A new 3D model created by Renaissance Geoscience Services integrates the recently completed drilling data, and includes all known underground workings, separated into drift and declines, as well as unmined copper mineralised portions.
The modelling was primarily undertaken to generate drill targets in the unmined mineralised bodies, as part of GSP's goal of developing an open pit or block cave operation, or both, said the company.
This represents a "a viable goal" for Alwin due to increasing copper prices, and the fact that an "open pit operation with a much lower cutoff than 1.5% copper of the former underground mine may be able to economically mine the lower grade and smaller high-grade portions ignored by prior underground mining operators".
The historic underground mine, which was developed over 500 meters long by 300 meters deep by 200 meters wide volume produced from 1916 to 1981 from five major subvertical zones 233,100 tonnes that milled 3,786 tonnes of copper, 2,729 kilograms of silver and 46.2 kilograms of gold.
