Ruddock Creek
Exploration at the Ruddock Creek zinc/lead property restarted in early July 2010 and included surface diamond drilling testing the Creek Zone, and the installation and operation of a pumping system to dewater the E Zone decline. The Creek Zone drilling, completed mid-October with 17 holes totalling 3583.0 metres, confirmed the massive sulphide mineralization is continuous over a length down plunge to the west of over 400 metres and down dip to the north for approximately 150 metres.
The objective of the current Ruddock Creek underground exploration program is to extend the lower E Zone to the west in a previously undrilled area with a view to increasing the resource defined to date and advance the project toward mine development. The program will include 400 metres of underground development and 11,000 metres of underground diamond drilling together with additional surface exploration, geological mapping, sampling and further diamond drilling of the Creek Zone and other selected zones within the Ruddock Creek Sulphide Horizon The existing workings have been dewatered and development work has started.
The current program of underground development and drilling is expected to continue to mid-2011.
Mitsui Mining and Smelting Co. Ltd. ("Mitsui") and Itochu Corporation ("Itochu") have an option to earn a 50% interest in the Ruddock Creek Property. Their commitment is to spend at least $14 million before March 31, 2012 to earn a 35% working interest with the right to spend a further $6 million before March 31, 2013 to earn an additional 15% working interest at which point the property will be held by Imperial 50%, Mitsui 30% and Itochu 20%. Imperial will continue to operate the project through its wholly owned subsidiary Selkirk Metals Corp.
HISTORY: Ruddock Creek was acquired by Imperial through the November 2009 merger with Selkirk Metals Corp. Between 2004 and 2009 Selkirk conducted extensive exploration including over one kilometre of underground development, and surface and underground diamond drilling totalling 25,688 metres. Prior to 2004, historical drilling carried out by Falconbridge and Cominco totalled 7,244 metres. The focus of exploration to date has been at the E zone which has been defined from surface outcrop down plunge for a length of approximately 1.2 kilometres and is the only zone that has been drilled in sufficient detail to estimate a resource.
The 43-101 compliant resources* for the E zone at various cut-offs are shown on the table below.
| Indicated | Inferred | |||||||
| Cutoff Grade % Pb+Zn |
Tonnes 000's |
Zn% |
Pb% |
% comb Pb+Zn |
Tonnes 000's |
Zn% |
Pb% |
% comb Pb+Zn |
| 1.0 | 3,062 | 6.46 | 1.33 | 7.79 | 1,654 | 6.13 | 1.20 | 7.33 |
| 2.0 | 2,847 | 6.85 | 1.41 | 8.26 | 1,648 | 6.14 | 1.20 | 7.34 |
| 3.0 | 2,613 | 7.28 | 1.50 | 8.78 | 1,614 | 6.14 | 1.21 | 7.44 |
| 4.0 | 2,338 | 7.79 | 1.61 | 9.40 | 1,492 | 6.50 | 1.26 | 7.76 |
| 5.0 | 2,012 | 8.43 | 1.75 | 10.18 | 1,336 | 6.82 | 1.31 | 8.13 |
| 6.0 | 1,731 | 9.06 | 1.89 | 10.95 | 1,038 | 7.44 | 1.45 | 8.89 |
| 7.0 | 1,490 | 9.64 | 2.02 | 11.66 | 794 | 8.05 | 1.57 | 9.62 |
| 8.0 | 1,257 | 10.29 | 2.15 | 12.44 | 589 | 8.68 | 1.69 | 10.37 |
For additional information refer to the 43-101 Technical Report - Ruddock Creek Deposit Mineral Resource Estimate - July 2009