The Syama Project is found on the northern margin of the Achaean-Proterozoic Leo Shield which forms the southern half of the West African Craton. The project area straddles the boundary between the Kadiana–Madinani terrane and the Kadiolo terrane. The Kadiana-Madinani terrane is dominated by greywackes and a narrow belt of interbedded basalt and argillite. The Kadiolo terrane comprises polymictic conglomerate and sandstone that were sourced from the Kadiana-Madinani terrane and deposited in a late- to syntectonic basin.

Prospects are centred on the NNE striking, west dipping, Syama-Bananso Fault Zone and Birimian volcano-sedimentary units of the Syama Formation. The major commodity being sought is gold.

The Tabakoroni deposit is hosted in upright tightly folded greenstone rocks of the Syama Formation, comprising interbedded basalt and sediment units, and an overlying complex sequence of deep marine and turbiditic sediments. The sequence overlying the basalts contains interbedded carbonaceous units (silts and shales) that are preferentially deformed, and which form the Tabakoroni Main Shear Zone (TMSZ) that lies along the approximate contact of the greenstone-sediment sequence. Gold mineralisation occurs within the TMSZ associated with quartz vein stockworks and stylolitic quartz reefs.

The Tabakoroni Porphyry Zone is located on a NNE trending splay of the NNW oriented Main Tabakoroni Shear Zone. Host rocks are comprised of interbedded greywacke and shale with small intrusions of quartz feldspar phyric dacite porphyry. Ductile shearing affects all units and is particularly focussed within the shale units. Mineralisation occurs as quartz-pyrite veins and sulphidic shears within shale units. Visible gold is commonly seen in vein quartz. The gold mineralisation at the ‘Porphyry Zone” is somewhat erratic with more coherent zones striking NNE and dipping shallowly and steeply west.

Syama is a large-scale operation which comprises two separate processing plants: a 2.4Mtpa sulphide processing circuit (ore sourced from the Syama Underground Mine) and a 1.5Mtpa oxide processing circuit (ore sourced from the Tabakoroni Open Pit Mine and near-mine oxide deposits).

Syama Gold Mine
The current mining method for underground exploitation is Sub-level caving.

Tabakoroni
A Pre-Feasibility study determined the Tabakoroni mining method would be by long hole open stoping. No Mineral Resource margin (external) dilution has been modelled. A minimum stope dip of 30 degrees on the footwall was applied. More rigorous mining assumptions and parameters will be applied during the conversion to Ore Reserves.

Equipment for the underground were selected considering the selected mining method, planned production rate, existing experience and equipment in operation at Syama Underground. Loading will be done by 21 tonne loaders from the development headings and stopes and hauled by 63 t trucks to surface via a decline. From surface stockpiles ore will be hauled to the process plant at Syama using the current open pit truck haulage fleet and waste will dumped directly onto the existing open pit waste
dumps.

Tabakoroni open pit has been in continuous mining operation since August 2018. During this time the performance of the open pit has shown a positive reconciliation between mineral resources and gold production and delivered positive cashflows. Data from the current open pit operations which also applies to the intended underground operation, such as existing infrastructure and ore haulage cost, were used as part of the underground study.

Existing open pit infrastructure and a dedicated haul road to Syama is available for immediate use by the underground operation.
The only additional infrastructure consists of:
• a power shed to house diesel generators for power generation. Existing diesel generators will be relocated from the current Syama operation as part of their power upgrades and the power shed is just for weather protection.
• paste plant for paste fill generation
• explosives magazine (open pit operations did minimal blasting and did not establish an explosive magazine)
• underground primary ventilation fans
• upgraded security control facilities
• minor fit-out to the existing open pit offices and workshops to comply with underground requirements (change house,
lamp room, etc)
• float circuit modifications to allow the existing Syama Oxide plant to process sulphide ore

Syama Satellite Deposits

Cashew NE, Paysans and Tellem are planned to be undertaken by conventional open pit methods of drill and blast, followed by load and haul.

Porphyry Zone will be mined by conventional open pit methods of drill and blast, followed by load and haul, utilising mining equipment comprising 120t – 230t diesel hydraulic excavators and 90t off-highway dump trucks.

Sulphide processing plant crushing circuit consists of primary jaw crusher, secondary jaw crusher tertiary cone crusher and two quaternary cone crushers.

Miling circuit consists of primary ball mill and two secondery ball mills.

Resolute operates two processing plants at Syama: a 2.4 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) sulphide processing circuit and a 1.5Mtpa oxide processing circuit. Due to the refractory nature of the sulphide ore, it is treated using conventional three-stage crushing, ball milling, sulphide flotation, roasting, calcine leaching and elution. The oxide processing circuit is a conventional crushing, SAG milling, and leaching circuit.

Processing of the ore is via the following stages:
• Crushing and grinding.
• Flotation to produce a sulphide rich concentrate.
• Concentrate thickening.
• Roasting, followed by calcine quench and wash.
• CIL.
• Tailings disposal.

Processing of Tabakoroni ore is similar to that of the Syama sulphide circuit which has been in operation for several years and is well understood, consisting of the following stages:

• Crushing and grinding utilising the existing oxide process plant infrastructure
• Gravi ........