Name of the Mine
Keno Hill mine (KHM).

Location  
Keno Hill Silver District, in Canada’s Yukon Territory. 

Mine Owner/s  
Silver producer Hecla Mining Company owns a 100% interest in the mineral rights for KHM through its subsidiaries, following its successful acquisition of Alexco Resources Corp in September 2022.

Brief Description  
Keno Hill is one of the highest-grade silver districts in the world and lies within the traditional territory of the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyak Dun. It comprises 242 km², with numerous mineral deposits and more than 35 historical past-producing mine sites.

Keno Hill comprises five deposits: Bellekeno, Lucky Queen, Flame and Moth, Onek and Bermingham.

The operations at Bellekeno deposit were suspended in 2021, and the mine was placed on care and maintenance. Onek is a historic mine with remnant mineral resources, but is not currently planned to be reopened without further study. The Bermingham and Flame and Moth deposits are operating, and Lucky Queen is in the advanced exploration stage.

Brief History  
Hecla acquired Alexco in September 2022 and along with it, the Keno Hill mine.

Keno Hill achieving its first full year of profitability under Hecla's ownership in 2025.

Primary Metals/Minerals  
Silver, lead and zinc concentrates.

Secondary Metals/Minerals  
None stated.

Geology/Mineralisation  
Keno Hill mine is located in central Yukon within the northwestern Selwyn basin.

The district is underlain by a sequence of Proterozoic to Mississippian metasedimentary rocks, which were originally deposited in a marine shelf setting and later deformed and metamorphosed. Stratigraphy in the area has been structurally modified by thrusting and folding, which has locally thickened key units.

Local geology is dominated by the Mississippian Keno Hill Quartzite Formation, subdivided into a competent Basal Quartzite Member and an overlying Sourdough Hill Member.

The Basal Quartzite Member forms the principal host to the district’s silver/lead/zinc vein mineralisation and comprises quartzite with interbedded graphitic schists; reported thicknesses can reach an estimated 1 100 m because of structural thickening. The Sourdough Hill Member comprises up to about 900 m of predominantly graphitic schist with minor limestone beds. The sequence is affected by regional thrust sheets, including older Proterozoic–Cambrian units to the south and Devonian units to the north.

Multiple intrusive phases are recognised, including gabbro and diorite sills, and younger granitoid suites. The broader region hosts additional mineral occurrences, including tungsten, copper, gold, antimony and barite.

Alexco initiated a programme in 2007 to digitise extensive historic United Keno Hill Mines datasets (mine plans and geological mapping covering several decades) and to remap surface geology, which supported refinement of the Quartzite Formation subdivision and highlighted the role of the Basal Quartzite in vein development.

Mineralisation comprises a polymetallic, hydrothermal vein system formed during multiple fluid pulses. Silver occurs mainly in argentiferous galena and tetrahedrite (freibergite), with associated native silver and other silver-bearing sulphosalts. Lead is hosted in galena and zinc in sphalerite, with additional sulphides including pyrite, pyrrhotite, arsenopyrite and chalcopyrite. The deposit style is consistent with other polymetallic silver/lead/zinc vein districts globally.

Reserves  
As at December 31, 2025, Keno Hill reported proven and probable reserves of 2.14-million tons grading at 25.28 oz/t silver, 0.0007 oz/t gold, 2.9% lead and 2.9% zinc.

Resources  
Total measured and indicated resources as at December 31, 2025, were estimated 583 000 t grading at 24.09 oz/t silver, 0.009 oz/t gold, 2.5% lead and 6.3% zinc. Inferred resources were estimated at 662 000 t grading 16.69 oz/t silver, 0.005 oz/t gold, 1.9% lead and 3.8% zinc.

Type of Mine
Underground.

Mining Method  
Mechanised cut-and-fill.

Major Infrastructure/Equipment  
The mine includes a 400 t/d mill, an on-site camp facility, all-season highway access from the Yukon capital – Whitehorse – and connection to the Yukon Energy hydropower grid.

Prospects  
Keno Hill entered the ramp-up phase in 2025.

Expected capital investment in 2026 comprises mine development and infrastructure projects, including a waste storage facility and water treatment plant.

Contact Details
Hecla Mining Company
Tel +1 604 682 6201
Email hmc-info@hecla-mining.com
Website https://www.hecla.com/