Drill Testing To Sample Gold Deposits

Test process drilling for gold is an important step in the every prospecting and gold mining industry. Test drilling is a step that is used continuously to obtain samples of bedrock in the land of gold mining project. The sample is then tested to determine whether it is gold in the project area in mining and to estimate the amount of gold that can be mined in the area. 

In the process of drilling testing can produce a variety of results sample, because each gap can occur various kinds of different types of rocks and soils, The process of drilling test is a step that most highly effective to get the test results of rock in the ground in estimating the amount of gold ore deposits in the area which will do the mining.

Drilling is an absolute necessity to assess metal ores prior to the process of exploitation in an extensive mining operation. Drilling can be done for all large-scale mining, before the open pit mine development, or for the assessment of large commercial placer mines. 

Preliminary Prospecting Works In Test Drilling

Before test drilling for gold, there are several steps that can be done early, it is made to prospecting works. Often the area to test can bushes, hard terrain or other obstacles drilled, which may influence the outcome of exploratory drilling. It is important, therefore, it will be handled first.

One step that can be used is by ridding the area which will be conducted test drilling. This can help reduce the amount of land the ground which will done testing on drilling,thus support and make to be effective the test holes are drilled. 

Drill testing

In the process of test drilling in gold mining is intended to determine whether the area has gold potential which can be used for large-scale mining.This is very helpful in determining the amount of gold deposits
and grade gold contained in the soil in the area that will be in mine.

Test drilling can also specify the information that is significant of the general geology of the rock structures that exist in the soil at the prospect area, the geochemical structure and other information from other minerals besides gold deposits existing in the test drilling area 

The pattern of test holes, the distance and the number of test wells is mineral determined by the geometrical alignment of the drill, the geochemical composition of the area and the distribution of the target.

For most in scale test drilling in mining area is often gridded out into small grids that can determine the number of holes to be drilled. Sometimes in the drilling process is done in a manner soil formation such as rifts, ditches, river basins or even valleys. 

In most of the tests for the drilling of gold speed and cost are important factors that are considered by geologists.

If in the process the first step is successful, then to get a drilling method that is more accurate in determining the mineral content of gold or may be in the process of the most extensive can be implemented

Some of the methods most commonly used test holes, you can use includes hand drilling, rotary drilling, percussion drilling and diamond drilling. 

The significance of the test drilling for gold

test drilling is to enhance the importance of prospecting before a mining operation, and drill testing is one of the methods most commonly used for sampling.

Albeit with very expensive, it takes some of the risk and guesswork out of the mining process and an estimate of how much gold there is in the area

The type of drilling specifies the device to be used. 

Hand Drilling

This is carried out in at a little place for little operations. Hand drilling done by using a manual hand, the phase required prior training stage, as sample tubes and augers. These drills can not penetrate bedrock and thus limited in its application entirely.

Variety of hand drilling tools can be used for hand drilling, but hand test can only for little gold mining drilling.The advantage of the hard drilling reduced cost of major methods, and this may be the best method for individual miners who lack the resources for greater exploration.

 Percussion Drilling

This type test drilling where the drilling equipment can be used to enter into the bedrock up to a depth of approximately 10 meters. Percussion drilling is drilling that uses compressed air drilling equipment, this makes lebihh far stronger than using a hand drill.There is also drilling using large air drilling equipment ,which can be used in complex drilling in the mining area.

Rotary Drilling

Rotary drilling is drilling relatively expensive yet very easy to use in a variety of conditions. In the drilling process using a ring and an air compressor in the process of drilling holes to be tested. With the true tools and skilled workers, this type of exploratory drilling takes the least time of all available drills. The drill may obtain samples from between 20 and 100 foot holes. 

Diamond Drilling

This is the most versatile drill testing method that can use. The machines used for this type of drilling gets superior most samples since it can drill deep and at a certain angle and conditions.

In most cases, drills are used herein, can be powered by electric engines, gasoline, diesel, and even air. However, the process can only slow and very expensive in practice and thus it is used only for complex projects that require extensive drilling.

This Video  from Hellix Ventures Inc. - Margarita Gold Drill Program

Why To Invest In Silver

Is silver a good investment? The answer is ‘yes’. Like gold, silver is a safe investment that offers an effective value against inflation and adverse economic conditions, apart from wealth creation.

Unlike currencies, the value of silver does not fall in real terms any time. However, before decide on how to ways invest in silver or where to buy silver, we should know why to invest in silver.

Here’s a look at the pros and cons of silver investing:

 Advantages For Silver

1. Returns. 
Though silver is almost 17 times more abundant in nature than gold, however silver it is more scarce in circulation. According to some estimates, the combined sovereign gold holdings by various treasuries in the world are more than the total mined silver available.

