Mineral Exploration Company looking for Gold in Black Hills

SPEARFISH, S.D. (AP) — A junior mineral exploration company is making a new push to find gold in the Black Hills.

Solitario Zinc Corp. arrived in Spearfish in July. Todd Christensen, a geologist with Solitario, says the business was invited to assess some claims from a team of investors and saw it as an opportunity to take their first step and evaluate the potential for exploration.

Solitario will be combing through 580 mining claims that make up 11,600 acres of land in the County of Lawrence.

Christensen said the business intends to carry out a multi-year surface expedition program and look for deposits like the Homestake deposit.

The previous Homestake Mine near Lead ended up being the most significant and deepest gold mine in North America and created approximately 1.2 kilograms of gold throughout its 126-year life. In 2002, it shut down and became a below-ground research facility. Homestake’s origins were in the Black Hills gold rush of the 1870s.

Christensen said that it was going to be an expensive and long-term expedition strategy. Christensen added that “Currently, the company is accumulating samples to get an understanding of the geology and the mineralization potential.

Christensen informed the Black Hills Pioneer that Solitario has focused on zinc over the last few years but expanded to gold after a geologist with South Dakota origins presented at a mineral exploration meeting in Toronto.

Christensen said that Solitario’s CEO, Chris Herald, had acknowledged the relevance of the Homestake deposit and that globally a lot of the gigantic ore deposits like Homestake have significant exploration potential.

Solitario has 12 workers and contractors on the project. Most were hired locally or sourced from the Black Hills State University geology program to gather examples and conduct a standard survey on the cases. Christensen said that the business is working with graduate students with South Dakota origins who have suggestions about utilizing brand-new technology and exploration strategies in the Black Hills.

Solitario Zinc Corp has its roots in Crown Resources Corp., which began in 1984. The smaller-sized, younger expedition company was created in 1993 to conduct mineral exploration in Latin America and is a U.S. firm publicly traded on the New York and Toronto Stock Exchanges.

Read the original article on US news.