The area of the Minera Florida Mine is underlain by upper cretaceous volcanic and intrusive rocks. The volcanic rocks comprise porphyritic andesite, brecciated andesite, lithic and crystal tuff, and brecciated tuff. The bulk of these rocks are also affected by a sequence of hydrothermal alteration. The intrusive rocks comprise mainly granodiorites and monzodiorites.

Gold mineralization in the Minera Florida Mine area occurs as native gold and electrum associated with sulphide minerals, such as pyrite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite and galena, as well as magnetite. Mineralization is commonly associated with hydrothermal alteration including quartz, adularia, epidote, chlorite, and actinolite. Quartz occurs in four types; as grey siliceous zones, green quartz, translucent quartz, and white quartz. Some veins exhibit metal zoning, with a zinc-rich silver-rich zone in the upper part of the vein, a goldrich zone in the central part, and a zinc-rich zone in the lower part of the vein.

In general, mineralized structures include an inner quartz vein (core) consisting of material exhibiting quartz flooding or massive quartz, surrounded by stockwork of quartz veinlets and/or hydrothermal breccia, both of which are mineralized. Gold mineralization in the Minera Florida Mine area has been identified in four types of rocks, in places adjacent to each other, as follows: (1) silicified crystal tuff; (2) lithic to crystal tuff; (3) brecciated tuff; and (4) porphyritic andesite.

There are at least nineteen mineralized veins discovered and partially developed in the Minera Florida Mine area. These veins range from 0.8 metres to 30 metres in thickness, and the average grade ranges from 1.5 grams per tonne of gold to 12 grams per tonne of gold, 6 grams per tonne of silver to 100 grams per tonne of silver, and 0.1% Zn to 1.81% Zn. Many of the mineralized veins at the Minera Florida Mine area do not have a surface expression, but are associated with structures identified by underground diamond drilling.

The underground workings are developed by adits driven from surface. An internal ramp system provides access to the stopes. Sublevel are driven in the veins and mining sequence advances from the top down, with pillars left at regular intervals. Underground mining operations are mechanized, utilizing: articulated haul trucks; electronic hydraulic development and production jumbos; load- haul dumpers; and a number of ground support and service equipment. Ore is hauled using 25-tonne trucks from the mine to a transfer point and 40-tonne trucks haul the ore from the transfer point to the process plant. Waste is transported by 25-tonne trucks.

The crushed ore is fed to two 3.7 m x 4.3 m ball mills where it is ground to a 65% passing 75 µm in closed circuit with a cyclone cluster. The cyclone overflow is then delivered to the flotation circuit that consists of eight 20 m3 flotation cells arranged in a rougher, scavenger, cleaner, and recleaner configuration. The bulk sulphide concentrate produced contains 22% Zn, approximately 105 g/t Au, and some silver (silver content varies with the head grade). The flotation plant recovers approximately 87% of the gold, 83% of the silver, and 80% of the zinc. The flotation plant tailings are pumped to the tailings facility.

The flotation bulk concentrate is thickened to 50% solids and leached with NaCN (sodium cyanide) solution in a series of ten 50 m3 leach tanks providing 72 hours of residence time. The products of the leaching circuit are a pregnant solution containing approximately 30 g/m3 Au and a thickened pulp containing the zinc sulphides. The leaching circuit recovers ........