canadian company Bectel that requested a technician to travel to Liberia and assess a property for Liberian Iron and Steel. I was selected and met with Moe Molesky of Bectel to do the project. All went well and I laid out what could be done on this property.

Previous attempts included heli- and man-portable drills, however, I suggested an overland scenario and as a result, the contract was awarded to H&S Drilling. I was on the project but came home for Christmas.

Liberia is a very homogeneous country with very strict laws so crimes, such as accidents or disputes, were often punishable by death, especially if there was a foreigner involved.

On New Year’s Day, our company owner contacted me to inform me that one of our drillers was in serious trouble, as it was suspected that he may have been involved in a murder at the local village. I jumped on a plane and got over there immediately. The driller turned out to be absolutely innocent, so I got him out of the camp and back to the capital city Monrovia but had to help him get a visa and leave the country.

I made arrangements to meet with a representative of the government. I went there and found myself surrounded by armed guards that escorted me to the high official’s office in a disrespectful manner. Apart from more guards, all I could see there was the high official, sitting in a large black leather chair. With sweat running down my back, I put my hand out for a handshake and said, ‘How are you, sir, I am Mr Whyte’. There, for the first time in my life, I wished for a different last name. He got a strange grin and stood up, shook my hand and said, ‘Pleased to meet you, my name is Mr Brown’. I must have gone into a shock, so he spoke again, ‘No, Mr Whyte, my name is really Mr Brown’.

There was a bit of a chuckle, then he told the guards to return to their posts and we started a friendly conversation. He approved the exit visa for our driller, so I successfully got him out of the country.

Drillers’ trusted publication

GT: Can you tell us more about H&S Drilling back then, their most important expansion and how they commenced working internationally?

GW: H&S Drilling was formed in 1927 by Mr Heath and Mr Sherwood with the first machine shop and service center for drillers.

The machine shop spawned to support the diamond drilling surface and underground division, making everything from rods to wedges. They separated into two companies in 1951 - one of them focused on diamond drilling and the other on manufacturing.

After one of the owners, Mr Heath, passed away in 1953 Mr Jack McBean, Chief geologist at Upper Canada Mine, bought the drilling division. He managed to secure a surface drilling contract in Sudbury for Inco. This was a chance for expansion as they had already moved into overseas work. All progressed well until things like the Inco strike and oil glut hit in the early 80s.

Meanwhile, H&S Drilling worked on other projects, such as a lumber sawmill at Harwood Lake, a John Deere Tractor dealership, and Jamar Plywood Factory in Kirkland Lake.

The company’s machine shop and manufacturing facility were sold off to another group and they still continue operating to this day under the name Heath & Sherwood (1964) Limited. Over the years, we worked closely as they grew into a wordwide business.

‘During my 60 years in the drilling industry all with the same company, but under different ownership, I spent time in every Canadian province and many American states, plus quite a number of overseas and South American countries around the world, such as Peru, Colombia, Panama, Venezuela, Honduras, Liberia, India, Spain, France, England, Albania, The Dominican Republic, Cuba, Mexico.’

GT: H&S Drilling spent many years working on a major project at Little Cornwallis Island. Can you tell us more about the history of that mining property?

GW: Cornwallis Island was historically a home to the most poleward base-metal mine in the world. It was famous for the vast concentration of zinc and lead deposits discovered there.

Mr Jack McBean, the owner of H&S Drilling, had invested money in a property, located on the island. As I understood, he either optioned or sold it to Cominco Mining, which developed it into an operating mine, with H&S Drilling doing the exploration and definition drilling for the project. H&S Drilling transported their drilling equipment and left it on the island for years. Every spring a team would go there to drill and stay until winter.

The property was a ramp type mine with living accommodations and its own shipyard for transporting the ore by ocean freight each summer.

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/21 QUESTIONS

I myself never got the opportunity to visit this project, but I did arrange for repairs and shipments to the site.

GT: At a certain point, H&S Drilling had over 45 drills working only for Inco Mining in Sudbury (purchased by Vale in 2006). Please expand on that fact.

GW: There was an opportunity to purchase a drilling company in Sudbury that had already worked with Inco. H&S Drilling, having larger drills, was able to drill deeper holes and started using taller steel derricks on their rigs with 40 to 50 ft (12 to 15 m) rod pulls to hasten production. The holes were navigated with the use of standard steel wedges being modified at different times.

One of the senior field supervisors was in touch with an Australian firm that was working on a retrievable wedge, which he dug into. Inco got very interested and helped

out in getting these wedges for H&S Drilling.

A lot of people worked together to perfect the wedges that saved Inco loads of money and gave them the option of getting more information from the drill holes. During this period wireline core drilling was also introduced which made a huge difference on daily production.

H&S Drilling was also doing underground core drilling for many of the gold mines around the area. With this expansion, they opted to get into underground drilling with Inco in Sudbury as we already had 10 to 15 surface drills there and a service shop.

H&S Drilling Manufacturing was building the HS-45 drills, so they made some of those electrically powered. They also used air-powered drills and purchased some JKS Boyles wireline drills and converted them to electric.

GT: H&S Drilling’s engineering division was the first to develop and implement the innovative slim-hole drilling.

Tell us more about the diamond drill rods that were specially developed for slimhole drilling back then?

GW: The drill rods at that time were wireline, but could not handle the depths required.

Therefore, the engineers came up with an aluminum rod that had steel joiner couplings.

These couplings were locked into the aluminum rods with a locking compound so the coupling would not unscrew from the aluminum.

The rods had a thicker wall, so you would drill N-size core with an H-size diameter drill rod. Due to not being able to put downforce on the aluminum rods, the first thousand feet of hole were drilled with the standard configuration of rods made from good quality steel tubing. This gave the drillers sufficient

Working on a drilling project in Colombia 10

Coring Magazine #14

weight for the drill bit at shallow depths.

The rods would be pulled from the drill hole in 60 ft (18 m) lengths and stacked in the 90 ft (27.5 m) high steel tower.

At about the same time, there was a labor dispute with Inco in Sudbury and a strike took place shutting down operations. This was a huge blow to H&S Drilling. The strike ended but part of the settlement was that all Inco drilling had to be done by their employees and no contractors could be onsite. As a result, Inco purchased some of the H&S Drilling drill equipment at about the same time the oil glut hit, and the exploration for oil came to a standstill, leaving these deep hole rigs sitting idle.

H&S Drilling sold its operations facility in Sudbury and moved back to Kirkland Lake.

Meanwhile, Gold Fields in South Africa wanted to start drilling deeper expecting to find more resources. This project went on for a few years. One of their drill holes was drilled to a depth of 17 791 ft (5422.7 m), which still holds a world record for being the deepest wireline core drill hole. Later, this division was sold off in South Africa.

GT: Tell us more about the famous HS-150 drill rig?

GW: The HS-150 drill rig was a completely new design, completely hydrostatic and controlled by the operator from a console on the drill platform floor. It was truly a deep hole drill rig, used for slim hole oil well drilling. The drill head was powered by a hydraulic motor and raised and lowered by the main hoist. The tower was 90 ft (27.5 m) high and pulled rods in 60 ft (18 m) stands.

Core barrel lengths were determined by ground conditions and varied from 10 to 60 ft (3 to 18 m).

The oil companies used these rigs in Jamaica, Newfoundland, Gaspe and at different locations in the High Arctic.

They were completely heli-portable and the working platform was 12 ft (3.5 m) high from the ground to give room for the blow out preventers (BOP). Due to the huge outlay of money to get these rigs manufactured, equipped and up and running, Challenger International, a manufacturer of drill strings, became a partner.

As a result, there were many developments with the HS-150 drill, manufactured in-house with Heath & Sherwood Machine Shop.

GT: What were the challenges that H&S Drilling faced while setting up a recordbreaking wedge at 3048 m (10 000 ft), which aimed to redirect and continue a hole?

Drillers’ trusted publication

GW: Due to hole depth, rod weights and instrumentations available at that time, the operators had to determine the exact location of the equipment downhole as well as wireline cable stretch, drill rod stretch, rotational backlash, etc. Depths like these require an experienced driller, who knows how much the wedge and the bit turn at 10 000 ft (3048 m) when making one revolution on the surface during wedge orientation.

GT: Tell us more about your work at Cabo Drilling?

GW: My work responsibilities at Cabo Drilling remained quite the same as with H&S Drilling, but with a few additions. I took over the Cabo International service and supply warehouse, shipping parts and equipment to different parts of the world such as Spain, Albania, Panama, Colombia, Greenland, etc.

I also worked with suppliers and shipping companies to arrange products and delivery; loading sea containers, air shipments, etc.

I dealt with a number of Canadian Aboriginal throughout Northern Ontario and Quebec to arrange the training of their people, who would assist on drilling projects.

This meant traveling to the remote Northern Ontario reservations and spending time with the locals.

As drilling slowed down in the last few years, I looked after the Ontario base, keeping equipment maintained and moving it to other divisions where requested.

GT: There were not many manufacturers of diamond drilling equipment at the beginning of your career. Which were the ‘big players’?

GW: The major manufacturers of drills and drill tools were Boart Longyear, JKS Boyles and Sullivan.

Most of the drilling was being done with standard diamond drilling equipment like rods and core barrels; each time the core barrel was filled, all the rods had to be

retrieved from the drill hole to get the core in the tube.

GT: You actively supported the development of diamond tools. Can you share more?

GW: During all the time I spent at H&S Drilling, through management and ownership changes, we have always dealt with Fordia for our tool rentals and diamond products.

We were always striving to achieve an increase in production, so the more footage you could get on a diamond bit, the more you could drill before having to pull all the drill rods out of the hole for a bit change.

Mr Paquet, Fordia’s founder, contributed to the success of our operations as he would come to our place to deliver bits, retrieve the used ones and salvage the reusable diamonds. We would discuss bits performance, rearrange diamond settings, patterns, etc. He would assess if RPM made performance better, test drilling muds, or determine whether we needed more or less weight on the bit. He would also test water ways configurations of the drill bit, depending on the type of ground or advise how much fluid to use for free cutting.

GT: Tell us more about the time you operated in Cuba?

GW: We were working for a Canadian mining company, operating in Cuba, which wanted a Canadian contractor for their project.

Terry Aimone and I visited Cuba in order to set up meetings with their local drilling division that was equipped with old Russian drill rigs and had operators in need of guidance. The diamond bits were out of date and antiquated. We offered to arrange the delivery of some modern equipment, send skilled Canadian drillers to work with the locals and do some training. We contacted Fordia, who put together a package of diamond products, and thus supplied the best diamond tools for the Cuban drillers and specific ground conditions. Then we brought

‘The HS-150 drill rig was a completely new design, completely hydrostatic and controlled by the operator from a console on the drill platform floor.’

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/21 QUESTIONS

some of the Cuban drillers to Canada and provided more training, which helped them gain valuable experience. To this day the client is still importing products from Canada.

GT: Deep hole drilling is becoming more and more popular. What are your thoughts about it? What tools and techniques can help that segment develop?

GW: Deep hole drilling is without a doubt discovering bigger and better ore bodies.

To enhance this phase of drilling, the industry requires better drill rods with tougher tool joints and threads as well as better rod handlers. The industry also requires diamond tools that can give better production before changing the bit, and in-hole lubricants that last longer to reduce drill rod wear as well as simpler computerization to control the drill parameters.

GT: What is the most challenging downthe-hole-related issue that you have ever experienced and its solution?

GW: We had a situation with badly broken ground at depth with very high water pressure, so we had to install a larger diameter surface casing with a BOP assembly and bleed-off valves below. We drilled with a larger diameter core barrel assembly until we passed the high water pressure zone, then we secured the drill rods there by cementing them to the bottom. Afterward, we continued the hole to the depth, required with the original size coring system. Upon completion, it was cemented back to the collar.

GT: Can you remember which field practices, established in the past, are considered standard procedures nowadays?

‘Drill rig automation can be a positive change, if you are in a suitable environment for it.’

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GW: It was determined that the drill hole had to be flushed after each core run with a certain number of water gallons per minute, depending on hole depth, in order to eliminate core barrels getting stuck in drill sludge.

