US-focused precious metals explorer and developer Magellan Gold on Wednesday announced that work had started on reopening the upper portal at its flagship Center Star gold project, in Idaho.
"We are anxious to get the upper portal opened to get access to two veins that were described in a 1982 geological report that noted two previously unknown veins that were intersected while driving the drift," said president Mike Lavigne.
"With the upper portal and main portals open we will be able to work from both the intermediate level and the main level of the mine, providing us a much better platform for future exploration and development.”
The upper portal of the Center Star mine is the point that a new drift was driven in 1981 from the surface to the intermediate level. This was the last significant work at the mine prior to it being shut down during a period of low gold prices.
Crosscut work from 1982 discovered two previously unknown veins at the intermediate level, one vein assayed 1.09 oz/t and the second vein assayed 2.75 oz/t. In addition to providing access to these veins, the reopening of the upper portal will eventually allow for a secondary escape route from the mine as the company proceeds with additional exploration and development.
Located near the Elk City mining district of Idaho, Center Star hosts high-grade gold mineralisation that was discovered in the early 1900s, with periodic historic production and development work done under different ownership through the 1980s.
Magellan acquired the project in July last year.