Overview
Springer, USA
The Springer Mine, located in Pershing County, is part of the rich mining landscape that has long defined northwestern Nevada. The Springer Tungsten Mine is planned to be advanced through a multi-phase work program in 2026.
- The initial phase will focus on a detailed review of available historical information, including drill logs, core where accessible, cross-sections, assay data and the existing block model covering the Sutton I and Sutton II tungsten skarn deposits.
- This work will be used to refine the current geological interpretation and to guide the design of a follow-up drilling program.
Blue Moon intends to develop a hub and spoke business model by acquiring and developing smaller, high grade underground critical metals mines in the western United States (the “US”) and processing the mineralized material at the Springer Property.
This strategy is in-line with US federal government efforts to promote domestic production of critical metals and decrease dependence on foreign supply chains. The Springer mine is in the best position to contribute to the American supply of Tungsten.
History
The Springer Mine is best known historically as a tungsten-focused mining and processing complex that reflects several distinct phases of development and investment. Tungsten (mostly in the form of scheelite, a tungsten-oxide mineral) was the primary commodity targeted on the property, and the deposit was attractive because of its skarn-style mineralization and significant historical resources. General Electric invested heavily in the late 1970s, to construct a modern underground mine, a vertical shaft, extensive workings, and an on-site mill capable of processing roughly 1,200 tons of ore per day; the operation commenced production in March 1982 but was closed by October of the same year due to a sharp downturn in tungsten prices.
Since that closure, ownership shifted several times, exploring opportunities to refurbish and restart the mine and mill complex, including drilling campaigns in the late 2000s that intercepted encouraging tungsten grades and efforts to modernize processing facilities and secure permits.
The Springer Property consists of approximately 11,280 acres of mineral claims and fee lands. The mineral resource is located entirely on private fee lands. The historical mineral resource on the Property is: 1,2,3
- Historical estimate of indicated resources of 355,000 tons @ 0.537% WO3
- Historical estimate of inferred resources of 1,933,600 tons @ 0.493% WO3
Mine & Mill Facilities
The mine infrastructure includes a vertical shaft developed down to 1,600 feet, a headframe and 3 compartment hoist and associated equipment.
The Mill includes the following assets generally in good condition, permits and rights:
- Process plant ~1,200 tpd capacity to produce tungsten concentrates and/or APT
- Electrical infrastructure including main substation (69kV to 5kV), transformers, switchgear, MCCs, soft starters, substations
- Crusher & conveying system
- Ancillary facilities: hoist house, mine substation, maintenance pads, warehouse, offices
- Tailings storage facilities (conventional and dry stack)
- Roads, tankage, and other miscellaneous surface infrastructure associated with the operation
- Water rights
- As at the date of this update, a qualified person has not completed sufficient work to classify this historical estimate as current mineral resources or mineral reserves in accordance with NI 43-101 and Blue Moon is not treating the historical estimate as current mineral resources or mineral reserves. In order to verify the historical estimate, the Company needs to engage a qualified person to review the historical data, review any work completed on the property since the date of the estimate and complete a new technical report. Blue Moon views this historical data as an indicator of the potential size and grade of the mineralized deposits, and this data is relevant to Company’s future plans with respect to the property. ↩︎
- Resource classification was performed according to CIM guidelines for indicated and inferred resources at the time and are based on drill spacing and density; the estimate was presented at 0.20 WO3% cutoff grade based on approximate mining cost of $40/ton, processing cost of $13.50/ton, administration cost of $7/ton, mill recovery of 82% and a WO3 price of $11.50/lb. Rounding may result in apparent summation differences between tonnes, grades and metal content; not considered material. ↩︎
- The effective date of this estimate is August 20, 2012, and is contained in the “Preliminary Economic Assessment of the Springer Tungsten Mine, Pershing County, Nevada, USA” dated December 31, 2013 and prepared by Keith McCandlish of DMT Geosciences Ltd ↩︎