GT: What is your opinion on drill rig automation and control panel computerization?

GW: Drill rig automation can be a positive change, if you are in a suitable environment for it. In most cases, you do not have the problem-solving diagnostic equipment or the people with the required skills to operate on hand. The problems with the new T-3 & 4 engines cause a lot of downtime on drill rig equipment. You have to remember that this same equipment works in temperatures from -50 C (-58 F) to +100 C (212 F), so keeping it simple is the best way to go. C

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Coring Magazine #14

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/IN FOCUS: GLOBAL DRILLING & EXPLORATION GROUP PTE LTD

Global Drilling & Exploration Group Grounded in South-East Asia, but ready to take on the world

by John Horne, Founder and Co-Owner of Global Drilling & Exploration Group Pte Ltd

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Coring Magazine #14

Established in 1993 in Indonesia, the re-badged Global Drilling and Exploration Group (GDE) has now spread its footprint throughout South-East Asia and into Australasia and Africa. While not in the realm of the largest drilling companies yet, the privately-owned GDE Group has established itself as a diversified drilling group of choice for many resource companies of all levels, including major mining houses.

Underground drilling, Indonesia GDE was founded by current Chairman John Horne in Indonesia in 1993. The original entity was known as PT Antero Drilling, before being rebranded to PT Indodrill Indonesia (PTII). From those early years, PTII quickly gained a reputation in Indonesia for reliable surface drilling under difficult conditions, including geothermal drilling.

GDE diversified operations into other South-East Asian countries between 20042016, including Laos, Cambodia, Philippines, Malaysia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Singapore (respectively), winning major contracts in those countries, including a 100 000 m (328 084 ft) underground drilling program in 2011 at Goldfield’s Lepanto mine, Philippines, drilling holes up to 2000 m (6561.7 ft) deep.

In 2011, GDE relocated its Head Office from Indonesia to Singapore, reflecting this Drillers’ trusted publication

diversification, and in 2014 set up a UK subsidiary as part of drilling in France in 2015.

In addition to coring and geothermal drilling, GDE commenced grade control and exploration reverse circulation drilling in 2002 in Indonesia, being the RC driller of choice at the significant Martabe mine in Sumatra, Indonesia from 2013 to the present day and the Didipio mine in the Philippines from 2014 until the closure of the open pits in 2017. GDE’s commitment to meeting Martabe’s drilling requirements has involved significant capital investment, including the purchase of a Schramm T685 RC rig, which is rare in Indonesia, to overcome the technically demanding drilling conditions, which include high water flows and fractured silicified ground conditions. The Schramm now regularly drills dry holes beyond 300 m (984.3 ft).

During the first two decades of GDE’s operations, the mainstay of drilling was man- and heli-portable surface drilling, often drilling in remote jungle locations, throughout the South-East Asian countries.

In 2011, Indexss (International Drilling Exploration Supply and Services) was established to manufacture drill rods and downhole equipment to supply GDE with high-quality drilling equipment on a preferred availability basis.

During 2016 and 2017, GDE entered a second wave of geographical expansion.

Drilling operations expanded into Australia (underground drilling), Papua New Guinea (RC and surface diamond drilling) and Zambia (surface diamond drilling). An office was set up in Dubai to handle Africa and the Middle East.

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/IN FOCUS: GLOBAL DRILLING & EXPLORATION GROUP PTE LTD

To reflect the international diversification of GDE, it was during this time that, the still Indodrill Group, was re-badged as Global Drilling and Exploration Group.

GDE now has offices in eight countries, and a fleet of approximately 80 drill rigs.

Today, GDE offers most forms of drilling to the mineral resource, geothermal and industrial (geotechnical) industries, including surface diamond drilling with man-portable, heli-portable, and trackand truck-mounted rigs, underground diamond drilling and exploration and grade control RC drilling. GDE also offers geotechnical and geothermal drilling.

Like most international drilling companies, GDE has been impacted by the current COVID-19 pandemic leading to most of its operations being suspended for several months. However, these same operations are now either back to normal drilling activities, restarting now, or have plans to restart in the next month or so.

At the same time, GDE has won a significant underground contract at Merdeka Copper Gold’s Tujuh Bukit Copper Project in Indonesia and has seen a resurgence of activity in the Philippines with active surface diamond and RC drilling at two new projects.

Indonesia – upwards and underground The Indonesian operations, through its subsidiary PTII, have been the most productive of the Group over the last few years and PTII has established itself as the premier diversified drilling company in Indonesia. PTII is currently the preferred driller at the Martabe and Tujuh Bukit gold operations and the Hu’u, Awak Mas and Sihayo development sites.

At Tujuh Bukit, PTII has been the incumbent surface drilling company since 2017, drilling a range of resource, hydrological and geotechnical holes with both surface diamond and RC rigs. PTII has drilled the Tujuh Bukit Copper deposit to greater depths than any previous contractor and has completed deep diamond parent holes with wedged and Navi-directed daughter holes through the deposit for the first time there. PTII is now mobilizing five Sandvik DE150 underground rigs to the site; of which four have already commenced work.

The DE150 underground rig is unique in Indonesia as it is capable of drilling to 2000 m (6561.7 ft) N-size (as it demonstrated at Lepanto) and can also drill P-size core, which is aided by the use of a proprietary-built 16

Night shift RC drilling, Indonesia Coring Magazine #14

automatic rod handler that will load P-size downhole equipment. These two attributes are essential to drilling holes to the required depths at Tujuh Bukit. This has been a trying implementation under the current restrictions of moving people and delays in procuring equipment, but GDE has pushed ahead in spite of the obstacles and the results are starting to show.

PTII is also the incumbent surface driller at the very significant Hu’u porphyry copper-gold deposit of PT Sumbawa Timur Mining (Vale) on Sumbawa Island.

This is where GDE’s historical roots in man- and heli-portable drilling are best displayed, as PTII has seven heli-portable rigs on the site that are each capable of drilling to 1800 m (5905.5 ft).

In fact, GDE’s flagship deep-hole rig is the heli-portable ID2000H, an in-house designed and built diamond rig that breaks down to multiple parts no heavier than

700 kg (1540 lb), suitable for transport by a moderate-capacity helicopter. This rig has recently drilled to 2043 m (6702.8 ft) at Hu’u, a record depth for Indonesian heliportable drilling. It may well be close to a world record for a truly heli-portable rig.

This drilling is being conducted under ‘geothermal conditions’ with blowout preventers (BOPs) being utilized on about 30% of the holes.

African ventures In 2017, GDE expanded into Africa and the Middle East, establishing offices in the UAE and Zambia.

In 2019, GDE through its Zambian subsidiary (International Drilling Zambia) began a program of geothermal exploration drilling in the Kafue Trough region of Zambia.

The project is of national importance to the Zambian power system and the first drilling operation of its kind in that country.

The program has just re-commenced after the COVID-19 restrictions were eased there.

Australia and Papua New Guinea In 2017, GDE purchased an established PNG drilling operation. At the same time, it won a contract to provide grade control and horizontal RC drilling and diamond drilling services at the Hidden Valley mine there. It has also been undertaking diamond drilling at the Misima Gold development project for several years.

Also in 2017, GDE first entered Australia, winning an underground drilling contract at the EMR Golden Grove base metal mine in Western Australia. The Sandvik DE150 rigs again proved their worth, drilling over 100 000 m (328 084 ft) to depths of 1400 m (4593.2 ft), completing a number of wedged holes in, at times, challenging conditions.

A typical GDE remote heli-portable drill rig set up Drillers’ trusted publication

17

/IN FOCUS: GLOBAL DRILLING & EXPLORATION GROUP PTE LTD

Thinking big, but acting small GDE’s success has been built on a few key criteria to achieve its current status and to allow it to grow going forward.

Many of the GDE staff in the Asian operations have been with the company for many years and there is a very strong loyalty culture that has built up over that time. Mining is a cyclical business and companies like GDE have been through the very tough parts of the cycle. During the downtimes, support for their staff has built up a sense of loyalty and commitment.

The enthusiastic, energized team of GDE is the key to development and diversity in any operation. The company believes that professionals need support and opportunities for development to get the best out of them.

GDE is further supported by a small group of international drilling experts that cover all aspects of drilling and other associated disciplines, learned over significant time and experience within the industry.

GDE is set apart from other companies because they support their workforce, understand the needs of their clients and work with them to achieve their goals.

The company also supports local communities and cultures where they can.

Combined with their technical attributes, GDE gets the job done, no matter how difficult the drilling, the terrain or other conditions may be. No matter the size of the job, each project is tackled with the same desire to achieve the needs of the client. It is no coincidence that GDE has often been brought into projects to achieve what those before could not.

GDE’s fleet comprises of drill rigs that are designed, developed and built to meet the specific challenges of the areas they drill, both in portability and robustness of the machine, as well as commercially purchased rigs from the likes of Sandvik, Schramm and Cortech.

A prime example of this philosophy is the development of the ID2000H heli-portable rig and its success at the Hu’u and other projects. Building on that success, the company is currently planning a version of this rig targeting a 3000 m (9842.5 ft) depth capacity that would be suitable for both the resource and geothermal space.

18

Underground drilling, Indonesia Coring Magazine #14

The future and beyond Having come from humble beginnings in Indonesia, GDE has gone on to expand and reach out into international arenas.

Currently, there is a significant presence in Australia, Papua New Guinea and Zambia to support the original mainstays of Indonesia and the Philippines, as well as continuing to evaluate new opportunities further afield on a global basis.

In the future, GDE is looking to expand its underground operations and is pursuing opportunities in the geothermal space, particularly within Indonesia, which has the highest stated geothermal resources in the world. GDE is quite prepared to build suitable rigs to tackle this geothermal opportunity, as well as further develop the niche market of deep heli-portable capacity rigs. C

For more information Visit: www.globaldrill.com

Schramm T685 rig in Indonesia

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Prince George, Canada • Call 250.563.8899 Drillers’ trusted publication

19

/DRILL RIGS CAPACITIES

Recommended and legal depth capacity of drill rigs

by Colin Rice, Managing Director at Colin Rice Exploration and Training (Pty) Ltd.

All manufacturers of diamond core drilling machines provide specifications that relate to the depth to which a particular machine can drill. Often, these specifications are confusing because the depth capacities claimed are substantially greater than the ‘legal’ depth capacity of the drill. This can have serious legal implications for both the contractor and the manufacturer.

Drill rigs are configured to hoist using either the main pullback cylinder or a hoist and a steel wire rope. Some drill rigs can pull and lower in both ways.

Therefore, most manufacturers of diamond core drilling rigs provide three specifications related to depth capacity: • ‘pullback capacity’; • hoist single line pull capacity; • recommended depth capacity in terms of a range of standard wireline drill rod sizes.

Unfortunately, if we do some simple calculations, we will find that these three specifications imply different things – as a result, the actual and, more importantly, the ‘legal’ depth capacity of the drill is not always obvious and clear enough. So, there stands a fair chance that the contractor will use the drill beyond its safe working limit.

20

Let us consider a very common chuck drive drill rig, built by a highly-respected manufacturer. Table 1 summarizes key specifications related to depth capacity.

The ‘pullback capacity’ is a calculated value based on the dimensions of the main pullback cylinder and the hydraulic system pressure. It indicates the maximum load that the pullback cylinder can safely apply.

Table 1 includes a column showing the mass of the drill rods and a calculation of the drill string mass at the maximum recommended depth.

It is clear that the total drill string mass of B-, N- and H-size drill strings at the maximum recommended depth are very similar.

So, it seems that the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) is saying that the drill can safely lift approximately 9.2 MT of drill string. It is also clear that the total drill string mass of P-size drill rod at the maximum recommended depth is substantially less than 9.2 MT. The reasons for the maximum recommended depth in P-size being only 475 m (1400.9 ft) will become clear later.

If the maximum mass that the drill is expected to pull is only 9.2 MT, why is a pullback capacity of 14 MT necessary?

Load at maximum recommended depth Good drill rig manufacturers recognize several factors that will affect the total load that the drill has to lift.

