It is apparent that the structural geology, on at least, a couple of the levels at the Sleeping Giant mine, has made the past search for gold, more difficult and costly.
This is apparent on levels 8 and levels 30 where many offshoots from the main galleries have been constructed by previous operators of the SG mine.
Basically, it is as simple as this. The original intrusion of gold (the vein) gets hammmered by an underground seismic event of some very great significance at a later geologic date.
The vein get displaced in direction and/or height from its former position. A major block of rock containing the mineralized vein get disoriented from the other block containing the other remnant section.
For the miner, this makes it more difficult to follow the mineralized path.
When the vein suddenly disappears, the miner may be surprised. If insufficient infill drilling has been done, the manager of the mining operation knows that he has not done sufficient work.
He now will have to spend some additional money. He curses and goes back on top and breaks open, a very cold beer. He is sweating now!
He knows that he has been following a broken vein. It will continue, but in a different direction and at some different place, on this same level. It will cost him additional time and expense to drill more exploratory holes.
Later on, he will have to deviate from the original plan and open at least one divergent gallery, on the same level, in the hope of refinding, the now lost vein.
He may also have some unexpected explaining, to give to the members of the board! Surprise! The old, much lower cost, has now become, much more expensive!
The costs have now skyrocketed, over budget! And what if he loses the same vein, once again?
Perhaps that's the story of what might have happened between levels 30 and 50 of the Sleeping Giant mine in the past. It was a zone of just, too much complexity!
So why pursue an area too difficult to understand and expensive to mine?
A miner's job is difficult enough already!
Why not just drop the remaining exploration and gallery development down one lower level, where the presence of vein continuity, provided much easier and cheaper access?
That move could make a lot more economic sense!
Yet, could today's gold price, make the search for valuable gold on level 40, a better option today for Abcourt MInes?
Could exploration on level 40, now be less problematic, when so many connected but divergent galleries, have already been opened up, on level #30, just above?
https://abcourt.com/the-sleepy-giant-mine/ There are still many valuable gold ounces remaining to be mined in the many stopes already developed on level #30. There must be plenty more gold mineralization, available just below!
Is the gold, worth the chase?
All the best, Java