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Explo­ra­tion


Exploration is an important function to secure the future of the company’s business, and the growth of the mining company

Developing, expanding, and securing the future of the business requires continuous exploration for new ore deposits. Finland’s bedrock contains good ore potential and, with investments in exploration, this potential is being explored to meet the growing demand for minerals and metals with domestically produced raw materials.

The purpose of mineral exploration is to locate a mineral deposit in the bedrock that can be exploited economically. Exploration means the geological, geophysical, and geochemical studies used to locate and explore a deposit of minerals, and the taking of samples to determine the size and quality of the deposit.

Exploration requires geological research to understand which parts of the bedrock have potential. During the exploration process, knowledge of the location of a potential discovery is gradually refined.

A drilling programme is a multi-stage process

The first step is to plan and select the study area based on the available information. The planning phase includes a review of existing geological data, studies of the characteristics of the area, other operators and protected sites, and a consideration of the geology and ore potential of the area in general. If necessary, defining the area to be explored and, where appropriate, ensuring that a declaration of reservation is made.

Initial exploration methods include geochemical sampling, boulder exploration and bedrock mapping, and geophysical surveys.

The reserve defined in the Mining Act gives companies the right to carry out, among other things, geological mapping. The reservation also gives companies the right of priority to apply for a mineral exploration permit and thus to move on to actual targeted or objective mineral exploration work.

If the deposit appears promising, the next step in the exploration is diamond drilling to obtain a physical sample of the soil and bedrock and to confirm the expected results from the earlier stages of the exploration.

The final stage of the exploration depends on the results of the work carried out earlier. If the results are not promising enough, the project will be abandoned due to the lack of or insufficient ore potential in the area. If the results are promising, the exploration will continue once positive results are confirmed. During the drilling project, the information on the potential deposit will be continuously refined. At the reservation stage, the company still has an imprecise picture of the deposit, so the reservation will cover a large area.

When applying for a mining permit, the image is already more focused, so the permit covers a smaller area than the reserve.

If the company applies for a mining permit, it will already have an accurate picture of the deposit. Therefore, the mining permit also covers a smaller area than the exploration permit.

Ore and mineral resources

Exploration precedes the opening of a potential mine. Exploration is the process of finding and studying an ore deposit that might be profitable to exploit in terms of grade and quantity. The journey from exploration to mining includes the legal mining permits, the infrastructure required for the mine and the resourcing of operations.

Gold reserves and resources

Technology improves the accuracy of ore exploration and reduces the need for costly drilling

Geological modelling, geochemical surveys and drone measurements are new methods of exploration that can increase the accuracy of mineral exploration. The technology will also reduce the need for costly drilling.

Drilling will only proceed once the geophysical and geochemical measurements obtained by several different methods indicate the likelihood of an ore deposit. Despite the technological possibilities, drilling is still the only way to obtain accurate information on the bedrock to verify the adequacy of the deposit for mining.

Our business consists of three areas

The cornerstone of our business is the gold production in the Pampalo region and the surrounding gold deposits in the Karelian Gold Line, as well as our processing plant in Pampalo. In addition, exploration is an important activity for us to expand our business.