1. The buoyancy effect of the drilling fluid reduces the weight of a drill string. When immersed in fresh water the weight of the drill string is only 87.5% of its weight in the air.

Hard to believe, but this rope was in use on a mineral exploration project Coring Magazine #14

2.

When a drill rig pulls using the pullback cylinder it also has to lift the rotation head.

3. If the drill bit is blocked and the drill string is tripped ‘wet’, the mass of the drilling fluid inside the drill string will add to the force required to lift the drill string.

4. In-hole friction (drag) caused by angle changes in the boreholes will increase the force required to lift the drill string.

The worst-case scenario would be when the borehole is at maximum recommended depth, the bit is blocked and there is a total circulation loss (no buoyancy effect), in this case, the total load to be lifted can be determined as follows: Total load = drill string mass + mass of rotation head + mass of fluid inside drill string + drag Table 2 shows the internal volume of standard wireline drill rods and the

total ‘wet’ drill string mass at maximum recommended depth.

If we assume that the rotation head has a mass of 250 kg (551.16 lb), then the total mass to be lifted at maximum recommended H-size depth would be: Total load = 9 160 + 250 + (800 x 4.8) + drag Total load = 13 250 + drag We can do similar calculations for the other drill rod sizes and we will get a similar result – load at maximum recommended depth in the worst-case scenario will be approximately 13 MT which only leaves about 1 MT of excess capacity to account for any possible drag in the borehole.

This is the worst possible outcome and it would appear that the rig designers have fully accounted for the additional factors that can affect the total load to be lifted.

It is important to recognize that the above arguments assume that we pull using the pullback cylinder, if however, we trip the drill

‘Clearly, the factor of safety is a critically important parameter, but in many countries, it is not clear what this factor should be when applied to exploration drilling operations.’

string using the main hoist and steel wire rope, the situation is somewhat different.

The OEM states that the main hoist has a single line capacity of 80 kN (8.2 MT).

We earlier saw that the drill string mass at the maximum recommended depth is about 9.2 MT. Why is there a difference?

The answer is simple – if we multiply 9.2 MT by 87.5%, we get approximately 8.2 MT – it is clear therefore that the OEM has based the hoist capacity on boreholes that are full of drilling fluid i.e. when there is maximum buoyancy effect.

It follows that if there is a total circulation loss at maximum depth, or if the bit is blocked, the hoist will not have the capacity to pull a drill string off the bottom. While this is a serious problem, the issue it raises is potentially bigger.

When we use a hoist and steel wire rope to hoist, it is the steel wire rope that is doing the lifting and so irrespective of the capacity of the hoist, the maximum load that any hoist can lift is limited to the Safe Working Load (SWL) of the wire rope fitted to the hoist. In most countries, legislation requires that a factor of safety is applied to steel wire ropes – i.e. the Safe Working Load (SWL) of the rope is the Mean Breaking Load (MBL) divided by the factor of safety.

Clearly, the factor of safety is a critically important parameter, but in many countries, it is not clear what this factor should be when applied to exploration drilling operations.

It often varies from industry to industry – in some the law is silent, therefore, its application is left to interpretation.

In South Africa for example, the legislated factor of safety is 6 and, according to my

Table 1 Pullback capacity Main hoist single line capacity Wireline rod size

14 MT (138 kN) 8.2 MT (80 kN) Recommended max depth (m)

Drill rod mass (kg/m)

Mass at max depth (kg)

B

1540 m (5052.5 ft)

6.0 kg/m (4.03 lb/ft)

9240 kg (20 370.71 lb)

N

1200 m (3937 ft)

7.6 kg/m (5.11 lb/ft)

9120 kg (20 106.16 lb)

H

800 m (2624.7 ft)

11.45 kg/m (7.69 lb/ft)

9160 kg (20 194.34 lb)

P

475 m (1558.4 ft)

15.3 kg/m (10.28 lb/ft)

7268 kg (16 023.20 lb)

Drill rod mass (kg/m)

Internal volume (L/m)

Wet mass at max depth (kg)

B

6.0 kg/m (4.03 lb/ft)

1.7 L/m (0.14 gal/ft)

11 858 kg (26 142.41 lb)

N

7.6 kg/m (5.11 lb/ft)

2.9 L/m (0.23 gal/ft)

12 600 kg (27 778.25 lb)

H

11.45 kg/m (7.69 lb/ft)

4.8 L/m (0.39 gal/ft)

13 040 kg (28 748.28 lb)

Table 2 Wireline rod size

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21

/DRILL RIGS CAPACITIES

research, it is 5.5 in both Australia and the US. Interestingly, ISO 18758 requires a factor of safety of 3 for steel wire ropes, but this ISO standard would be superseded by existing local legislation. The drill in our example is fitted with a 16 mm (⅝ in) steel wire rope - the OEM does not provide any specifications on the rope that they fit to their drill, but if we assume that the best grade of steel wire rope (2160 MPa) is fitted, the Mean Breaking Load of the rope will be approximately 24 MT. If this drill were to be used in South Africa for example, the SWL of the hoist rope would be only 4 MT – this is the ‘legal’ hoisting capacity of the drill – half of the capacity that the OEM specifies.

Since the capacity of the hoist is 8.2 MT, it seems that the manufacturer has applied a factor of safety of a little less than 3 to their specifications. This is absolutely fine if the drill is used in a jurisdiction where the legislated factor of safety is 3.

However, if the required factor of safety is greater than 3, then the contractor will be infringing the law, if he drills to a significant depth. It is interesting that the effective factor of safety for some other commonly used drills is sometimes as low as 2.5.

It is clear that manufacturers should provide more detailed information in their specifications and technical literature to enable contractors (and mining companies) to fully assess the depth capability of the drill rig. Manufacturers should provide two further pieces of information: 1. Clearly specify the pulling mechanism upon which their recommended depth capacities are based.

2. State the grade of steel wire rope upon which their hoist capacity is based and the factor of safety upon which the specifications are based.

It is important to recognize that in the example used earlier, it was assumed that the manufacturer fitted the strongest grade of rope available, a 2160 MPa. Hoist ropes are consumable items and if the contractor replaces the hoist rope with one of a lesser grade, then both the recommended and the ‘legal’ capacity of the drill will be significantly less than the manufacturer’s specifications.

In summary, both contractors and mining and exploration companies must know local legislation when it comes to the factor of safety and the grade of rope (i.e. the Mean Breaking Load) that they use. If we are not aware of these two pieces of information, there is a possibility that we could be infringing the law. C 22

Hoist rope in use

‘It is clear that manufacturers should provide more detailed information in their specifications and technical literature to enable contractors (and mining companies) to fully assess the depth capability of the drill rig.’

Coring Magazine #14

About the company Colin Rice Exploration Drilling Advisory is a leading provider of training and consulting services to the exploration drilling industry. Based on 34 years of experience in many sectors of the industry, they have developed a unique combination of high-quality training, consulting, safety auditing services, and their newest addition - an online safety initiative, DrillSafe Southern Africa (DrillSafe).

DrillSafe aims to improve safety performance on all drill sites by increasing the knowledge and understanding of major drill site hazards. According to DrillSafe, sharing knowledge and experience and then learning from it, is the only way that the industry objectives of ‘no repeats’ and ‘zero harm’ can be achieved. Every month the company publishes a series of technical articles that examine and explain the major hazards associated with exploration drilling operations.

The company has developed a strong reputation for delivering outstanding quality services based on sound technical ability, independent opinions and absolute integrity.

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Their consulting services include assisting mining, exploration and contracting companies to improve production, efficiency and safety performance.

The company is uniquely placed to offer independent, objective and thorough safety auditing services to mining and contracting companies based on a full evaluation of the four critical components of drill site safety - equipment, people, environmental issues and operational procedures. Their safety auditing services provide their customers with an in-depth report on their current safety status and recommendations to improve performance.

More recently, the company has become increasingly involved in assisting several mining companies and research organizations in the development of tender specifications and in the evaluation of tender submissions.

An extension of this part of their services is assisting in the resolution of disputes between contractors and clients.

Unearth more by visiting: www.colinriceexploration.co.za/

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/DRILL RIG INNOVATIONS

Swick Mining Services

Precision beneath the surface

by Nick Rossides, General Manager Operations – Global, Swick Mining Services

The increased market requirement for deeper diamond drill holes in the underground environment has become much more prevalent with mining companies globally. The opportunity to reach exploration target depths from an underground platform is entertained by many miners and proving to be both cost- and time-effective when compared to surface exploration drilling. However, this was not always the case.

24

Coring Magazine #14

/DRILL RIG INNOVATIONS

Swick Mining Services (Swick) were first approached in 2015 to drill out a campaign of deep exploration holes; they made a decision to proceed with the current configuration of Swick’s GenII mobile rig coupled with 112 kW of hydraulic power. A total of nine NQTK exploration targets were designed with 1500-meter hole depths and dips ranging from -39° to -82°. The challenge was to complete each hole within an expected timeframe of 113 shifts. The result was an average of 126 shifts taken to complete each hole and an overrun drill timeline of 117 shifts.

After reviewing their performance, Swick realized that whilst drilling from 0- to 800-meter depth bands, productivity remained on target. It was however at this point that production rates per shift fell below expectations. This could not be rectified despite the use of 6-meter barrels, onboard high flow pumps, mud programs, and drill bit/reamers selections. The drill string torque could not be overcome by the available horsepower at the rotation unit

and as a result, the rotation speed slowed.

Rod weight was another concern and that was addressed with the implementation of heavy-duty chuck assemblies and feed cylinders. This solution allowed for an additional 27% holding capacity compared to ‘off the shelf’ cylinders, however, this heavily impacted drill time availability by increasing rod pulling/feeding work rate activities.

A review of overall performance forced Swick to look inward at their own limitations, reconsider deep-hole programs management and efficiency, and push the boundaries and perception of what a Swick rig could deliver. This was when the concept of DeepEX was born - a dedicated division within Swick with a more powerful, purpose-built mobile rig, combined with high torque, high pullback feed arrangement.

Swick’s Research & Development (R&D) Team redesigned the GenII mobile rig, focusing on upgrades to the feed rail, which resulted in six times more torque, generated from a 2-speed transmission whilst retaining

DeepEX setup underground

‘Since the inception of Swick’s first mobile rig, introduced into the market in 2004, underground diamond drilling has evolved exponentially, due to miners’ continual demand for mobile applications.’

DeepEX prototype 26

Coring Magazine #14

comparisons between mobile and skid

holding capacity. Depth capabilities

Increased torque at depth has been a

are still unknown, however, Swick

defining piece to the success of DeepEX;

rigs in hole set-ups can now be completed

expects them to be in the vicinity of

a testament to its sheer power is its 2-speed

in a matter of minutes instead of hours.

2000 to 2500 m (6561.7 to 8202.1 ft)

transmission, allowing for additional torque

Moreover, rig moves that can be carried

NQTK and 500 m (1640.4 ft) P-size.

when advancing through shear zones or

out within hours as opposed to days. It is

Mobile mud recycling systems were also incorporated to mix high volumes of drilling fluid effectively with holding capacities of

simply retrieving stuck rods or casings, due to adverse ground conditions.

What’s next for DeepEX? A second

3000 L (792.5 gal) and the ability to recycle

112 kW DeepEX mobile has been added to

up to 70% of drilling fluids used on deep

the fleet and has been operational since

holes. This lowers drilling fluid cost exposure

August 2020. Further R&D have resulted

and reduces water consumption for the mine.

in the introduction of Swick’s ‘hands

Swick built a team of dedicated drill

off steel’ trademark initiatives with the

specialists, including a manager,

inclusion of rod and inner tube handler, rod

a supervisor, and crews, for the sole

presenter, kelly rod holder and automated

purpose to focus on DeepEX. The first

inner tube extraction. As an addition,

DeepEX rig has commenced drilling in

Swick has developed a newly-designed

February 2019 and has since operated

rig, targeting +3000-meter depths with

across four mines throughout Australia,

150 kW of power and challenging new

completing a total of 21 500 m (70 538 ft).

diamond drilling depths from underground.

