Ambler Metals, the joint venture between South32 and Trilogy Metals, has begun mobilisation for the upcoming exploration field programme at the Upper Kobuk Mineral Projects (UKMP), in north-western Alaska.
The owners of Ambler have approved a $26.2-million budget for the advancement of UKMP, which includes the Arctic and Bornite deposits, as well as prospective adjoining mining claims.
The entire amount is funded by Ambler and will consist of at least 10 000 m of diamond drilling with additional metres contingent on drill performance, weather and approval of supplementary budgets.
Priorities are advancing Arctic with additional infill drilling to further improve the confidence in the resource and the completion of a geotechnical study to further derisk the project. Exploration outside of the Arctic deposit will focus on discovering copper-rich satellite deposits near Arctic, and in the Cosmos Hills and the Ambler Lowlands along strike from Bornite.
Drilling will start in early June. Ambler has awarded a multi-year contract to Major Drilling to provide three diamond drill rigs with crew.
"I am very excited that we will soon be opening camp for the 2022 exploration program. We expect to commence drilling by early June with first assay results being available in early fall,” said Trilogy president and CEO Tony Giardini.
He said the proposed exploration programme would be one of the biggest programmes in the history of drilling within the Ambler mining district.
“We expect that it will allow us to expand our geological knowledge of this emerging world-class mining district."