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Thursday, March 31, 2011 <br />Mr. Wallace H. Erickson <br />Environmental Protection Specialist <br />Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety <br />State of Colorado, Department of Natural Resources <br />1313 Sherman Street, Room 215 <br />Denver, Colorado 80203 <br />Mr. Erickson: <br />I am responding to comments made in a memorandum sent to you from Tim Cazier on <br />March 11, 2011. This memorandum comments on issues related to the general olCNrpai1or <br />Permit No. M-1981-185/CN-01 (Preliminary Adequacy Issues for a 112d-1 Application, <br />Wildcat Mining Corporation, May Day -Idaho Mine Complex, File No. M-1981-1). Point number 7 <br />on page 2 of this memorandum refers to figure T -3a (taken from Kirkham and others, 2000). <br />The statement made in point 7 is that a fault linassociated with the May Day -Idaho fault <br />system intersects the portal of the May Day N lLevel. <br />A review of the map compiled by Kirkham and others (2000), which I was a co-author, <br />shows that the fault line is located about 200 feet north of the adit. At the time that this map was <br />created the trace of the fault line was placed soley from observations of surface geology. <br />Underground control and observations were not available. The underground map of Eckel <br />(1949, Plate 25) accurately shows that the location of the fault system which extends 200 to 300 <br />feet north of the May Day No. 1 portal. The fault dip is steep (80° to 90°) and has a -10 foot <br />zone of brecciation and fracturing adjacent to the main fault zone. There is no geologic <br />evidence that the fracturing at the May Day No. 1 portal is any way related to this fault zone. <br />The portal is situated in interbedded siltstone and shale of the Morrison Formation which <br />contributes to the slumping and collapse at the portal, but it is not influenced by brecciation <br />related to the May Day -Idaho fault system. This is supported by the lack of features such a <br />brecciation, fault -movement indicators, and the absence of any minor fractures that show a <br />relationships to the main fault system. I feel qualified to make this judgment given my <br />experience from surface mapping and underground exploration at this site which has been <br />gained over the past 15 years. <br />David A. Gonzales (PhD, MS, CPG -11266) <br />1 <br />3/ <br />Date <br />