To date, DeepEX has drilled 28 holes with

Swick Mining Services prides itself on

dips ranging from 5° to -75°. Thirty-nine

manufacturing its own underground mobile

per cent of drilling has exceeded depths of

diamond drill rigs. Since the inception

1000 m (3280.8 ft) with the deepest hole

of Swick’s first mobile rig, introduced

being 1607 m (5272.3 ft). The results were

into the market in 2004, underground

much better than Swick anticipated with a

diamond drilling has evolved exponentially,

43% reduction in time taken to drill 1500 m

due to miners’ continual demand for

(4921.3 ft) from 126 shifts to staggering 71.

mobile applications. The unparalleled

Drillers’ trusted publication

this kind of innovation that unleashes improved productivity and lower cost per meter to miners partnered with Swick.

Swick has since grown its fleet of to over 80 underground diamond rigs and drilled over 12 250 000 m (40 190 288.7 ft) of core since their first rig was commissioned in June 2004. One of Swick’s key features is its capability to engineer out as many risks as possible in the drilling cycle and rig moving processes. This same methodology was applied when identifying the increased market requirements for drilling in difficult ground conditions and depths exceeding 1500 m (4921.3 ft). C

For more information Visit: www.swickmining.com

27

/FIELD INNOVATIONS

Safer, cleaner and more efficient diamond drilling

by Raúl G. Lyon, Vice President at Geotec Boyles Bros. S.A.

Geotec’s drill site

This article discusses the successful development and implementation of new technologies, developed

by Geotec Boyles Bros.

(Geotec) in collaboration with selected Chilean vendors and manufacturers of diamond drilling products and equipment.

The collaboration helped Geotec optimize their work 28

process and contributed to safer, more efficient and environmentally friendly diamond drilling operations. The endeavor was made possible thanks to Diamantina Christensen Chile, Safedrill, and Mining Parts; Geotec appreciates the efforts and support they have lent.

Geotec has developed and upgraded three technologies over the past 15 years, implementing what could be called today the standard for ‘perfect’ diamond drilling operations.

The rod handler Geotec’s rod handler is 100% automatic and hands-free; combined with a rod sloop to hold and transport the drill pipe, it eliminates two major industry risks: serious arm and hand injuries of drillers’ helpers, and all risks associated with lifting and moving drill pipes between platforms.

Coring Magazine #14

Features and benefits • • • • • • • •

Suitable for all sizes of drill pipes (B-size-P-size) and casings; Robust and way faster than a driller; Efficient and low-maintenance – it requires only one driller and one driller’s helper; Powered by the drill – angles -45° to -90°; Floating sub for rod make up and brake out; Saves thread life; Fast set-up and movement between platforms; The rod sloop can be moved with a flatbed truck - sloop capacity – 1200 m (3936 ft) H-size, 2000 m (6560 ft) N-size.

The core pusher The core pusher allows the driller’s helper to extract the core from the core barrel without effort, as the core barrel is placed on a flat tray about 3 ft (0.91 m) above the ground. Then a hydraulically powered piston pushes the core out of the barrel onto the core recovery tray. Inside the core barrel, the core is encapsulated within two split tubes, which allows the core to slide freely. This encapsulation provides another important benefit – it keeps the fractures in the state they have initially been during down-the-hole recovery, and eliminates the fractures that have been additionally induced by drillers’ helpers and the hammers they use during the process of extracting core from the barrel. As a result, a better quality core is delivered to Geotec’s customers.

Geotec’s drill site and equipment

Features and benefits • • • • • • •

Safer, as it eliminates hammering and lifting of the inner tube by the driller’s helper; Better core quality; Eliminates induced fractures; Powered by the drill; Easy to transport; Robust and low-maintenance; Handles 5- and 10-feet inner tubes.

The mud plant The mud plant provides three important benefits for drilling operations. The first and most important one is constant clean mud, free of cuttings. This makes the drilling process and core bit action more efficient, and bit life longer due to lower chances of Drillers’ trusted publication

The rod handler 29

/FIELD INNOVATIONS

ceased inner tubes, caused by the presence of cuttings in the system. The second benefit is lower water consumption; depending on mud returns, savings can be as much as 30-40%.

This entails less use of the resource and less water hauling for the water truck between the source and the drill rig. Finally, it also results in lower use of mud products as these are efficiently recovered and recirculated.

Features and benefits •

Efficient cleaning by a centrifuge system;

•

Efficient mixing of bentonite and other products;

•

Clean mud storage of 6000 L (1585 gal) and 4000 L (1056.7 gal) in a mixing tank;

•

Powered by the drill;

•

Operated by one driller’s helper (the same one working on the drill);

The core pusher

•

Easy to transport;

a medium-sized copper mine in Central Chile,

way, helped Geotec overcome them.

•

Sloop-mounted;

where Geotec operated between four and

Today the company’s operations are

•

It eliminates the need for

seven drills ceaselessly during the past four

much safer, more efficient, with less but

excavating and filling up mud pits.

years (2017-2020), except for a few months

higher-skilled people. Everything on site is

Thanks to the mud plant, backhoes

during each winter when drilling operations

dependent on and controlled by the drill,

are no longer a necessity;

had to stop due to harsh weather conditions.

even the lights. Therefore, no additional

• • •

Fast set-up and movement

All projects have been completed safely,

power units are required, which results in

between platforms;

in a timely manner, complying with all Key

lower noise levels and fuel consumption.

It can be transported with

Performance Indicators (KPIs). As with

a flatbed truck;

most drilling operations, the teams did

It allows automatic and efficient

face some difficulties every now and then,

mixing of mud products,

however their experience and the use of

liquids and powder.

the three technologies, helped resolve all problems and resulted in safer operations,

Case study All three technologies have been used together in several long-term projects

less water consumption and delivery of good quality core samples to the clients.

Geotec’s message Geotec is always striving to emphasize the importance of training. One piece of advice they would offer to all companies: give lots of training to all personnel (supervisors, drillers, drillers’ helpers, drivers, mechanics), both in classroom and on site, as this has been a critical success factor for them. The

throughout Chile. One of these projects is

Conclusion

located at a large copper mine in Northern

Geotec has been operating successfully

in culture - operating with one driller and

Chile. Geotec have had between three and

with this great combination of technologies

one driller’s helper per shift, as well as the

five drills operating there constantly over the

for the past seven years. At the beginning,

change from conventional to more intelligent,

past six years (2015-2020); they have enjoyed

there had been an adjustment period

safer, cleaner, and more efficient equipment.

a great success, thanks to the rod handler,

as not everything worked as expected.

The more companies see the benefits of

core pusher, and mud plant. These three

The company experienced some setbacks,

these technologies, the higher the chance

technologies have also been used in

but the improvements made along the

for a new standard to be set everywhere. C

30

most significant change for Geotec has been

Coring Magazine #14

About the company Geotec Boyles Bros. is part of Boytec S.A. (Boytec) group of companies, a leading contractor of drilling services for the mining industry in Latin America since 1974, serving major and medium-sized mining companies with diamond drilling, reverse circulation drilling, horizontal drains, water well construction and maintenance.

Boytec operates in Chile, Perú, Mexico, Ecuador and other Latin American countries. Boytec is a long time affiliate of Granite Construction Inc. from the US and its headquarters are located in Santiago, Chile.

Learn more: www.geotec.cl The mud plant

Diamec Smart 6M is here.

United. Inspired.

Depth and mobility What do you get when you take one of the most respected underground core drilling rigs on the market and fuse it with a wellproven and mobile carrier? You get the Diamec Smart 6M. Find out more at epiroc.com

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31

/PRODUCT REVIEW

Lantern introduces new tools

to help drillers, mining & exploration companies work better, together

by Andre Sonnichsen, CTO at Lantern

Lantern insights and reporting tools

As our industry evolves, it continues to reveal many inefficiencies around how drilling is monitored and reported, as well as the costs endured by mining and mineral exploration companies in the pursuit of the next big thing.

With this mind, we built Lantern as a streamlined digital solution to replace a traditionally messy, paperbased enterprise.

32

The premise behind Lantern is simple: use real-time data to inform decision-making on the part of both the drilling and mineral exploration company, so more meters can be drilled at a lower cost. Illuminating every aspect of the drilling program in real time, the platform is an evolving set of tools to help drillers and their clients work better together – a digital solution to speed up timesheet entry, capture progress in the field, and provide real-time data to help control costs and run drilling programs more efficiently.

Drillers can expedite timesheets and optimize the services they offer, while mining and exploration companies get to avert the disaster of unexpected cost overruns and a

drilling season gone horribly, catastrophically wrong. It is a win-win for both sides.

Debuting at AME Roundup last January, the ‘soft launch’ of Lantern was anything but soft. Attracting interest from an equal mix of drilling, mining and mineral exploration companies, we have been working with them ever since to add new tools, new ways to visualize data, and new enhancements to help customize Lantern to suit their workflow.

On top of existing functionality including entering timesheets, tracking costs, monitoring meterage by shift, housing documents and issuing invoices, we are launching new improvements and features including: Coring Magazine #14

An offline app for digital timesheet entry Available for Android and iOS, Lantern’s new offline app allows crews to enter timesheets and costs remotely in the field; synching all of their data with the Lantern platform once they get back to camp. In this way, data can be entered with or without an active connection to the internet.

A better way to conduct site audits One of the new features we are currently working on is the ability to enter both timesheets and site audits at the same time, significantly improving how these are conducted at the drill site.

Lantern Dashboard

New metrics, dashboard widgets and customization Lantern now allows both drillers and their clients to toggle through many different types of dashboard outputs and choose how they want to visualize their data. This includes tracking meterage and crew hours, breaking down material and service costs, checking the status of timesheets and managing every aspect of drill productivity, including servicing.

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Designed to accommodate the realworld conditions that drillers face in the field, the platform takes an intuitive, step-by-step approach to minimize errors and speed up data entry. Everything has been accounted for, including the meaty fingers of the foreman using the software.

And the cost? Anywhere from USD 5 to USD 10 per timesheet. Given that the average timesheet is worth thousands of dollars, it is a small price to pay for project certainty. C

For more information Visit: DrillwithLantern.com

33

Explore the difference with RX-4 Son-Mak: keep doing the best, proudly Levent 2002 RX-4® surface coring rig Advantages • • • •

A fully hydraulic surface coring rig; Designed for exploration drilling; With three types of carriers: trailer-, skid-, and crawler-mounted.

A remote control feature that enables the driller to operate from a safe distance.

What makes Levent2002 RX-4 unique is the flawless combination of verified concept and durable components.

The rig adopts the most advanced technology for diamond core drills and the latest developments, in order to carry out effective drilling.

The rotation speed, power and rotation unit aperture of Levent2002 RX-4 are made to present optimal performance in 60-122.6 mm (2.36-4.83 in) (B-P) diameter wireline or conventional drilling. As for the spindle bore, its diameter is 127 mm (5 in).

Levent2002 RX-4 has all the necessary features and safety guards to protect the driller from the hot and moving parts.

Self-contained control panel The rig has a self-contained control panel, a mast dump, hydraulic jacks, and a telescopic mast, which allow an easy setup. Its ergonomics and safety bring a serious advantage; both for the driller and for the environment.

Levent2002 RX-4 is designed by taking into consideration comfortable controls and ease of use to enable more effective drilling. This rig also has a hold back feature, which enables much longer bit life. The mast and feed features are powerful and stable and present minimum vibrations directly into boreholes, making lifting and holding easier. The rod guide with a telescopic mast, allows easier transportation.

Telescopic mast The telescopic mast makes the drill easy to transport while the dump feature allows mounting on platforms of various sizes.

Rotation unit

Power Unit

The rotation unit has four speeds (funk), which enable the required torque and rpm speed levels necessary for coring.

It can drill effectively from 45° to 90° angles, make and break rods (by using the control panel), and it also incorporates safe guards.

The Cummins engine is acclaimed for its prolonged durability, high efficiency and low fuel consumption even in the most challenging drilling operations. The engine conforms to Tier III/Stage 3A. A Stage V diesel engine is available for US and European markets.

