The Government of British Columbia granted Benchmark Metals (TSXV: BNCH) a five-year work permit for exploration and drilling at the Lawyers gold-silver project.
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Benchmark has expanded its 2019 program scope to a +30,000-metre drill campaign, targeting +5 million gold-equivalent ounces
The new permit for Lawyers encompasses an expanded scope and scale to explore existing and new targets across the property.
In detail, it allows for ~50,000 metres of drilling at key areas including Cliff Creek, Dukes Ridge and Phoenix zones; ~5,000 metres of drilling at new targets including the AGB zone; 500 metres of trenching across multiple areas; and 15 kilometres of new access trails that utilizes existing re-claimed roads from historical work and 3 kilometres of new trails.
“The work permit involved consultation with all stakeholders including First Nations and submission of detailed exploration plans with environmental and mitigation measures through a Wildlife Management Plan,” Benchmark CEO, John Williamson, said in a media statement. “The permit provides a clear path forward as Benchmark works towards aggressively developing gold and silver ounces.”
The Lawyers project sits on the eastern extent of the Stikine Terrane that also hosts the famous BC Golden Triangle. According to Williamson, exploration in the area began in the late 1960s and peaked in the 1980s, identifying numerous showings, prospects and deposits. By 1989, the (former) Lawyers underground gold-silver mine was already operating and produced 171,200 ounces of gold and 3.6 million ounces of silver over a four-year period.