Development — Geotechnical & Bulk Sampling Services

Development stage drilling is typically undertaken to define (quality and quantity) a resource for the planning and construction of a new mine site, or the expansion of an existing mining project. External and internal financing requires a definitive review of the project economics (grade and volume of mineralization) before funds are committed to advance a project, regardless of whether this is a new mine or an extension to an existing operation. To obtain sufficient definition of the ore body, development drilling often requires very large volumes of drill holes to be created to both provide detailed definition and to probe the boundaries of the ore body. During the development phase, the Company often mobilizes additional rigs to the site, performing larger drilling campaigns, “ramping up” from the earlier exploration stage. Drilling services are often of the same type, but volumes and duration much larger.