Mining Exploration in 2021 Searching for the mines of the future.

• Author: Erickson, Nancy

Digging up buried treasure without a map is always somewhat of a gamble. "Exploration is significant capital invested without a sure outcome," says Deantha Skibinski, executive director of the Alaska Miners Association. "[But] without exploration. the industry will not grow and existing mines will not expand."

Mineral exploration is the driving force behind the other two components of Alaska's mining industry: mine development and mineral production.

Alaska's 2021 mining exploration season got off to a slow start in March due to a coronavirus pandemic-induced lack of drilling equipment and worker shortages. Despite obstacles, it bounced back for the most part and finished another successful year.

While a full compilation of this year's mining economic numbers won't be available until later in the year, some of the larger companies are sharing their results.

Kensington Mine

Coeur Alaska's Kensington Mine, an underground hard rock gold mine 45 miles northwest of Juneau, has extracted more than 1 million ounces (a milestone hit in 2019) since production began in 2010. The search continues for more of the precious metal to keep the mine active. Coeur Alaska acquired the Kensington property in 1987 and began operations in 2010, says Mark Kiessling, general manager.

Kiessling says Coeur Alaska's investment in exploration at Kensington has increased over the years, from $5.9 million in 2018 to $8.6 million in 2020, and 2021 is expected to end up at approximately $12 million.

Exploration spending for 2021 started with two underground core rigs focusing on drilling along two exploration targets: the Elmira and Jualin vein structures, says Kiessling. The company ramped up to five core rigs early in the third quarter.

Core drilling is the process of using specialized machinery to extract a sample (core) of rock from below the earth's surface, says Rochelle Lindley, community and government affairs manager for the mine. The core is typically less than 4 inches in diameter but can be between 300 and 1,500 feet long. Geologists then analyze rock within the core to determine if it has the potential to carry gold.

Coeur Alaska currently employs a team of seven employees and three contractors supporting its exploration program. Exploration efforts are expected to continue through the winter with drilling from underground or surface locations that do not require helicopter access, Lindley says.

Donlin Gold

Yet to begin production is Donlin Gold, one of the largest...