DeLamar Florida Mountain Geotechnical Prefeasibility Study

Projects

Client

Integra Resources Corporation

Timeline

2022

Location

Owyhee County, Idaho

Aerial view of a large open-pit mine surrounded by dry, brown hills and patches of forest, with a rectangular artificial pond near the center of the scene and winding dirt roads throughout.
A multicolored rock hillside with reddish, tan, and gray layers, topped with scattered pine trees and a partly cloudy sky above. Dry grass covers the ground in front of the slope.

Establishing a Defensible Geotechnical Foundation for Safe, Economic Mine Design

Building Mine Designs that Balance Safety, Economics, and Geological Reality

The DeLamar project presents a complex geological setting shaped by both historical mining and recent exploration. As Integra Resources advanced the project through a Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA), mine designs required a defensible geotechnical foundation to support pit slope design for the PEA.

RESPEC completed a geotechnical prefeasibility study to determine how steep the proposed mine slopes could be designed safely. The work combined historical mining data with new exploration results to define ground conditions across the site.

Rock and soil samples were tested at RESPEC’s rock mechanics laboratory and reviewed alongside field observations to evaluate slope stability for the pit designs used in the economic study. Natural fracture patterns and surface measurements were also examined to refine bench angles and confirm where adjustments could be made without increasing risk.

The resulting slope recommendations supported the project’s economic evaluation, aligned with past mining experience, and identified opportunities to safely increase ore recovery.

Reducing Risk While Advancing Project Value

The study delivered a technically sound and cost-efficient geotechnical framework that supports permitting, mine planning, and economic evaluation. By grounding design recommendations in both legacy knowledge and modern analysis, the work reduced uncertainty and helped unlock additional value for one of Idaho’s most significant gold–silver development projects.