Historically, silver has outperformed gold in terms of returns and it is truer in present times than ever before. Over the last two decades, the returns on silver have been almost three times that of gold.  Since 2009, silver price has increased 87% with over 630% returns, while gold price increased 30% with over 250% returns.

 2. Demand. 

The demand for silver is not driven by economic condition alone. It has a large use in industry and in recent years that has been the major factor for silver’s price rally. Currently, almost half of the total demand for silver is industrial.

Most of the silver that is used in industry cannot be extracted and recycled due to various reasons, implying that silver is being ‘consumed’ in manufacturing. Such demand is likely to continue pushing silver higher in the future.

3. Affordability.
Known as ‘poor man’s gold’, silver is a highly affordable precious metal for all practical purposes. The gold to silver ratio is one of the most watched metrics in the precious metals area. This ratio has been fluctuating over years.

Even at current silver peaks the ratio stands at around 31, indicating that gold price is around 31 times that of silver. Therefore, affordability combined with returns makes silver a winning investment option.

4. Liquidity
Like gold, silver has high liquidity and is easily traded in various forms all over the world. In the long term, silver was used as a currency in different parts of the world and enjoys similar recognition even today.

5. Alternatives.
There are various types of investments in silver that you can choose as per your requirements. These include bullion coins, collector’s coins, bars, silver rounds, jewelry, junk silver, scrape, mutual funds, Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), futures, options, certificates, and silver accounts.

Disadvantages

1. Bulk
Due to its low pricing, an equivalent amount of investment in silver is much heavier and requires more storage space than gold. This adds to transportation, insurance and storage costs for silver.

2. Maintenance.
Silver gets oxidized readily, losing its sheen to a blackened appearance. Some of the premium that is paid at the time of buying a piece of silver is related to its appearance. May lose out on such premium on your tarnished holdings at the time of selling.

Therefore, it is very important to retain your physical silver in pristine condition. Bullion coins and certain numismatic coins are often available in protective, covering that protects them from oxidation. However, silver bars are exposed and face a greater risk of tarnishing.

3. Taxation.
Unlike gold, silver is subject to taxation in most of the nations, either as capital gains tax or as value added tax. The tax rates in various countries range between 7% and 22%.

4. Instrument-specific drawbacks.
Individual forms of silver investments have different types of disadvantages. For instance, futures are subject to inherent riskiness of the metal and markets. Another example is jewelry, which is unprofitable because its price includes crafting cost that fetch no value at the time of sale.

This is Video How to invest in silver  

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El Limon Mine In Nicaragua

The Limon mine constitute mine which located in northwestern Nicaragua Approximately 100 kilometers northwest of Managua, capital of Nicaragua. The property is easily accessed by paved highway and 15 km gravel pit road with a total road distance of 140 kilometers from Managua. The property extends along the border of the municipalities Larreynaga and Telica the Department of Leon and the municipalities of Chinandega and Villanueva of the department of Chinandega. 

The Limon Mine consists of 12,000 hectares of “Mina El Limon” mineral concession, issued for a period of 25 years and expiring in April 2027. Each mineral properties under the Nicaraguan mining law subject to an agreement by the Government of Nicaragua, which include the rights to develop,  to explore, for mine, extract, export and sale found mineral resources and made the concession. 

The el Limon mine are obliged to submit annual reports on its activities and production statistics to government . Escalating annual surface taxes are payable to the Nicaraguan government for the Mina El Limon mineral properties.

The surface tax  was US $ 4.00 per hectare in 2009 and a maximum  of US $ 12.00 per hectare in 2012 has been reached and will be maintained through the years that followed. 

B2Gold Company hold an indirect 95% interest in Triton Minera SA ( “Triton”), which owns and operates the Limon Mine, and holds three other mineral concessions, all at an exploration stage. The remaining 5% of Triton held  by IMISA. Triton holds directly or controls the surface rights for all of the property on which the current mining, milling, tailings and related facilities are located at the Limon Mine. 

Triton also owns a part of the surface rights to the properties. As required, Triton has negotiated and access agreements with individual surface rights holders in respect of these properties entered for which it does not hold the surface rights within the concession. All of the permits required for exploration, mining and milling activities are in place for the Limon Mine.

RG Exchangeco Inc., a subsidiary of Royal Gold, Inc., holds a 3% NSR royalty on the gold production  from the Limon Mine and certain other concessions.

The revenue from the Limon Mine is also subject to a 3% VAT payable on the production of gold to the Government of Nicaragua,  which is considered a deductible expense for purposes of computing corporate income tax.