Rod holder The rod holder opens hydraulically and closes using gas pressure. In the event of a loss of hydraulic pressure, the drill string is immediately blocked by the rod holder stopping the drop of the drill string into the hole.

Drilling depth guidelines

Wireline hoist

The below drill depth capacities only serve as guidelines and refer to vertical down drilling. SON-MAK cannot guarantee that these results can be achieved in all drilling conditions.

The wireline hoist is mounted on the chassis and has an adjustable level wind angle. It does not need to be moved when changing drilling angle. There is an automatic winding system to prevent the rope from making straight or mixed winding.

Size

Meters Feet

B Wireline

1375

4511

N Wireline

1050

3444

H Wireline

715

2345

P Wireline

470

1541 Kayapa I. Organize San. Bölgesi, Kayapa Sanayi Bulvarı, No:4/1 - PK:16280 Nilüfer BURSA, TÜRKIYE Tel : +90 224 440 0 555; Fax : +90 224 482 44 39 info@son-mak.com.tr; www.son-mak.com.tr

/STATISTICAL REVIEW

State of the market: Mining Q2-2020 Understand COVID-19 impacts: Metals & mining sector

by S&P Global Market Intelligence

Mining industry capitalization and Exploration Price Index (EPI) increased In Q2, mining industry market capitalization rose 32% to USD 1.393 trillion.

The Exploration Price Index (EPI) was at 135.9, its highest level since March 2013, driven mainly by its significant weighting to gold and the positive gold price performance in the quarter.

Source: S&P Global Market Intelligence

Drill result announcements decreased Drilling activity in Q2 fell in terms of the number of projects drilled and the number of drillholes, by 21% and 17% respectively. On a positive note, both metrics are still above the levels seen in 2016.

Source: S&P Global Market Intelligence 36

Coring Magazine #14

Canada tops in financing Financings fell by over USD 5 billion to USD 7.2 billion in Q2. Of those that could be allocated to a specific region, Canada was the top destination with USD 1.05 billion. Financing raised by majors more than halved compared with Q1. However, financing for juniors more than doubled, indicating strong markets for gold explorers and developers.

Canada USD 1053.7 million United States USD 421.4 million

Latin America USD 911.9 million

Europe USD 459.9 million APAC & Middle East USD 821.4 Million

Africa USD 510.3 million

Australia USD 818 million

Source: S&P Global Market Intelligence

Gold accounted for 75% of Mining Deal Value There was an uptick in M&A activity in Q2, with 38 deals and a deal value of USD 4.12 billion. Gold made up 75% of the total at USD 3.13 billion.

SSR Mining’s acquisition of Alacer Gold accounted for about USD 1.9 billion. Zijin Mining’s acquisition of Tibet Julong Copper, at USD 453 million, accounted for 41% of the overall deal value for copper.

Source: S&P Global Market Intelligence Drillers’ trusted publication

37

/STATISTICAL REVIEW

USD 7.5 billion cut in capital expenditure Based on our July 17 analysis of capex expenditure guidance for the top 150 mining companies, 52 recorded an aggregate USD 7.5 billion cut in planned spending in 2020.

Related article -|^

Source: S&P Global Market Intelligence (State of the Market: Mining Q2-2020 Webinar, August 13, 2020). Data as of 31 July 2020.

FMG increase planned spending by 10% Of the 52 companies with updated capex guidance, only nine had increases. FMG’s 10% increase to USD 2.2. billion in planned spending was the largest. It was mainly driven by strong iron ore prices and no pandemic interruptions to production.

Related article -|^

Source: S&P Global Market Intelligence (State of the Market: Mining Q2-2020 Webinar, August 13, 2020). Data as of 31 July 2020.

38

Coring Magazine #14

Copper market outlook LME copper cash prices increased from the year-to-date low of USD/t 4618 on March 23 to USD/t 6434 on July 30. We assess this to be a result of strong demand from China as it relaxes lockdown measures to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Source: S&P Global Market Intelligence; London Metal Exchange. Data as of July 31, 2020.

Iron ore market outlook Iron ore prices rose above USD/t 100 in June, to a 10-month high. This is up from a year-to-date low of USD/t 79 on February 3. The spread of COVID-19 is fuelling uncertainty over Brazil’s H2 export capability. We have upgraded our 2020 average price forecast to USD/t 90.

Source: S&P Global Market Intelligence; S&P Global Platts; Global Trade Tracker. Data as of July 31, 2020.

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39

/STATISTICAL REVIEW

Nickel market outlook Indonesian primary nickel output is expected to rise 46% YOY to 550 000 tonnes in 2020. In the absence of sufficient primary demand, the higher Indonesian production will not be absorbed. This will drive the global primary nickel market to a 100 000-tonne surplus this year from a 33 000-tonne deficit in 2019.

Related article -|^

Source: S&P Global Market Intelligence; London Metal Exchange. Data as of July 14, 2020.

Zinc market outlook Despite higher zinc prices in Q2, they failed to recover their pre-COVID highs. April had the lowest monthly average this year at USD/t 1914, while prices rose to USD/t 2032 in June. We forecast that the zinc market will be in surplus in 2020 and 2021, as we expect refined zinc demand forecasts for India, Mexico and Brazil to drop by 15 000, 5000 and 5000 tonnes respectively.

Source: S&P Global Market Intelligence; London Metal Exchange. Data as of July 30, 2020.

40

Coring Magazine #14

Lithium market outlook Lithium prices continued to trend lower in Q2 due to a partial recovery in China’s New Energy Vehicle sector, as well as high lithium inventory volumes throughout the value chain. We forecast a larger reduction in lithium compound supply of 17% YOY, compared with a 12% decline in raw material.

Related article -|^

Source: S&P Global Market Intelligence; China Association of Automotive Manufacturers; China Passenger Car Association; Benchmark Mineral Intelligence. Data as of July 30, 2020.

Cobalt market outlook Cobalt prices were broadly stable in Q2 and supported by raw material tightness, as logistic delays in Africa significantly reduced cobalt stock arriving at Chinese ports by 33% QOQ and 33% YOY. This was due to Durban’s port closure affecting shipments to China, and uncertainties over COVID-19’s trajectory in the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Africa.

Related article -|^ C

Source: S&P Global Market Intelligence; London Metal Exchange; Global Trade Tracker. Data as of July 30, 2020.

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41

Exploration Mining Geology In this issue: Q&A from the experts: In conversation with Dr John-Mark Staude, President & CEO at Riverside Resources Inc. The true nature of discovery

by Doug Ramshaw, President at Minera Alamos Inc. The Platosa mine remains a strong performer for Excellon Resources after COVID-19

by Esme Whitehouse, Junior Mining Researcher at Spotlight Mining Mexican silver miners and explorers return to operations as precious metal prices soar

by Nicholas LePan, Natural Resources Editor at Visual Capitalist

/Q&A FROM THE EXPERTS

In conversation with FROM

THE EXPERTS

Dr John-Mark Staude President & CEO at Riverside Resources Inc.

Timothy Strong: What were your biggest influences when you first started out in geology?

John-Mark Staude: I was lucky to grow up in the US and study at Pomona College (Pomona) in Southern California, under the expert guidance of inspiring professors.

We had excellent opportunities to do yearround field trips, getting to know a diverse and active geologic setting. After Pomona, I continued my studies at Harvard University and acquired a Master’s degree, instructed by world-class teachers with fundamental scientific approaches and leading-edge ideas.

I had the opportunity to work with the United States Geological Survey (USGS) as well; the tremendous teachers and skilled professionals that were part of this organization let me tag along both in their laboratories and in the field, which gave me fundamental broad basis and confidence in understanding the principles and approaches to reading rocks.

The completion of my PhD was an important milestone, reached due to the experience that I had gained at MagmaChem, a research and exploration consulting company, and thanks to Mark Barton, Drillers’ trusted publication

Dr John-Mark Staude Dr John-Mark Staude graduated from Pomona College, US with a Bachelor’s degree in Geology in 1987, which was quickly followed by a Master’s degree in Economic Geology at Harvard, US. John-Mark’s academic achievements continued as he went on to acquire a PhD in Economic Geology at the University of Arizona, US, focused on the mineral resources and economics of Mexico.

As a mineral exploration specialist, John-Mark has a wealth of experience with BHP Billiton in the US, Europe and Turkey, as well as Asian and Latin American experience with Teck.

Drawing back on his PhD expertise, John-Mark now heads up Riverside Resources Inc. (Riverside), a project generator with a large portfolio of projects in Canada and Mexico.

Spencer Titley and DeVerle Harris, all professors at the University of Arizona with deep scientific roots.

Afterwards, I delved into the industry with Eric Seedorff, Mark Sander, Sergei Diakov and many others, which really helped me learn how to put theory into practice, and apply the educational science to mineral discovery.

TS: You have quite an academic background, with a BSc, MSc, and PhD in close succession. Was it always your plan to work in mineral exploration or were you initially more research-focused?

JMS: My parents were both professors, so I grew up in an academic world and felt that most likely I would pursue a career in research. For that reason, I went to Harvard and dove deep into detailed science, which was the natural course of events.

However, I learned about the thrill of exploration and the value that discoveries brought both to society and the communities where we operated. I was bitten by the industry bug and never looked back.

What also helped me get my life on the right and fun path, was a discovery that we made at Mulatos, now called Alamos Gold. It was a big step in finding value; I have striven for the same in other projects and enjoyed doing it, so I can consider myself lucky.

TS: Which country has left the strongest impression on you and why?

JMS: China – I spent over two years back and forth, working on various projects that helped me learn and appreciate the realities of this country and its resource sector. Furthermore, I could see it was becoming an important powerhouse in the 1990s, which continued to develop over the following century.

43

/Q&A FROM THE EXPERTS

TS: What has been the proudest moment of your career to date?

JMS: For mineral exploration, my proudest feat is the relationships and the great friendships that I have established and developed; as well as the lasting positive impacts. I have had a chance to create jobs, help communities, and grow businesses.

I have definitely enjoyed building Riverside Resources over the past 14 years, with a team of committed partners, including Rob Scott, CFO, and his operational team in Canada, and Pedro Herrera and the operational team in Mexico.

infrastructure – the combination of these factors make the country and its economy very viable, developing high-margin types of operations.

TS: In terms of economy, what obstacles do mining companies face in Mexico, compared to other locations?

JMS: Mexico has traditionally been positive and supportive when it comes to mining, which has brought great successes to the

country over the centuries. Mexico is a world-leading producer of silver, having developed 10 of the largest 15 silver resource projects on the planet. Mexico has also been large for copper, gold, and many industrial commodities. However, Mexican mining has recently faced some obstacles - the President has been against foreign mining investment without the support or the agreement of the rest of the politicians, who generally do see resource development as a positive thing.

TS: How is the current COVID-19 pandemic affecting the mining industry in Mexico? How long will the COVID-19 trend last in the country, and when will work go back to normal?

JMS: Luckily for us, Riverside partners with strong international companies and we collaborate our adaptations to COVID-19.

The Mexican government declared mining as an essential service, so we have its support to continue carrying out our work, providing jobs, and looking for discoveries that can unlock value for the country and our shareholders. The pandemic is definitely affecting us but in a positive way, as we have been able to build upon our data strengths, working remotely with our teams and local partners in the communities.

The current trend is towards evolving, accepting the situation and adapting to face coverings and additional hygiene measures.

Work is progressing well over time; we see some potentially lasting differences but we are in action, looking forward to the next two quarters and hoping for a good flow of results and an improvement in the COVID-19 situation.

TS: Mexico appears to come with a considerable amount of jurisdictional risk, yet is still favored by TSX explorers, why do you think this is?

JMS: I think Mexico is favored for 3 key reasons: 1. Endowment – Mexico has giant mineral resources; 2. Strong mining history – Mexican people know mining and have good skills; communities have seen the value that the industry can bring with jobs and lasting infrastructure; 3. Cost-effective – bordering the US, Mexico is easy to get to and has year-round cost-effective workability.

Lack of snow and powerful 44

Dr John-Mark Staude in the field Coring Magazine #14

TS: Riverside was founded 14 years ago, how have things changed in that time?

good values and potential for more growth with drilling and then potential mining.

