The gold mineralization at the Björkdal Mine is a steeply dipping narrow quartz vein style deposit with the potential for significant gold mineralization to be located proximal to the main quartz veins. The veining is locally structurally complex with many cross-veining features as well as small quartz veinlets which may introduce mineralization into the wall rocks.

The Skellefteå region lies within an ancient cratonic block named the Fennoscandian shield and consists of Paleoproterozoic-aged rocks that host several world class volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) copper, zinc, and lead deposits. Mineralization in the Skellefteå region is focused within and around the Skellefteå belt, a regionally extensive, northwest trending structural feature 120 km long and 30 km wide, which consists of deformed and metamorphosed Paleoproterozoic volcanic, sedimentary, and igneous rocks. The stratigraphy in the Mine area is divided into two groups, the Skellefte Group (lower division) and the Vargfors Group (upper division). The Björkdal gold deposit is hosted within the upper portions of the Skellefte Group, which is dominated by successions of mafic volcanic flows that are interbedded or intercalated on a large scale with clastic sediments.

Open pit mining is carried out by contractors using trucks and loaders. The existing mining capacity with the current equipment configuration is approximately 8 Mtpa. Loading is carried out with a combination of front end loaders and excavators. Ore is hauled using trucks with 40 t and 63 t capacities and waste is hauled using 90 t capacity trucks. Production drilling is also carried out by contractors.

The underground mining method used at the Björkdal Mine is longhole stoping with a sublevel spacing of approximately 20 m. Going forward, the sub-level spacing will be reduced to 15 m to assist with dilution control. Cross-cuts are established perpendicular to the vein system and are located within approximately 20 m of the marble contact. Veins are then developed by drifting on each sub level from the cross-cut. All pre-production vein, crosscut, and ramp development is drilled and blasted using conventional trackless mining equipment.

The concentrator includes primary, secondary, and tertiary crushing, primary, and secondary grinding, a series of gravity concentration steps, regrinding, and flotation to produce three gravity concentrates and a flotation concentrate.

Ore is delivered to a series of small stockpiles that are utilized to campaign ore through the processing facility in order to provide reconciliation data for various parts of the mines. From the stockpiles, a front end loader feeds a jaw crusher. Discharge from the jaw crusher is screened. The screen undersize is nominally minus 8 mm. The material is conveyed to a 5,000 t fine ore bin or to an emergency stockpile.

Ore is reclaimed from the stockpile and fed to a secondary cone crusher. Discharge from the cone crusher is conveyed to a second screen. Undersize from the screen is combined with the undersize from the first screen and stored in the fine ore bin or the emergency stockpile.

Crushed ore is reclaimed from the f ........