What is the Palmer Project?
The Palmer Project is a promising mid-stage mineral exploration project, operated by Constantine Metal Resources Ltd., which has the potential to become a future high-grade, underground copper-zinc-gold-silver mine. The Project is located south of the Haines highway, near the historic Porcupine placer gold camp. Significant exploration work is still needed to determine if the mineral deposit is large enough to warrant mining. If such a deposit is eventually defined, detailed environmental, geotechnical, and socioeconomic studies as well as community consultation will be undertaken prior to permitting and construction of a mine. Baseline environmental studies began in the summer in 2008 and will progress and expand in accordance with exploration success. Please explore the Palmer Project section of the website for geological and technical details.
Who discovered the Palmer deposit?
Merril Palmer |
It all started with Merrill Palmer, a local Haines logger, who prospected and began staking claims back in 1969. Merrill has played an active role in the project's history, maintaining faith in its potential and seeing a number of companies explore the Property with encouraging but limited success. The real discovery didn't come until 2007 when Constantine drilled a hole that intersected high-grade copper and zinc mineralization over a width of 14 meters (46 feet) in an area that's now known as the RW Zone.
What techniques are used to explore the property?
Constantine employs a variety of exploration tools to aid in the exploration and discovery of additional mineralization at the Palmer property. Traditional methods such as prospecting and mapping are still very important, but we also now used more advanced methods such as diamond drilling, geophysical surveys, and detailed geochemical analyses. Together, these techniques help us understand the three-dimensional surface and subsurface geology of the property. Current work on the project is focused on additional diamond drilling to expand known zones of mineralization and to discover new zones. Constantine is also sponsoring a Master's thesis designed to better understand the complex metal zoning and geochemistry of the deposit.
Diamond Drilling |
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Downhole Geophysical Surveys |
Who works in mineral exploration?
Mineral exploration is a broad field that typically employs a diverse mix of employees focused on finding and defining mineral deposits through geology, mapping, prospecting, drilling, and geophysics. This is achieved with a combination of geologists, geotechnicians, diamond drillers, geophysicists, pad builders and carpenters, surveyors, helicopter pilots and mechanics, cooks, housekeepers, maintenance workers and general laborers, mountaineers, medics and first aid attendants, and expediters...to name a few. The Constantine team consists of many of these positions, either directly or through contractors some of whom are Haines Borough residents.
The Constantine team at work (click images to enlarge)
What metals are found in the Palmer deposit?
Mainly copper and zinc, but also significant amounts of gold and silver. Information gathered mainly from the 2006-2010 drilling programs and some information from previous programs were used to calculate the initial resource estimate for the Palmer Property, which was released in January 2010. This study defined an inferred resource containing 4.12 million tonnes of rock with metal grades of 2.01% copper, 4.79% zinc, 0.30 grams/tonne gold, and 30.5 grams/tonne silver in the RW and South Wall Zones of the Property. Details of the resource estimate can be found in our January 20, 2010 news release.
The Mineral Information Institute has assembled a great website with information on mineral properties and their various uses: www.mii.org/commonminerals.html
Students and teachers might be interested in downloading this 40-page PDF book published by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) entitled The Life Cycle of a Mineral Deposit - A Teacher's Guide for Hands-On Mineral Educational Activities.
What type of deposit is Palmer?
The Palmer Property is host to VMS-style base (copper, zinc) and precious (gold, silver) metal mineralization. VMS stands for Volcanogenic Massive Sulphide. It's a mouthful, so it is commonly shortened to VMS. The term refers to a type of deposit that is generated by volcanic activity and is composed of sulphide minerals. In the case of the Palmer VMS deposit, this process occurred over 200 million years ago on an ancient seafloor which has since been folded up into the mountain top.
Sulphides are minerals whose chemical composition includes sulphur (S2-) as the anion in the compound. Sulphides are common in most rocks; however in mineral deposits they occur in sufficiently high concentrations so as to be economic to mine. In the Palmer deposit, these minerals are mainly chalcopyrite (CuFeS2), pyrite (FeS2), and sphalerite ((Zn,Fe)S). The deposit also includes a significant amount of barite, a sulphate (SO42-) mineral. Sulphide minerals form the ore in most types of mineral deposits, and are the primary source of copper, zinc and lead used in the world today.