JMS: Several key things have changed starting with technology, which plays an important role, due to the abundance of data available on the internet, the emergence of new software that allows us to work more effectively and machine learning.

Surface access has continued to take a large amount of time, as we need to meet, discuss

TS: You have recently partnered with BHP in Mexico. Can you tell us about the significance of this partnership?

JMS: Working with the world’s largest publicly traded mining company, BHP, is an honor for us. It is a great opportunity to participate in the search for large targets and big discovery

‘Downhole data is really making a positive difference to the value of drill holes. More drill holes stay open so that down-the-hole tools can be used, which is important and helps the business progress.’ and develop strategies to get work approvals.

We have moved to a centralized office; decision-makers come on site trips but long periods of detailed field work are no longer required. Our staff is now less interested in spending time in the field, which has previously been a trend.

The speed to reach a decision and obtain permits in hand are some of the factors that have evolved in the past 14 years and I see these trends continuing as we are working to adapt ahead of them as a business.

TS: Do you see Riverside expanding outside of North America?

upside with a transactional structure that works well for both companies. Along the way, all properties and potential royalties are 100% in Riverside’s name. We welcome the further growth in copper discoveries as our shareholders get the confidence that we have major companies doing their due diligence and choosing to invest money in properties that Riverside controls.

TS: What changes have you observed over the past 20 years in the way drilling contractors work?

JMS: Riverside is focused on opportunities; we have many good ones, including our portfolio in North America. It makes sense to seize and develop them, and stay within our strength zone rather than expand beyond.

JMS: Drillers are key partners for us and we really see the innovation and enthusiasm they contribute to discoveries.

The competition by drilling companies is fierce and we have been lucky to have safe and successful programs in Canada and Mexico, completed over the years.

TS: Tell us more about Riverside’s La Silla Gold-Silver Project.

TS: What has been the most challenging drilling campaign in your life?

JMS: La Silla is an exciting gold-silver vein district with over USD 33 million invested by Yamana and former gold mining companies.

Riverside controls three vein subsystems and lots of good upside. The veins have

JMS: Helicopter drilling, and high elevation – above 4500 m (14763.8 ft) are two of the big challenges for drilling. We faced them during a campaign in Panama; we had remoteness and steep jungle topography, which really

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made for an arduous job. There were no flat spots and we had to sling in pads and walk through treetops to get around, it was quite an experience, luckily no one got hurt.

TS: From your point of view, is there a drilling technology that significantly improved the way drilling contractors work and helped them meet clients’ expectations?

JMS: Oriented drill core and downhole surveys are key innovations, followed by geophysics. Downhole data is really making a positive difference to the value of drill holes.

More drill holes stay open so that down-thehole tools can be used, which is important and helps the business progress.

TS: Describe the modern-day geologist and the modern-day driller.

JMS: Geologists are scientists, reading rocks and reconstructing history. Drillers are productive, working to get holes down with the highest potential recoveries in the most efficient ways. Both work well together.

TS: If you could go back to the very beginning of your career and give yourself a single piece of geology-related advice what would that be?

JMS: Follow the top successful explorers and work with them. They really make a difference and being mentored by them you are bound to be involved in fine discoveries.

TS: Where do you see the price of gold in 12 months?

JMS: It can only go up. The debt, printing of money, and hard asset of gold is solid and real.

TS: What does the future hold for mineral exploration, particularly in Mexico?

JMS: Mineral exploration and resources development is vital; we need to open new mines in order to meet our growing demands.

I see a great future for mineral exploration and especially for Mexico, which is a key country for the industry. C

For more information Visit www.rivres.com

45

/ISSUE SPECIAL: MINING IN MEXICO

The true nature of discovery

by Doug Ramshaw, President at Minera Alamos Inc.

What is a real exploration discovery?

A discovery hole, even when it can not be classed as such, is what folks too often rely and pin their high hopes on. That hole can cause excitement both in and outside a company, and perhaps even a resulting stock market move, followed by a wild variance of directions thereafter.

So, it is worth thinking a little more about the path of real discovery.

46

There is a good reason to look at the oftquoted statistics that for every 1000 or so prospects only one will turn into a mine.

I have always thought the number actually understates the conversion rate due to the large number of companies that seemingly lose interest in building; many of them can go downstream and build something that could turn out to be a profitable operation in practice but lacks the scale to prove interesting in theory.

Technical discoveries are probably important in the eyes of the geologist making the proclamation of what they have unearthed, but they represent more of an addition to our collective understanding than something that will grace the supply chain.

Perhaps a technical discovery will fuel the chapters of geological journals that can assist the targeting and definition of something more robust that has an economic chance elsewhere. Certainly, they are important in guiding us toward the right discoveries that are necessary. However, I would like to take you on a path that entwines the technical with the feasible, on a journey

that demonstrates how one team can unlock the technical discovery of another, without understanding its true importance.

I am fortunate to work with two companies that have recognized that significance, Minera Alamos (Minera) and Great Bear Resources (Great Bear).

In 2018, Minera Alamos acquired the Santana property in Sonora, Mexico through a merger with Corex Gold, the previous owner. Santana had seen its modern-day ‘discovery’ in 2007 and had experienced close to 30 000 m (98 425.2 ft) of drilling prior to Minera’s involvement. Roughly ⅔rds of the meterage had focused on one specific ridgeline that represented the axis of a couple of heavily oxidized gold-bearing breccia pipes.

Regional drilling was centered in the area in close proximity to the original Nicho pipe but appeared more haphazard in its planning.

Fast forward to a 2014 drilling program

by Vale, a joint venture back then, and a series of nine deep holes chasing some geophysical targets and searching for a large underlying porphyry. In reality, it was always likely that the target Vale Coring Magazine #14

‘The curious case of Great Bear is a similar story of a technical discovery that became important years later.’ was searching for would be too deep and probably end up amongst the annals of technical discoveries. This early work had laid a path of breadcrumbs for the incoming Minera technical team. I believe that the first discovery holes at Nicho drove Corex for many years and led not only to the joint venture with Vale but to the merger with Minera as well. However, the true nature of the discovery has been made only in the recent years. It has been the ultimate value driver ever since, transforming an exploration project of more than a decade into a new gold mine.

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Taking a step back from a treasure trove of historic information and thinking about the more regional geological dynamics, we see not just some breccia pipes but what led to their emplacement. Now, I am not entirely sure if Corex had not figured this out, but certainly, the team at Minera was quick to think about the significance of their location. In this case, it was along the margins of a large regional batholith some 40 km (24.9 miles) in diameter, the southern margin of which laid directly to the north of the Santana property. While the discovery at the Nicho pipe had been made,

understanding the relationship between that and the batholith margin led to additional claims being picked up and the discovery of five or six more pipes in close proximity.

They collectively had much more significance, but were all similarly emplaced since the last degassing event as the batholith cooled and crystallized. Understanding that spatial and geological relationship has transformed the project. In many ways, the 2018 and 2019 scientific evaluation of what was drilled 12 years prior was the discovery that mattered.

The curious case of Great Bear is a similar story of a technical discovery that became important years later. Initially, Dixie laid fallow for several reasons: ‘It is in the wrong rock’ or ‘There is no continuity’, were the typical refrains that led to it being overlooked for so long. While in modern times the Red Lake, Canada is synonymous with the creation of Goldcorp and the staggeringly high-grade hits that transformed the historic Red Lake mine, the camp had a long history that preceded the High Grade Zone discovery.

Red Lake as a district has produced around 40 Moz at an average grade of 12 g/t and 47

/ISSUE SPECIAL: MINING IN MEXICO

average mining width of not much more than 2 m (6.6 ft). Red Lake style mineralization had been incredibly productive and fueled work that targeted more of the same. This work also targeted the Balmer assemblage which was the host for much of the historical production and so the thought of looking outside those rock units was certainly a shift from the conventional wisdom of Red Lake. The Dixie limb ‘discovery’ was made by Teck in the 1980s and it prompted over 160 holes of drilling between them and numerous operators thereafter. However, a series of circumstances mischaracterized the limb zone that was already battling the wrong rocks narrative. Red Lake’s history of continuity issues appeared to be on prime display at the limb zone.

Enter stage right Bob Singh and Chris Taylor who had watched the Dixie project for years prior to securing it. They were not scared by the geology and saw a target that needed fresh eyes and interpretation. The fifth hole of their maiden drilling program was better than any of the 160 that preceded it and, as more information was reinterpreted, they made the hinge zone discovery on Hole Three of the DHZ program (26.9 g/t Au over 16.35 m (53.6 ft) at ~100 m (328 ft) vertical depth) just a few short meters away from the historically drilled limb zone. Continuity issues? As it turned out that was an artifact of poor georeferencing of historical drill data that led to seemingly barren holes in the limb because of incorrect locating. Revisions to that led to the true discovery of drill collars (detailed in a Nov. 2018 press release) and suddenly demonstrated that the limb was in fact very much a continuous structure.

After decades, the true nature of the limb was uncovered. Over two years, Great Bear has made continuous discoveries at the Dixie project with every new data point guiding the understanding of the district and land package. In some cases, the discoveries took painstaking reinterpretation of historical data and in others, it was as simple as relogging and assaying core that had been drilled but never assayed because it was not classic Red Lake. Dixie is one of the finest examples of history and its conventional wisdom being turned on its head by understanding the true nature of something. Therein lies the true nature of discovery. C

Ongoing earthworks during pad construction at Santana

For more information Visit: www.mineraalamos.com

48

Undrilled Goldridge breccia pipe Coring Magazine #14

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/ISSUE SPECIAL: MINING IN MEXICO

The Platosa mine remains a strong performer for Excellon Resources after COVID-19

by Esme Whitehouse, Junior Mining Researcher at Spotlight Mining

Excellon Resources (TSX:EXN) are a mid-tier mining and exploration company with projects in Mexico, the US and Germany. Their portfolio includes both precious and base metals, and they own and operate 100% of Mexico’s highest-grade silver mine, Platosa.

Figure 1 – A map showing the different mantos, or mineralized pods, targeted in the Platosa mining plan.

The Platosa Mine is located 5 km (3.1 miles) north of Bermejillo in Durango State, Mexico. While it remains a very high-grade silver deposit, Platosa is also mined for lead and zinc. The Mineral Resource statement 50

(SRK Consulting, NI 43-101) published in 2018 describes 485 000 t Indicated resources at 549 g/t Ag, 5.6% Pb and 5.9% Zn and a further 13 000 t inferred resources at 516 g/t Ag, 4.7% Pb and 6.5% Zn.

Production at Platosa began in 2005 and extraction targets a number of high-temperature epigenetic carbonate-replacement zinc-leadsilver ‘Mantos’ (Figure 1). The Mantos, or pods, are hosted in a stratigraphy of Mesozoic sedimentary rocks including an evaporite sequence, sandstones, and dominant limestones. There is variable but generally low-grade metamorphism.

Mantos are shallow to steeply dipping, irregularly shaped and are concordant with the eastward-dipping trend of the area’s stratigraphy. The mineralized system covers an area of approximately 400-700 m (1312-2297 ft) and ranges from depths of 60 to 320 m (196 to 1049 ft) eastwards in accordance with the dip of the stratigraphy. Primary ore minerals include galena, sphalerite and acanthite, with proustite occurring in the highest grade samples (Figure 2).

During the mid-tertiary extension of the Rio Bravo Rift, widespread magmatism exploited newly reopened pervasive faults, resulting in the pervasive emplacement of shallow level intrusions into Mesozoic carbonates. Thus, the regional-scale hydrothermal system responsible for the Mexican carbonate replacement deposits was created. The largest formed over deepseated, large-scale faults and Platosa is adjacent to a major NW-trending structure within a larger northwest trend of significant carbonate replacement deposits. In Mexico, the CRD belt is estimated to host more than 80 million tonnes in deposits.

Carbonate replacement deposits commonly grade into structurally controlled metasomatic skarns the closer you get to the source intrusions (Cox et al., 2015) Coring Magazine #14

Figure 2 – A sample of mineralization at Platosa showing galena, sphalerite, and proustite. and can have extents of thousands of meters. The Platosa property has both CRD and skarns, and thus represents the transitional ‘middle’ area between the proximal and distal parts of the hydrothermal system. When comparing this character to other CRD systems, we can see that Platosa demonstrates not only a potential prospectivity of genetically related carbonate replacement deposits, but that there is also potential for extension and nearby discovery.

