/CASE STUDY
Bryson Drilling’s ‘Ace’ team: Defeating extreme weather and harsh terrain to complete a challenging multi-client project This winter season Bryson Drilling (Bryson) was awarded a multi-client project for Terralogic Exploration Inc. on behalf of SKRR Exploration/ Taiga Gold Corp. on the remote Irving/ Leland property in Saskatchewan, Canada, located about 60 km (37 mi) away from the nearest access point. The Irving/Leland Project is a large land package covering more than 23 500 hectares strategically located within 10 to 20 km (6–12 mi) of SSR Mining’s very successful Seabee Gold Mine operation, the largest orogenic gold deposit in Saskatchewan.
Irving/Leland is located approximately 100 km (62 mi) North of La Ronge at a heading of 58° Northeast. The location required significant preparation and planning to ensure a successful project completion. Even though the majority of Bryson’s exploration is in the Uranium industry, in this particular project gold was the main commodity we were looking for, with several other base metals including copper and zinc. We sent our ‘Ace’ team of eight people to the site - three drillers, three helpers, one foreman and an eight man - a local indigenous worker, who was hired to work on the project. They were successful due to their wealth of experience and commitment to seeing the project through despite the extremely challenging conditions. The team had to endure several weeks of extreme temperatures well below freezing. Due to the harsh and challenging environment, the operation required heli- and plane-portable equipment mobilization. The extreme temperatures of -50°C (-58°F) made helicopter and plane runs even more difficult. Therefore, equipment and gear preparation was a key aspect. We used a specially customized modular drill for fly-in areas with packages that weighed less than 1250 lb (567 kg) so it could be moved by the Bell 206 helicopter easily, and yet was powerful enough to drill up to 600 m (1969 ft) of N-size. We also designed our own fully custom modular shacks that were easy to transport with the Bell 206 helicopter and very quick to assemble and take down in order to move with a Single Otter plane.
by Ryan Sunderland, Shareholder and Supervisor at Bryson Drilling Ltd. 16
Coring Magazine #16
