i-80 Gold Corp. started the underground mining program at the Granite Creek Mine located in Humboldt County, Nevada. The 2021 drill program was successful in delineating high-grade mineralization in multiple areas close to the existing mine workings and two Cubex rigs are on site drilling to complete definition in advance of underground mining.
The first stoping area has been defined and mining of the stope access to this area is now under way. The company remains on target to ramp up to production in 2022. Mined material will be stockpiled on-site in preparation for trucking to Nevada Gold Mines’ (NGM) nearby Twin Creeks facility pursuant to interim arrangements entered into with NGM to process mineralization from i‑80’s properties until the Lone Tree facility is operational.
The Granite Creek mine project hosts both open-pit and underground resources and is strategically located proximal to Nevada Gold Mines’ Twin Creeks and Turquoise Ridge mines at the north end of the Battle Mountain-Eureka Trend at its intersection with the Getchell gold belt in Nevada. The underground deposit at Granite Creek represents one of the highest-grade gold deposits in North America with resource grades in excess of 10 grams per metric ton of gold.
“The interim processing arrangement with Nevada Gold Mines has allowed us to fast-track the development of the Granite Creek underground operation, such that it will become Nevada’s newest gold mine,” President and COO Matt Gili said. “Granite Creek is one of four sites being prepared by the company for mining in advance of the restart of our Lone Tree processing facility that includes an autoclave. Additionally, our highly successful drill program has not only defined areas for mining but has also resulted in new discoveries including the South Pacific Zone that has the potential to materially increase resources at Granite Creek.”
The program has been increased to 30,000 meters (m) in 2022. In addition to the underground program at Granite Creek, the company continues to advance permitting for open-pit mine on the property including heap leach processing on-site.
