RE: RE: a copy of Way Linggo I'm a doctor in cardiology so I do not know about the mining details. But if look at Way Linggo on the web site and you can see they have a resource of about 200,000 oz with measured at about 160,000. And it works viable. Now they continue drilling laterally maybe going sideways or maybe they can drill down drom inside the mine. My friend at Freeport tells me they often do this. So they have now found an added resource at Santo Talaga but originally they did not know about this when they built the mine. This is like gravey maybe.
Since is an underground mine no worry about strip ratio but just the horizontal distance of the tunnel to get to the vein or MSB's from the hillside to reach the ore. Is cheaper than in open mine because not so much worthless rock and dirt to remove.
My friend also tells me that he knows that SA has computer program to input drilling and other data to calculate the resource internally like Promine or Surpac or Gemcoms GEMs, etc. So maybe they have sufficient data to make an internal decision but not have high data resolution for being able to apply to official 43-101 estimate. At Way Linggo this happened this way. Only if want to issue official 43-101 estimate then must go to outside consultant as third party to make independent calculation. But internally they might feel they have sufficient data and since have they the cash to go ahead then this is plausible. Another invited party if is truly interested then has access to this data and can have made their own calculation from all the raw data provided to them and found the basis for going ahead to be viable. So a company like Freeport or Newmont or Vale or Newcrest, etc. could feel that even without official 43-101 report there is a mineable resource. We really don't know what data they have and how they interpret it to mean to come up with mining viability. It could be more than what has been released through their news release. People like Mike A or Hamish or even Director Gallagher can know from the data and internal outcomes if this can work or not. But now the big decision or the big diving in must be made and through the strategy review because once started it cannot end otherwise lose too much money. This is a big decision to make. Go ahead and mine or not. I think they have enough data for a decision. Many years ago the same decision would be made with less drilling and only hand calculations for the estimated amount. The area certainly is highly prospective. We know this because the illigal miners did a lot of "exploration" for us while also they digged out thousands of oz of gold using very crude, middle ages methods.