Internacional de Comercial SA holds a license fee of 5% of net profit of Triton Mining (USA) LLC ( “Triton USA”) equal, indirect subsidiary, a holds 47.5% interest in the Limon Mine. The net profit from the difference between gross income defined on spending (all revenue from the operation of Triton USA their business is obtained) (where indicated as costs and as costs of Triton USA from its operations result, including working capital and operating costs, pay royalties, borrowing costs, taxes and Common selling and administrative expenses). 

Mineralization At The Limon Mine Nicaragua

The gold mineralization at the Limon Mine and northwestern Nicaragua is typical of low-sulphidation, quartz-adularia, epithermal systems. These deposits were formed in relatively shallow, typically from just below the surface to a little more than a kilometer deep.

To date, this is the only type of gold mineralization was found and reported in the tertiary rocks in northwestern Nicaragua. Silver is usually a commercially minor by-product of gold mineralization.

All gold production was hosted by quartz vein and quartz vein breccia deposits in the linear structural features and often accompanied minor pyrite and trace amounts of base metal sulphides.

Gold is dispersed generally to very fine-grained and relatively evenly across the higher grade portions of the veins. Only low incidence of disseminated or floor type epithermal precious metal mineralization reported. , Mineral deposits or deposits of other metals in the area not known

Three producing and past-producing vein systems do nearly all the gold from the Limon Mine District produced; these are the Limon, Santa Pancha and Talavera systems. A Large number of other weakly mineralized quartz veins have been identified and explored, some with smaller development and production

The productive vein systems are approximately 1.0 to 2.0 kilometers Far with vein widths of less than 1.0 meters to 25 meters. All economic gold mineralization to date is located within 400 meters of the surface.

The productive and prospective surveys within the vein systems vary systematically in the district. Post-mineral disturb error locally and the veins balanced.

Geology In Limon Mine

The Limón mine is located on the eastern edge of the Nicaragua graben in an area of low hills, which are predominantly underlain by Miocene-Pliocene volcanic layers to felsic by minor intermediate cut intrusive bodies.

Gold mineralization in the district is classified Limón with quartz-adularia vein systems as low sulphidation epithermal deposits. These deposits were formed in relatively shallow, usually below the surface a little more than a kilometer deep, from neutral pH hydrothermal fluids with temperatures C <150o C to 300o. The volcano-putonic arc of western Nicaragua a common tectonic setting of these deposits. 

Exploration El Limon Mine In  2015

The drilling 2015 has continued near term mine development in Santa Pancha and upgraded to perform the U -Bahn resource category, which specifically SP1 (# 8 waveband). Greenfields exploration is for testing ongoing potential of the current mining areas, some of which will be drill tested towards the end of 2015.

Past Exploration

Focus of the exploration work on the Limon property to date on the Santa Pancha 2 cores (Pozo # 4 and # 5) area, the current underground 1 km north was drilling located in Santa Pancha. 1 the hanging wall structure in Santa Pancha 2 appears the best host of the mineralization to be where the average widths were intersected between 2 to 15 meters.

Drilling in 2014 on the Santa Pancha 1 vein system helped establish continuity in an area that is planned to be mined in 2015. Results of significance LIM 14-3884,for  the 73.34 g / t gold over 2, 5 m true width and LIM 14-3883 with 26.6 g / t gold over 1.7 m returned true width.

Results significance further north on the vein structure of Santa Pancha 2 comprise LIM-14-3857 with 7.9 g / t gold over 3.95 m true width and LIM 14-3854, the 5.2 g / t gold over 5.3 meters true width back.

In Fair east of vein Veta Nueva returned encouraging results from drill Gap 14-3876 LIM, the 8.6 g / t returned at the structure Atravesada gold over 2.7 meters, which working drilling in 2014. Atravesada further drill tested in 2015 to search within this vein structure in grade continuity.

Mining And Ore Processing El Limon Mine In Nicaragua

The vein system in Santa Pancha has become the primary is provided source for the underground exploitation of ore. The access for underground mining in Santa Pancha by ramp system that branches at the 90 meter level, both in North and Central ramps.

The deepest level of the mine is Approximately 170 feet below the surface. Two increases support the mine ventilation system and one of them serves as an emergency escape route. Future mining in Santa Pancha requires the mine to deepen and extend the mine along strike.

Dewatering is a critical component of mining in Santa Pancha and pumps are working in two existing wells that water levels to ensure are kept at a safe level below the lowest working. Continued deep development in Santa Pancha and improvements in this drainage system are a significant part of the capital estimate for the next year.

