Schaft Creek is described as a calc-alkalic copper-molybdenum-gold-silver porphyry deposit.

The Schaft Creek deposit is hosted by Stuhini Group (Stikine Terrane) basaltic to andesitic volcanic rocks of the Mess Lake facies. These volcanics are intruded by dacite to granodiorite dikes, whose origin is interpreted to be the nearby Hickman batholith. The Mess Lake facies is a vent-proximal, submarine to sub-aerial volcanic assemblage, and the whole volcanic sequence is estimated to be upwards of 800 m thick. There is an abundance of overlapping alteration zones, as well as a complex series of predominantly brittle structures.

The Schaft Creek deposit is considered a calc alkalic copper-molybdenum porphyry system related to an elongate, high-energy, structurally controlled breccia system. The deposit has historically been divided into three zones; the Liard (Main) Zone, the Paramount Zone, and the West Breccia Zone. For estimation purposes, and due to the geometry of the mineralization, the West Breccia Zone has been included within the Paramount Zone. The Liard Zone is related to the intrusion of feldspar quartzporphyry dikes, while the Paramount Zone is closely related to a north-south trending breccia zone.

Mineralization in the Liard Zone consists of irregular sulphide stockworks (chalcopyrite, bornite, molybdenite, and lesser pyrite) forming a tabular zone overlapping all rock types, though preferentially hosted in coarse fragmental volcanic rocks. In the Paramount Zone, mineralization consists of fine veinlets and disseminated patches of sulphides (chalcopyrite, bornite, and molybdenite) hosted predominantly in the altered fine-grained groundmass within the breccia system.

The Project will be a conventional open pit truck-shovel operation, using large-scale equipment to gain economies of scale. Ore and waste will be drilled by diesel and electric powered rotary drills and blasted using bulk explosives. Mill feed and waste will be loaded into 227 t and 354 t mine trucks by 80 t electric cable shovels, 50 t diesel hydraulic shovels and a 35 t wheel loader. Waste will be placed in waste storage facilities adjacent to the pit.

Ore will be hauled to the primary crushers located near the pit rim, and then conveyed to the mill site in the adjacent valley. Low-grade ROM ore will be stockpiled south of the open pit and mid-grade ROM ore will be stockpiled within the west dump footprint. Bulldozers will cut roads into competent rock from the top down to provide access for mining equipment to the upper benches. The bulldozer development will be conducted in two stages: the south phase during the pre-development years and the north phase during the first three years of production.

A conventional flotation process is proposed for the Project. The processing plant will consist of:
• primary crushing at the mine site; the crushed ore will be delivered to the plant site via conveyors, including one overland conveyor; the process plant will be located approximately 8 km northeast of the pit
• a crushed ore stockpile
• a main processing plant, including:
- two primary grinding circuits, consisting of SAG mills, ball mills and
pebble crushers (SABC circuits)
- two copper-gold-silver-molybdenum bulk flotation circuits
- one copper-gold-silver/molybdenum separation circuit, including
molybdenum concentrate leaching to reduce copper/lead contents
- concentrate dewatering
• tailings disposal.

There will be four trains of copper-gold silver/molybdenum rougher/scavenger flotation. The products from the primary grinding circuits will feed to the rougher/scavenger flotation circuits which will produce a high-grade ro ........