EXPLORATION BEST PRACTICES: SUCCESS AND COMPLIANCE

Exploration targets are specific geographic areas possessing geologic attributes, known and inferred, suggesting potential for occurrence of a valuable mineral deposit. The areas may be regional to local in scale, leading to different scopes of work and financial investments to evaluate the mineral potential. The evaluation process involves the use of regional- to outcrop-scale geologic and geographic data, remote sensing and mineral spectra data, geophysical and geochemical surveys, surface and subsurface sampling by prospecting, trenching or drilling, sample preparation and analysis and corresponding quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) procedures, and sampling for metallurgical, environmental and other purposes. These activities must incorporate industry-accepted best practices for the collection of all of the various types of data required, and conform to the legal requirements related to the right to explore given targets and the disclosure of results to the securities-buying public, if appropriate. Blending best practices with exploration and geologic skills can enhance and streamline the mineral discovery process.