The FAT deposit is a strataform series of near vertical, elongate lenticular ore domains hosted in Archean tuffaceous clas ic rocks and ash-flow tuff. Gold mineralization is interpreted to be a product of an episodic, epithermal-like, submarine and subaerial, hydrothermal system. Regional deformation has imparted minor metamorphic mineralogical and geometric modifications to the deposit. The hydrothermal system is interpreted to have formed within an emerging, peraluminous, calc alkaline rhyolite to rhyodacite volcanic edifice. Although there is no strict lithological control to the gold distribution in the FAT deposit, each of the identified ore domains has a consistent stratigraphic architecture that distinguishes them.

Sulfide mineralogy in the FAT deposit is relatively simple and consists of pyrite, pyrrhotite, arsenopyrite, sphalerite, and chalcopyrite in decreasing order of abundance. While all of these minerals can be found in the mineralized zones, only arsenopyrite has a consistent correlative relationship to gold concentrations. Arsenopyrite occurs in three distinct habits: acicular disseminated crystals, anhedral disseminated clots, and euhedral crystals in fractures. The acicular variety tends to have the clearest association with higher-grade gold mineralization.

The deposit will be mined using open pit miningmethods to a depth of approximately 610 m, and standard truck and shovel will be used to mine the pit. The current study is based on 15 m high operational benches with final benches 30 m high. The minimum catch bench width is 8 m in accordance with the Northwest Territories Mine Health and Safety Act and Regulations.

The mine rock will be stored in the RSF located to the east of the pit. The mineralized material will be trucked for milling at the proposed plant located southeast of the pit.

The proposed process plant will process 17,500 t/d of mineralization. The plant will be operated 365 d/a at an availability of 92%.

The flowsheet proposed for the Project includes HPGR/grinding comminution, conventional flotation, flotation concentrate pressure oxidation, cyanidation, and gold recovery/refining circuits. The comminution will consist of primary crushing by gyratory crusher, secondary crushing by cone crusher, and tertiary crushing by HPGR followed by ball mill grinding. The conventional flotation will include rougher flotation, scavenger flotation, and cleaner flotation on scavenger flotation concentrate. The rougher flotation concentrate together with the scavenger cleaner concentrate will be oxidized under pressure after being reground and acid preleached. A portion of the slurry and acid-bearing solution from the POX circuit will be recycled back to the POX pre leaching. The slurry and the acid-bearing solution of the POX discharge will be separately neutralized. The POX residue or oxidized concentrate will be leached in a carbon-in-leach (CIL) circuit; the cleaner flotation tailing will be reground and cyanide leached together with the POX residue. Gold recovery will be completed by stripping the loaded carbon from the CIL circuit, followed by electrowinning to produce gold doré as a final product. The flotation tailing and the cyanide residue will be thickened and disposed of separately. The residual cyanide in the leach residue will be destroyed by a sulphur dioxide (SO2)/air oxidation procedure prior to disposal to the lined leach residue storage facility.