Hecla sees ‘huge potential’ along Casa Berardi corridor

VANCOUVER — Hecla Mining (NYSE: HL) saw untapped potential at the Casa Berardi gold mine when it swooped in with a “white knight,” $796-million offer for Aurizon Gold in early 2013. The company has invested in unlocking that upside, and its efforts appear to be paying off. Hecla reported record throughput at the operation in the second quarter. It also boosted contained gold ounces by 23% at the property last year, after identifying “new resource trends near surface and underground” at the West Mine area. Casa Berardi lies 95 km due north of La Sarre, Que., and straddles a 37 km piece of the Casa Berardi fault. The property hosts classic Archean sedimentary hosted lode gold mineralization, which is “superimposed on a continuous graphitic mudrock unit corresponding to the Casa Berardi Fault plane.” Continue reading at The Northern Miner.