On that latter point, earlier exploration drilling for Platosa revealed slightly anomalous gold and silver grades, and while these were not economic, they were considered useful exploration vectors to another economic area in the same system. Covering 11 000 ha, the Platosa property remains an exploration terrain and as of 2018, there were a number of veins, breccia, and skarn systems all noted for possible further investigation.

Platosa is looking good post-COVID-19.

Production recommenced in June, 2020 following a two-month hiatus, with strong results continuing through July and into August (Table 1). Despite the delay to operations, Excellon have made up for lost time by producing nearly as much in July and August as they did in the whole of Q1 this year. As of September, Excellon were also

Platosa property seeing a positive feedback from the cost reduction strategy they implemented in Q2.

Despite having to reduce their workforce, increasing the efficiency of working schedules has maintained and even increased mine productivity. Other cost reduction measures included negotiating lower treatment charges, general optimizations and changing electricity supplier.

Excellon commenced surface and underground drilling at Platosa and two other targets in September with the express intention of expanding and better defining known mineralization.Exploration activity in another two targets, PDN and Jaboncillo, thus far has revealed that they may be prospective for skarn mineralization and a Platosa-style target, respectively. No definite results have been released from

this activity yet, but we await them with excitement to see what the wider Platosa area holds for Excellon Resources.

References Cox JJ, Ross D, Michaud RL. (2015). Technical Report on the Preliminary Economic Assessment of the Platosa Mine, Durango State, Mexico. Roscoe Postle Associates.

Prepared for Excellon Resources, July 2015. C

For more information All information in the above article comes from Excellon Resources’ website and materials contained within.

Visit: www.excellonresources.com

Table 1 – Production figures from the Platosa mine for 2020.

Production

Q1

Q2

July

August

Ag (g/t)

542

492

528

451

Pb (%)

5.44

5.37

5.85

4.95

Zn (%)

6.78

6.91

7.66

6.76

Metal

Ag (oz)

296 281

18 919

116 324

106 662

Produced

Pb (lb)

1 890 456

129 204

972 066

729 081

Zn (lb)

2 131 034

158 735

818 730

997 157

AgEq (oz)

523 742

34 924

198 458

169 473

ore grades

Drillers’ trusted publication

51

/ISSUE SPECIAL: MINING IN MEXICO

Mexican silver miners and explorers return to operations as precious metal prices soar

by Nicholas LePan, Natural Resources Editor at Visual Capitalist

Golden Tag Resources’ San Diego Silver Property in the heart of the Velardeña mining district, Cuencamé, Durango, Mexico 52

Coring Magazine #14

The price of silver has been on an upward trend since 2015 and some would say it will keep growing.

On January 31, 2019, the price of silver was at USD 18.04 by August it reached a high of USD 29.

This bodes well for silver producers and explorers.

The world’s largest silver producer, Mexico, is receiving renewed interest in silver exploration. Mexico’s mining industry accounts for nearly 23% of the world production of silver, generating more than 206 million ounces (5840 tonnes) last year, up from 196.6 million ounces (5573.5 tonnes) in 2018 (Harris, 2020).

However, all this production came to a halt due to COVID-19 shutdowns.

But miners and explorers are ramping back up in time to take advantage of an emerging bull market in silver prices.

Mexico, built for silver mining The history of Mexico and mining are intertwined. From the earliest silver

Mexican state

Silver production (2019)- metric tons

Zacatecas

2128.48

Chihuahua

1217.03

Durango

819.65

Sonora

632.17

Oaxaca

299.28

State of Mexico

200.93

San Luis Potosi

131.55

Coahuila Guanajuato

95.91 70.5

Hidalgo

68.32

Sinaloa

62.13

Jalisco

62.03

Others

55.85

Source: Camimex, 2020b, p. 206 discovery at Guanajuato that fueled the Spanish Empire to the modern Penasquito mine, Mexico’s geology has created opportunities for several generations.

The country's terrain is tectonically active and geologically complex. Mountain chains all across Mexico, including the Sierra Madre Oriental, Sierra Madre Occidental and Sierra Madre del Sur, have created the several mining districts of belts.

In August 2020, Golden Tag announced a drill program to follow up on a historic silver resource Drillers’ trusted publication

53

/ISSUE SPECIAL: MINING IN MEXICO

Top 10 Silver Producers in Mexico Project

Company

Saucito

Fresnillo

Millions of ounces 17.2

Peñasquito

Newmont

15.9

San Julian

Fresnillo

13.0

Fresnillo

Fresnillo

13.0

La Colorada

Pan American Silver

8.2

San José

Fortuna Silver

7.9

Palmarego

Coeur Mining

6.8

San Dimas

First Majestic Silver

6.3

La Ciénega

Fresnillo

5.8

Tizapa

Industrias Peñoles

5.8

Source: Camimex, 2020a, p. 42

COVID-19 shutters an industry On March 31, 2020 the Mexican Ministry of Health declared a national health emergency and suspended all non-essential businesses from operating for a 30-day period. All mining companies halted production and exploration activities and put mining operations on care and maintenance (Lazenby, 2020).

Mexican mining output will likely fall by about 17% by the end of 2020 due to the impact of the COVID-19 but should recover by the first quarter of next year as operations resume. In an interview with Reuters, Fernando Alanís Ortega, president of Camimex stated:

‘Last year, the total value of mining production was more or less around 244 billion pesos (USD 11.25 billion) and we’re estimating that this year it will drop by 17%,’ he said. ‘In a couple of months, operations should be back.’ (Torres, 2020).

On May 13, 2020, the government of Mexico added mining to its list of essential businesses and announced plans for a phased reopening of the industry. The government then extended the shutdown of non-essential activities to May 30, meaning mining resumed on June 1 (Jamasmie, 2020a, first appeared in Jamasmie, 2020b).

According to the 2020 CPM Silver Yearbook, Mexican silver production grew 48% between 2010 to 2019, for 190.3 million ounces (5394.9 tonnes) in 2019 and

New Silver Projects in Mexico: Project name

Company

Production (million of ounces)

Expected production

Capela

Industrias Peñoles

4.7

2020

Cusi

Sierra Metals

n/a

2020

Jaunicipio

Fresnillo-Mag Silver

11.7

2020

Camino Rojo

Orla Mining

0.40

2021

Santa ElenaErmitaño (expansion)

First Majestic

n/a

2021

Terronera

Endeavour Silver

1.9

2020

Orisyvo

Fresnillo

n/a

2022

Media Luna

Torex Gold

1.7

2024

(Source: Camimex, 2020, p. 43) 54

its share of global mine production increased from 18.7% in 2010 to 25% in 2019.

The CPM Group expected Mexico to increase production to 194.6 million ounces (5516.8 tonnes) in 2020; however, due to the pandemic, CPM forecasts a decline of 15.9 million ounces (450.7 tonnes) of silver (Newman, et al, 2020 as cited in Dickson, 2020).

Silver exploration in Mexico Exploration in the region has reignited with a series of financings that will pour money directly into Mexico’s mineral exploration industry, reversing a downward trend of investment since 2012 (Newman, et al, 2020, p. 18-21).

Silver explorers (see Dickson, 2020) 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

SilverCrest Metals (TSX: SIL, NYSE American: SILV) - Las Chispas Kootenay Silver (TSX-V: KTN) La Negra, Columba, Copalito Golden Tag Resources (TSX-V: GOG) - The San Diego Silver Project Reyna Silver (TSX-V: RSLV) - Guigui and La Cinche Vizsla Resources (TSX-V: VZLA) - Panuco Riverside Resources (TSX-V: RRI) - La Silla gold-silver project Vangold Mining (TSX-V: VAN) - El Pinguico Coring Magazine #14

INCREASE EFFICIENCY & TRACK

COST PER METRE ENTER, REVIEW & APPROVE

TIMESHEETS

Learn more at Drillers’ trusted publication

MONITOR SHIFTS & OVERALL

PROGRESS

55

/ISSUE SPECIAL: MINING IN MEXICO

8.

Canasil (TSX-V: CLZ) - Nora silver-gold project 9. GR Silver Mining (TSX-V: GRSL) - Polomasas silver project 10. Silver Viper Minerals (TSX-V: VIPR) - La Virginia and Rubi-Esperanza 11. Silver One Resources (TSX-V: SVE) Penasco Quemado and La Frazada 12. Southern Silver Exploration (TSX-V: SSV) - Cerro Las Minitas project References Jamasmie, C. (2020a). Mining in Mexico to restart. Retrieved September/October, from https://www.northernminer. com/news/mining-in-mexico-torestart-next-week/1003816999/ Jamasmie, C. (2020b). Mining in Mexico to restart next week. Retrieved October/ November, from https://www.mining.com/ mining-in-mexico-to-restart-next-week/ Cámara Minera de México (Camimex).

(2020a). Informe Annual 2020 (LXXXIII Asamblea General Ordinaria). Cámara Minera de México. https://camimex.org.mx/ files/9415/9965/7716/02_info_2020.pdf Cámara Minera de México (Camimex).

(2020b). Estadísticas. (LXXXIII Asamblea General Ordinaria). Cámara Minera

de México. https://camimex.org.mx/ files/4215/9838/6023/05_info_2020.pdf Lazenby, H. (2020, April 02). Mexico lockdown upsets miners' 2020 plans.

Retrieved October 05, 2020, from https://www.mining-journal.com/ covid-19/news/1384303/mexicolockdown-upsets-miners-2020-plans Torres, N. (2020, June 04). Mexico mining output to shrink 17% in 2020: Industry group. Retrieved September/ October, 2020, from https://ca.reuters. com/article/idUSKBN23A3I0 Harris, P. (2020, April 01). Mexico mining suspension to hit silver supply.

Retrieved September/October, 2020, from https://www.mining-journal. com/covid-19/news/1384184/ mexico-suspends-mining-in-april Dickson, E. (2020, June). LATIN AMERICA: Mexico Project Roundup.

Retrieved September/October, 2020, from https://resourceworld.com/latinamerica-mexico-project-roundup/ Newman, E., Meader, N., Klapwijk, P., Fellows, M., Chou, E., Gao, Y., … Diwe, A. (2020). World Silver Survey 2020 (ISBN: 978-1-9162526-5-3). The Silver Institute. https://www.silverinstitute. org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/ World-Silver-Survey-2020.pdf C

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AARDVARK DRILLING Phone 1-877-726-9340 info@aardvarkdrillinginc.com www.aardvarkdrillinginc.com Canada, United States, England AGGRESSIVE DRILLING Phone (306) 975-1523 adrill@sasktel.net www.aggressivedrilling.com Canada AUSDRILL Phone +61 8 6159 4407 info@ausdrill.com.au www.ausdrill.com.au Australia

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BUNDOK DRILLING Phone (+63 46) 460 5310 info@bundokdrilling.com www.bundokdrilling.com Philippines CABO Phone (604)527-4201 info@cabo.ca www.cabo.ca Canada CARTWRIGHT DRILLING INC. Phone 709 896 4446 www.cartwrightdrilling.ca Canada, Greenland, Madagascar, Malawi

CONTINENTAL DRILLING Phone +502 2382-5070 info@continentaldrilling.com www.continentaldrilling.com Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama DDH1 DRILLING Phone +61 08 9435 1700 admin@ddh1.com.au www.ddh1.com.au Australia DEPCO DRILLING Phone (07) 4928 1133 info@depco.com.au www.depco.com.au Australia

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GEOSOL Phone +55 (31) 2108-8000 geosol@geosol.com.br www.geosol.com.br Brazil GEOTEC Phone (511) 326 – 5494 geotec@geotec.com.pe www.geotec.com.pe Peru GLOBAL DRILLING & EXPLORATION GROUP Phone +65 6543 9375 www.globaldrill.com Singapore, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Asia, Australia Pacific, Europe, Middle East, Africa Coring Magazine #14