For detailed geological information on VMS deposits and how they form, please check out the following link (Source: Natural Resources Canada).
Will the Palmer Project become a mine?
Constantine has been able to define a considerable new copper-zinc-silver-gold resource, but it is still far too early to predict if or when there could be an operating mine at the Palmer Property. There are four main stages of mineral exploration & development, starting with an early "grass-roots" exploration stage where a property may have one or more mineral occurrences or showings, but no established mineral deposits. The Palmer Property was considered an early-stage project from 1969 until 2008 when drilling encountered thick intervals of significant mineralization. We are now considered a mid-stage project where we are required to do further exploration in order to enlarge and better define the existing inferred resource. Most of the work at this stage involves drilling to expand the size of the deposit and to determine the grade of mineralization. It takes considerably more work and time after that to complete economic assessments, environmental studies, feasibility, permitting, and ultimately mine construction and operations.
If the Palmer Exploration Project becomes an operating mine, will the deposit be mined by underground or open pit methods?
The high-grade nature of the Palmer deposit would allow for underground mining operations, which have a much smaller 'footprint' than open pit mining operations. Another advantage to mining a high-grade deposit like Palmer is that the mining rate is typically much lower than an open pit mine and much less material is actually mined.
What is being done to understand and preserve the environment at Palmer?
Constantine began collecting water quality data in 2008 in order to help establish baseline environmental conditions. This program continues with each field season and will help characterize the natural environment at the Palmer Property. Rock geochemistry drives water quality and mine design plans, so in addition to water quality studies, Constantine has initiated a variety of environmentally focused rock characterization studies. If and when a deposit with sufficient size and grade has been defined at Palmer, the mine permitting process in Alaska ensures that all projects are developed and mined in a responsible manner. The environmental program at Palmer will progress and expand in accordance with drilling results. Before permits for a fully operational mine can be granted, lengthy and detailed studies on everything from hydrology, air and water quality, and wetlands, to fish and aquatic habitats, and wildlife are required. In addition to environmental studies, other socioeconomic and technical studies will also be conducted prior to mine permitting and construction.
Permitting of mines in Alaska is coordinated by the Department of Natural Resources, Division of Mining, Land & Water. To learn more about the permitting process, click here to view a detailed slide show prepared by the Alaska Large Mine Permitting Team.
How is ore, like that found at Palmer, typically processed?
Ore is crushed and ground (milled) to the size of the individual mineral grains. The minerals containing the metals of value are then separated from those that are waste, resulting in what's called a mineral concentrate. The concentrate is then transported to a smelting facility where the metal is extracted from the ore minerals and further refined. Smelters all over the world process concentrates from North American mines and it is very beneficial to be near a deep-sea port, like Haines, that allows concentrate to be shipped cost effectively.
Would a mine at Palmer produce tailings?
Yes. Almost all metal mines produce tailings. Tailings are the finely ground waste rock generated after milling the ore and extracting the minerals of value. It is far too early to say what the best option for tailings storage will be. Preliminary rock characterization and metallurgical studies will guide a plan to ultimately design an environmentally responsible tailings and rock dump facility. Protecting the environment, fishery, fauna, and water quality is of the utmost importance to Constantine.
Who could work at a future mine?
Mining is similar yet very different from mineral exploration and this is reflected in the different mix of employees. Mining is a highly technical operation focused on extracting the ore in the most efficient, safe, and environmentally conscious manner. Active mining operations employ miners, heavy and light duty equipment operators and mechanics, engineers, geologists, lab technicians, and drillers, along with an even larger support team of plumbers, office managers and accountants, health and safety specialists, environmental scientists , electricians, medics, warehouse staff, janitors, truck drivers, and cooks…to name a few. One would expect significant participation from Haines Borough residents in any mining operations either directly or indirectly. To see what positions are available at currently operating mines in Alaska, visit the Alaska Miners Association website for links to various mining companies and government organizations.
The Alaska Miners Association also publishes a brochure summarizing the economic benefits of Alaska's mining industry.
