Discovery and Exploration History
Cominco Alaska Exploration (CAE) began investigations in the area in 1986. Early work focused on color anomalies visible from aircraft. Discovery of the Pebble West (originally named Pebble Beach) deposit occurred during the first drilling campaign in 1988. CAE continued drilling and other work through 1992, resulting in a calculated resource of 3 million tonnes of copper metal and 11 million ounces of gold contained in 1000 million tonnes of ore. After 1992 little further work was done on the project for nearly a decade.
In 2001, Northern Dynasty Minerals, Ltd. optioned the property from Teck Cominco (the successor company to CAE's parent company), and began, in 2002, an extensive exploration program that is still in progress in 2011.
By 2004, Northern Dynasty had expanded the known resources at Pebble West to include 4,100 million tonnes of ore. Engineering, environmental, and socio-economic studies aimed at designing a mine commenced.
In 2005, Northern Dynasty discovered the Pebble East deposit. Also that year, Northern Dynasty acquired 100% ownership of the Pebble mining claims.
In 2007, Northern Dynasty anticipated completing a prefeasibility study in late 2008, a feasibility study in 2011, and commencing production in 2015. Northern Dynasty expected to have invested about $225 million in the project by years end, with about $85 million of that in environmental and socio-economic studies.
In 2008, 140 million dollars was budgeted for project expenditures, and approximately 150,000 feet (46,000 m) of additional drilling was completed.
In 2009, 70 million dollars were budgeted for the project, in order to complete a preliminary feasibility study, or "prefeasability" study, and to prepare the project for permitting.
In 2010, 73 million dollars were budgeted to continue engineering efforts towards a prefeasibility report, environmental studies, and various administrative and community-relations work. Applications for development and operations permits are not planned until after 2010.
For 2011, 91 million dollars are budgeted for the Pebble Project. The objective is to complete a prefeasibility study, leading to permit applications in 2012. Environmental and engineering studies (including 45,000 feet (14,000 m) of drilling) to support mine design decisions and to provide a complete environmental baseline are the core efforts.
Read more about this topic: Pebble Mine
Famous quotes containing the words discovery and, discovery, exploration and/or history:
“The new supplants the old. Yet men’s minds are stuffed with outworn bunk. Educating the young in the latest findings of authorities and scholars in the social sciences is important. It is equally important to devise ways and means for aiding the middle-aged and old to reexamine hang-over unscientific doctrines and ideas in the light of recent discovery and research.”
—Mary Barnett Gilson (1877–?)
“That the discovery of this great truth, which lies so near and obvious to the mind, should be attained to by the reason of so very few, is a sad instance of the stupidity and inattention of men, who, though they are surrounded with such clear manifestations of the Deity, are yet so little affected by them, that they seem as it were blinded with excess of light.”
—George Berkeley (1685–1753)
“The future author is one who discovers that language, the exploration and manipulation of the resources of language, will serve him in winning through to his way.”
—Thornton Wilder (1897–1975)
“It’s nice to be a part of history but people should get it right. I may not be perfect, but I’m bloody close.”
—John Lydon (formerly Johnny Rotten)