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GRID DRILLING Phone 07 4157 8080 admin@griddrilling.com www.griddrilling.com Australia HARDROCK DIAMOND DRILLING jordan@hardrockdrilling.ca www.hardrockdrilling.ca Canada LOGAN DRILLING Phone 902-639-2311 logan@logandrillinggroup. com logandrillinggroup.com Canada, United States, Colombia

KATI OY Phone 0207430660 info@oykatiab.com www.oykatiab.com Finland MITCHELL DRILLING Phone +61 7 3722 7222 info@mitchellservices. com.au www.mitchellservices. com.au Australia

NPLH DRILLING Phone 705-268-7956 Fax 705-268-5174 ablaquiere@nplhdrilling.ca www.nplhdrilling.ca Canada

PEAK DRILLING Phone 250-897-0930 Fax 250-897-0960 info@peakdrilling.com www.peakdrilling.com Canada

SUMMIT DRILLING Phone 800-242-6648 Fax 732-356-1009 info@summitdrilling.com www.summitdrilling.com United States

ORBIT GARANT DRILLING Phone 819 824-2707 Fax 819 824-2195 info@orbitgarant.com www.orbitgarant.com Canada, United States, West Africa, South America

ROCK DRILL GROUP Phone (01) 518 7100 info@rockdrillgroup.com rockdrillgroup.com Peru

TIMBERLINE DRILLING INC Phone 208.665.7211 info@timberline-drilling.com www.timberline-drilling.com United States

RUEN DRILLING Phone (208) 266-1151 Fax (208) 266-1379 office@ruendrilling.com www.ruendrilling.com United States, Peru

TITELINE DRILLING Phone +61 3 5338 3800 Fax +61 3 5337 6100 info@titelineinternational. com.au titelineinternational. com.au Australia, Ecuador, Indonesia, Mongolia, Myanmar

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I3 DIRECTIONAL DRILLING SOLUTIONS Phone 1-705-495-6363 roque@i3dds.com www.i3dds.com Canada

TECH DIRECTIONAL Phone (705) 524-6222 info@techdirectional.com techdirectional.com Canada

REI DRILLING Phone +1 801 270-2140 Fax +1 801 281-2880 www.reidrilling.com United States

TRUST SOLUÇÕES GEOLÓGICAS Phone +55 (62) 3575 3720 contato@trustsg.com.br www.trustsg.com.br Brazil

59

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Surveying & Geophysics (A-Z) CORE TECH Phone (511) 255-5701 ventas@coretech.com.pe www.coretech.com.pe Peru

DIGITAL SURVEYING Phone +27 18 788 6349 sales@digitalsurveying.co.za www.digitalsurveying.com.za Africa

DOWNHOLE SURVEYS Phone +61 (0) 8 9361 4745 sales@downhole.com.au www.downhole.com.au Australia

GYRODATA SERVICES CANADA Phone +1 705 494 0075 don.black@gyrodata.com www.gyrodata.com Canada

INTERNATIONAL DRILLING SERVICES Phone +1 480-824-7100 IDSinfo@IDSdrill.com www.idsdrill.com United States, Canada

TRUST SOLUÇÕES GEOLÓGICAS Phone +55 62 992720023 contato@trustsg.com.br Brazil

Drilling Equipment & Accessories Drill Rigs & Accessories (A-Z)

60

Coring Magazine #14

Drill Rigs & Accessories Cont.

Phone 570-586-2061 Fax 570-586-2659 sales@ackerdrill.com www.ackerdrill.com

ACKER DRILL

AUSTEX Phone 08 9450 9400 Fax 08 9478 2316 enquiries@austexeng.com.au www.austexeng.com.au

DELTA MAKINA Phone +90 312 386 15 41-42 Fax +90 312 386 15 43 delta@deltamakina.com www.deltamakina.com

ATELIER VAL-D’OR Phone (819) 824-3676 Fax (819) 824-2891 info@avddrills.com www.avddrills.com

BARKOM Phone 90-312 385 60 50 Fax 90-312 385 35 75 info@barkomas.com www.barkomas.com

DISCOVERY DRILL MANUFACTURER Phone 1-506-542-9708 Fax 1-506-542-9709 info@discoverydrills.com www.discoverydrills.com

DANDO DRILLING INTERNATIONAL LTD Phone 01903731312 www.dando.co.uk DURALITE DIAMOND DRILLS Phone 709 263-7221 Fax 709 263-7231 duralitedrills@nf.sympatico.ca duralitediamonddrills.com

FORSUN ULTRA-HARD MATERIAL INDUSTRY Phone +86-731 84254020 Fax +86-731 84252208 info@forsuntools.com www.forsun-tools.com

EVERDIGM Phone 82-2-801-0800 Fax 82-2-801-0799 info@everdigm.com www.everdigm.com

GEO DRILLING MACHINERY MANUFACTURING Phone +90-312-354-8576 Fax +90-312-385-6215 www.geosondajmakine.com

HYDRACORE DRILLS Phone +1 604-940-4937 Fax +1 604-940-4919 info@hydracore.com www.hydracore.com

MAXIDRILL INC Phone +1 450-763-0212 Fax +1 514-221-2356 info@maxidrill.com www.maxidrill.com

MASSENZA DRILLING RIGS Phone +39 0521 825284 info@massenzarigs.it www.massenzarigs.com

ODYSSEY FLUID POWER Phone 705 707 1780 info@odysseyfluidpower.com www.odysseyfluidpower.com

PRD RIGS Phone +91 90470 87755 marketing@prdrigs.com www.prdrigs.com SINOCOREDRILL Phone 86-510-82723272 Fax 86-510-82752846 sales@sinocoredrill.com www.sinocoredrill.com

USINAGEM MARCOTTE Phone 1-819-824-3977 www.umvd.ca VERSA DRILL Phone 1-819-874-4404 www.versadrillcanada.com

Drill Rig Parts (A-Z) PROLENC Phone (250) 563-8899 Fax (250) 563-6704 khodgins@prolenc.com www.prolenc.com

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ASAHI DIAMOND Phone + 61-2-9997-7033 Fax +61-2-9997-8313 sales@asahi-diamond.com.au www.asahi-diamond.com.au

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CHRISTENSEN RODER Phone (11) 5069-5900 roder@roder.com.br www.roder.com.br

DIAMANTINA CHRISTENSEN Phone +562 2620 7808 christensen@christensen.cl diamantinachristensen.com

DIASET Phone 1-800-663-5004 Fax 604-940-9534 bits@diaset.com www.diaset.com

DIMATEC Phone 1-866-538-5732 Fax 1-204-832-4268 info@dimatec.com www.dimatec.com

DRILLING HQ Phone 1 (208) 690-3111 Info@DrillingHQ.com www.drillinghq.com

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FORSUN ULTRA-HARD MATERIAL INDUSTRY Phone 86-731 84254020 Fax 86-731 84252208 info@forsuntools.com www.forsun-tools.com HARGRAND DRILLING TOOLS Phone 86-010-58412500 +8618610425267 Fax 86-010-58412501 eric@hargrand.com www.hargrand.com

HOLE PRODUCTS Phone (888) 465-1569 Fax (320) 631-0064 www.holeproducts.com HUD MINING SUPPLIES Phone 27 (0) 11-974-1500 info@hud.co.za www.hud.co.za

JUFERMA Phone 34-91 498 93 07 Fax 34-91 498 93 06 diamondjuferma@juferma.com www.juferma.com

SAFARI DIAMOND DRILL BITS Phone 604-275-2487 Fax 604-275-2487 info@safaridiamonddrillbits.com safaridiamonddrillbits.com

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SINOCOREDRILL Phone 86-510-82723272 Fax 86-510-82752846 sales@sinocoredrill.com www.sinocoredrill.com

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K. MAIKAI Phone 81-3-3490-8433 Fax 81-3-3490-8622 www.kmaikai.co.jp/eng SINOCOREDRILL Phone 86-510-82723272 Fax 86-510-82752846 sales@sinocoredrill.com www.sinocoredrill.com TERRA TEAM OY Phone 358-9-849-4030 info@terra-team.fi www.terra-team.fi/en

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BARKOM Phone 90-312 385 60 50 Fax 90-312 385 35 75 info@barkomas.com www.barkomas.com BOART LONGYEAR Phone 1-801-972-6430 Fax 1-801-977-3374 www.boartlongyear.com

CORE TECH Phone (511) 255-5701 ventas@coretech.com.pe www.coretech.com.pe DIAMANTINA CHRISTENSEN Phone 56(9) 7707 9371 christensen@christensen.cl www.diamantinachristensen.com

GEO DRILLING MACHINERY MANUFACTURING Phone 90-312-354-8576 www.geosondajmakine.com SON-MAK Phone +90 224 482 44 40 - 41 Fax +90 224 482 44 39 info@son-mak.com.tr www.son-mak.com

Specialized Machine Works (A-Z) NORTH BAY MACHINING CENTRE Phone (705) 472-9416 Fax (705) 472-2927 luc@nbmc.ca www.nbmc.ca 64

PROLENC Phone (250) 563-8899 Fax (250) 563-6704 khodgins@prolenc.com www.prolenc.com Coring Magazine #14

Wedges (A-Z) FORDIA Phone 514-336-9211 Fax 514-745-4125 info@fordia.com www.fordia.com

SONDA PARTS Phone 55 – (31) 3391 3810 Fax 55 – (31) 3391 3810 comercial@sondaparts.com.br www.sondaparts.com.br/

REFLEX Phone 1-705-235-2169 Fax 1-705-235-2165 reflex@imdexlimited.com www.reflexnow.com

TERRA TEAM OY Phone 358-9-849-4030 info@terra-team.fi www.terra-team.fi/en/

Survey Equipment Survey Tools (A-Z)

AZIWELL Phone + 47 471 600 71 post@aziwell.no www.aziwell.no

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ICEEFIELD TOOLS Phone +1 (867) 633-4264 Fax +1 (867) 633-4217 support@icefieldtools.com www.icefieldtools.com

REFLEX INSTRUMENTS Phone 61 8 9445 4020 Fax 61 8 9445 4040 reflex@imdexlimited.com www.reflexnow.com

STOCKHOLM PRECISION TOOLS Phone 46-8-590-733-10 Fax 46-8-590-731-55 info@stockholmprecisiontools.com stockholmprecisiontools.com

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Core Orientation (A-Z) BOART LONGYEAR Phone 1-801-972-6430 Fax 1-801-977-3374 www.boartlongyear.com

COREFINDER Phone +55 62 992720023 contato@corefinder.com.br www.corefinder.com.br

DEVICO AS Phone +47 72870101 devico@devico.com www.devico.com

REFLEX INSTRUMENTS Phone 61 8 9445 4020 Fax 61 8 9445 4040 reflex@imdexlimited.com www.reflexnow.com

Miscellaneous Drilling Fluids (A-Z)

CEBO HOLLAND B. V. (BAROID) Phone +31 255 546 262 info@cebo.com www.cebo.com

CORE TECH Phone (511) 255-5701 ventas@coretech.com.pe www.coretech.com.pe

DI-CORP Phone +1 (705) 721-3300 info@di-corp.com www.di-corp.com

JC PORTAL DRILLING SUPPLIES Phone (33) 3810 6099 (33) 1561 6618 ventas@jcpds.com.mx www.jcpds.com.mx

MUDEX Phone +61 (8) 9390 4620 info@mudex.com.au www.mudex.com.au

DYNAMICS G-EX Phone +61 7 54826649 sales@dynamicsgex.com.au www.dynamicsgex.com.au

PROSPECTORS Phone +61 (02) 9839 3500 Fax +61 (02) 8824 5250 sales@prospectors.com.au

TIGER FLUIDS Phone +61 (0) 417 60 11 00 info@tigerfluids.com www.tigerfluids.com

Packers (A-Z) HOLE PRODUCTS Phone +1 909 939 2581 Fax +1 909 891 0434 holeproducts.com

SON-MAK Phone +90 224 482 44 40 Fax +90 224 482 44 39 info@son-mak-com.tr www.son-mak-com.tr

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66

Coring Magazine #14

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