Minnamax Exploration shaft prospect (Amax Exploration Inc), Ely-Hoyt Lakes Area, Saint Louis County, Minnesota, USAi

Regional Level Types
Minnamax Exploration shaft prospect (Amax Exploration Inc)	Prospect (Inactive)
Ely-Hoyt Lakes Area	Area
Saint Louis County	County
Minnesota	State
USA	Country

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Commodities (Major) - Copper; (Trace) - Nickel
Development Status: Prospect: State of Minnesota et. al., AMAX Exploration Inc. 1978.

A copy and paste from the report by Mark J Severson.

HISTORY OF EXPLORATION - MINNAMAX
Mineralized rocks were first discovered in 1948 by local prospectors Childers and
Whitesides, in an excavation dug for a newly constructed forest service road located along the
Kawishiwi River near Ely, MN (Watowich et al.,1981). Subsequent exploration and drilling by
several companies during the late 1950s through the middle 1970s has delineated at least eight
deposits (from Ely to Hoyt Lakes) that contain a combined 4.4 billion tons of ore averaging 0.66%
Cu (3:1 Cu:Ni) when a 0.5% Cu cut-off grade is assumed (Listerud and Meineke, 1977). The
Minnamax/Babbitt deposit is situated about five miles south of Babbitt, MN in sections 28, 29, 30,
31, 32, 33 (T.60N., R.12W.) and section 36 (T.60N., R.13W.). The deposit was first explored by
the Bear Creek Mining Company (Kennecott Corp.) and was delineated by a series of drilling
programs (1958-1960 and 1967-1971). In 1974, AMAX Inc. reached an agreement with Bear Creek
to evaluate the feasibility of developing the property; the project was named Minnamax at this time.
AMAX proceeded to drill 228 surface holes during 1974-1978, complete an exploratory shaft in1976, complete four drifts in 1977 (1700 foot level), and complete an underground drilling program in 1978(Watowich et al., 1981).
To date, 432 surface drill holes, 219 underground drill holes, and 3,800 feet of Ore zones of the Minnamax Deposit (as defined by
underground drifting have been completed within the deposit. AMAX subdivided the deposit into five contiguous portions that they determined collectively contained 364 million tons of 0.84% Cu (using a 0.6% Cu cut-off).
The Local Boy area is the most unique of all the Complex-hosted Cu-Ni deposits in that its ore is massive to semi-massive sulfide situated in both the sedimentary footwall rocks and the troctolitic rocks. The ores of the other Complex-hosted deposits are situated entirely within the troctolitic
rocks and contain no massive to semi-massive ore. AMAX estimated that five million tons of 1.89% Cu ore are contained within the Local Boy area massive sulfide ores (utilizing a 0.6% Cu cut-off). Due to a decrease in copper prices and environmental conflagration, AMAX -- and subsequently
Kennecott -- dropped their state and private leases within the Minnamax deposit. Recently, with increased copper prices and increasing knowledge of PGE potential, R & F has leased the state lands and is considering mining only the highest-grade portion (> 2-4% Cu cut-off) of the Local Boy area.

Mineral List

21 valid minerals.