Indeed, it's an old rule of thumb and might have been born when most mining was underground. Economy of scale and heap leach operations likely reduce the costs a great deal. I should research and find some comparables. However, how much "ore" is leachable at Rattlesnake?. There are many variables before cost per ounce will be determined and the capital needed established to build a mine, but it is very expensive. The point of the discussion was what's in the future for EVG and Rattlesnake, will they mine it themselves, partner, sell, what? Part of that discussion was the need to raise a lot more capital.

A point: because RAttlesnake will be so difficult to duplicate as a discovery, EVG just might want to keep themselves involved in the mining while also exploring for another multi-million ounce project. Rattlesnake has many qualities hard to duplicate: Location, size, grade and mineralization at the surface.

You see many companies now exploring the Yukon looking for Rattlesnake-sized deposits. Wyoming has some tough weather conditions, but the Yukon?

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