Maritime Resources Corp V.MAE

Strip Ratio will be reduced by Grade Control drilling

[nozzpack]

Strip ratio is the ratio of economic ore to waste ore which must be removed to access the economic ore.

Grade control  was planned but had not taken place prior to the 2022 Feasability Study.

Grade control is very closely spaced drilling which increases the spatial resolution of grade differences of ore and waste boundaries within the pit, enhancing mine selectivity, reducing the strip ratio and decreasing mining costs.
Waste mining is one of the largest contributors to cash costs.

Grade control is now underway at HD and is expected to be completed by exit this month .

This should result in a signifucant reduction in mining costs along with the fact that during the past two years the HD mine site has been cleared of brush and debris,

Further, grade control often finds veins that were missed by regular definition drilling, so a possible increase in resources might result ..

[shiftyone]

The overburden... is that what they call the stuff above the rock?  I think back in the spring , MacDonald said in an interview that could be cleared in one day with a backhoe.  It was only a few inches thick.

[nozzpack]

That is correct. F all overburden . However, mining high grade veins requires taking out lots of waste ore en route. Thats where  closely spaced grade control comes into play ...reduces to a minimum the amount of waste ore to get at the high grade ore..