The Limon Mine Mill is a 1,000 tpd (  tonnes per day ) CIP gold recovery plant. The mill throughput capacity increased to 1,0 tons per day in 2013 made due to the ongoing improvements in the mill, and is currently in a throughput capacity of 1,375 tonnes per day.

Run of mine ore is hauled by truck of Little open pits and Santa Pancha Mine (six kilometers from the process plant) (in a radius of between one and five kilometers are of the process plant).

Ore is stockpiled in front of the primary crusher or ore is thrown in front of the primary crusher to the stockpile or directly in the 36-ton capacity dump hopper feeding the crusher. This stock is used to mix the various ore sources to maintain a consistent grade in the mill feed.

Video Under Ground Mine In El Limon Nicaragua

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Libertad Gold Mine Nicaragua

The Libertad Gold District covers an area of ​​approximately 150 km2 in the central province of Nicaragua. La Libertad is owned 100% by B2Gold Corporation after Central Sun Mining Incorporated acquired on 26 March 2009 

The La Libertad deposits are as low sulphidation gold systems consisting of several economic vein structures found in a belt of Oligocene age of tertiary volcanic rocks to Miocene. Andesite flows and pyroclastics hosting a series of generally east-west trending epithermal quartz veins, breccias and quartz stockwork. Several Little felsic intrusives similar tertiary to mafic along the northeast spread to southwest structural trends.

Exploration La Libertad mine In 2015

Drilling has been ongoing in Los Angeles for running resource from open pit mine, Jabali East and Mojon for underground resources and many new goals, some of which remain to be tested over the next year. The focus of the drilling to increase confidence in near mine resources and simultaneously test Large, new exploration vein structures. 

Past Exploration In La Libertad mine

Eploration in 2012 in La Libertad mine area focuses on the Jabali infill program and drilling mine-related targets. The holes extend over an area of ​​approximately 300 m along Slam and up to 150 meters depth. 

The 2013 exploration campaign in La Libertad Mine Mine largely focused on drill testing of potential underground targets below the Mojon open pit, Jabali antenna and the Santa Maria mining.

In Mojon, a total of 13 holes were drilled on three underground areas beneath the current resource pit for 3,422 meters, and these will be pursued during 2014 definition programs.

At Jabali antenna was drilled, a similar program initiated for 3,104 meters with a total of 10 holes . The goal of this program was the downward finish extension of the main antenna where drilling historical and underground exploitation potential indicated for a Nice gold grades. 

The highlights of this drilling program are holes JB13-418 with 103.8 g / t gold over 1.5 meters true width, JB13-418 with 10.67 g / t gold over 3.1 meters true width only 7 m deep and JB13- 410 with 5.72 g / t gold over 5.89 meters width.

The 2014 exploration program included on La Libertad Mine resource at Mojon drilling and exploration continues on a number of regional destinations.

The focus of the exploration drilling was mainly towards brownfields drilling and evaluation of regional targets for the search opencast feed to the mill 

A total of 58 diamond drill holes were completed for 8250 meters in 4 destinations. These included the Mojon structure in which 32 holes were in an area below the pit design.

And geotechnical characteristics of the vein to test the extraction to investigate remaining material by underground methods. Other targets drill tested are the Los Angeles, Calvario and Mestiza vein structures

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High Profits Investing In Gold

Investing in gold is becoming increasingly popular due to the high cost on the market today. There are three ways that are most common to invest in gold and all three have pros and cons. It is important, just like making any investment, carefully weigh options and determine exactly what the best .

No matter what choice, the ultimate goal is to make money and have made a wise investment. Some ways are very familiar and require any amount of money while others require large investments and are not so familiar.

The first and most common way of investing in gold is to actually buy gold. This can be anything from buying gold bars, coins, jewelry and ingots. Many people associate this with investing in gold and it can be done with virtually any amount of money.

The thing to remember about this type of investment is that people will only buy the amount that they are willing to spend. This ultimately means that the price of gold can fluctuate dramatically either way at any given time. It is important to buy at the right time so that when the market value of gold goes up, can make money and prove made a good investment.

The second option of investing in gold is to buy it on contract. This means that own the gold but do not have to physically store it someplace safe. Will only need to keep track of the paper on which the contract is written.

With this option it is important to determine which are more comfortable with: either holding the gold physically in hand or paying to store it at a bank in their vault or buying it on contract and believing that the actual gold really does exist somewhere.

Finally, when in investing in gold,  can literally buy the mining company. With this option will buy shares in the gold mining company and whatever gold they find while mining will get a percentage of it in the end.

It is important to make sure that are buying shares in a mining company which only mines gold so that can have the best return on investment.

This is video Tips for investing in gold

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