Trevali Mining has made the final option payment to acquire a 100% interest in the past-producing Ruttan copper deposit located approximately 750 km north-northwest of Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Ruttan deposit contains an NI 43-101 compliant inferred resource of 19.75 million mt of 1.17% copper and 1.47% zinc and remains open for expansion to depth, beneath previous mine workings, and in the hanging and footwall zones.
The Trevali announcement notes that geologically large to giant volcanic massive sulphide (VMS) deposits such as Ruttan rarely occur in isolation. They typically form camps or clusters of deposits. Consequently, based on targeting and prospectivity analysis conducted to date, the company believes the Ruttan deposit and the immediate underexplored region holds good-to-excellent exploration potential. The majority of the former mine infrastructure remains in place, including the tailings management facility, water treatment plant, power, road-rail access, and the town of Leaf Rapids that was built to service the former mine.
The Ruttan mine operated from 1973 to 2002, and historic production is reported to have been approximately 55 million mt grading 1.23% copper and 1.41% zinc. (www.trevaliresources.com)
