New Brunswick's manganese-iron occurrences have been divided into two broad types according to whether manganese mineralization is primary or secondary (Webb, 2008). The two divisions are further categorized on the basis of regional and localized geological setting. The Battery Hill deposits are considered to be of primary, sedimentary origin.

Manganese mineralization in primary manganese deposits develops syngenetically with deposition of the host rocks. Significant deposits of this type in New Brunswick occur in two geological settings:

• Silurian sedimentary rocks: manganese and iron mineralization resulting from oxidization of manganese and iron in ambient seawater during the deposition of sediments in marine basins.

• Ordovician volcanogenic–sedimentary rocks: manganese and iron mineralization derived largely from hydrothermal fluids associated with submarine volcanism.

Manganese is predominantly present at the Property in the form of the carbonate mineral rhodochrosite and iron occurs in both oxide (hematite, magnetite, and ilmenite) and carbonate minerals (predominantly siderite). The mineralization comprising the current Mineral Resource estimate has been classified by some past workers as being of the Algoma Type banded ironformation (BIF) group. More recent research reported by Way (2012) indicates that the Battery Hill Deposit and others within this stratigraphic setting can be most accurately classified as Clinton Type sedimentary iron deposits as defined by Gross (1996).

The manganese and iron mineralization of potential economic interest within the Property is bedded and stratiform in nature and is recognized as being of primary sedimentary origin. Manganese occurs predominantly in the form of the carbonate mineral rhodochrosite, and iron occurs in both oxide (hematite, magnetite, and ilmenite) and carbonate minerals

The manganese-iron mineralization encountered in the Battery Hill Property tends to be lenticular, stratiform and generally steeply dipping in form, having been shaped and thickened by tight folding and possible faulting. In the Iron Ore Hill area, tight folds with steep northwest plunges have been noted. In the Moody Hill historical open-cut workings, several folds showing shallow southerly plunges are present. Further detailed structural mapping is required to improve the structural interpretation of the area.

To date, five main areas of mineralization (mineral occurrences) have been defined within the Property, these being Wakefield, Maple Hill, Iron Ore Hill, Sharpe Farm and Moody Hill.

Wakefield Occurrence.

The Wakefield mineral occurrence occurs on the far northern extent of Mineral Claim 5816. This occurrence was one the of the original discoveries identified by C.T. Jackson during an 1836 geological mapping program (MacKinnon, 2020). Detailed work has not been completed for this mineral occurrence to date by Manganese X because it is located in a cultivated area near residential homes.

Maple Hill Occurrence.

The Maple Hill mineral occurrence is located 2 km south-southwest of the Wakefield occurrence in a wooded patch that measures approximately 175 to 200 m2 in area. Historical trenching on this occurrence exhibited less manganese-iron mineralization than seen at the Moody Hill or Iron Ore Hill occurrences, though higher grade material has been reported (MacKinnon, 2011). In comparing the known location of the occurrence to the geophysical response of the 2011 Globex magnetometer survey, the deposit is located on the extreme western edge of the magnetic field anomaly where response is weak to moderate compared to much of the rest of the anomaly. The large area of strongest response located on the eastern edge of the survey in the Maple Hill area has not yet been ground checked by Manganese X.

Iron Ore Hill Occurrence.

The Iron Ore Hill historical workings are located approximately 3 km south of the Maple Hill occurrence. In the early 1950’s, Stratmat identified a strong gravity anomaly measuring approximately 762 m in strike length. Globex’s 2011 magnetometer survey confirmed a similar sized anomaly centered on the Iron Ore Hill area. The historical workings are still visible at the site which produced approximately 63,502 t of iron (MacKinnon, 2020).

Sampling on and near the historical workings by Globex in 2010 confirmed the presence of higher grades of manganese than had been reported in previous testing, and also identified an abundance of lower grade material. As a result of this sampling, an additional 59 samples were collected, mainly along intermittent outcroppings in a ditch adjacent to the historical workings. Higher grade results were obtained from black, sub-metallic layers in the mixed, predominantly brick red and maroon alternating beds within the mineralized horizon. Maroon layers provided the next highest manganese grades.

Sharpe Farm Occurrence.

The Sharpe Farm occurrence is located southwest of the Iron Ore Hill occurrence. Sidwell (1957) described it as coinciding with a 792 m long gravity anomaly that is substantially weaker than the anomaly associated with the Iron Ore Hill occurrence. Two holes drilled at that time were reported to have intersected silicified slates showing an average width of 45.7 m with an average grade of 9% Mn.

The 2011 Globex magnetometer survey identified a moderate to strong circular anomaly with two smaller responses extending in a semi-continuous manner northeastward toward the Iron Ore Hill occurrence. This anomaly is the second strongest in the survey, after the Iron Ore Hill occurrence, and is over 400 m in diameter. Including the area between this and the Iron Ore Hill occurrence, the total length of the northeast-southwest trending anomaly is 700 m. Ground checking by Manganese X resulted in the discovery of a few historical trenches as the only evidence of historical workings (MacKinnon, 2012).

Moody Hill Occurrence.

Sidwell (1957) describes the Moody Hill occurrence as a 518 m long weak to moderate magnetometer survey anomaly compared to the Iron Ore Hill occurrence, with historical drilling results indicating a width of 251 m. Ground checking of the occurrence by Manganese X revealed several 1 to 5 m deep and up to 30 m long trenches. No samples collected at that time were analyzed but many of the rocks viewed appeared to be similar to units present at the Iron Ore Hill occurrence (MacKinnon, 2011).

Diamond drilling by Manganese X on the Moody Hill occurrence defined the spatial aspects of this significant manganese-iron deposit.

The mine plan assumes conventional open pit mining using a contract mining equipment fleet at a total mining rate of 1.0 Mt/a to provide a mill feed of 365 kt/a, or 1,000 t/d. The mining operations will have a 40-year mine production life, with a two-year pre-production period, and seven-years of stockpile reclaim feed at the end of mine life.

Pit and Mine Design Criteria:
Inter-ramp angles by sector - 45° OSA;
Single/double bench configuration - double bench;
Bench height - 2.5 m double benched;
Ramp width - 16 m two-way traffic and 10 m one way traffic to accommodate up to 40 tonne trucks;
Minimum mining width - 18 m in pit bottom and 20 m on benches;
Max mine development rate - Maximum vertical advance per phase per year is 12, 5 m benches;
Grade control - Blast hole drilling and blast hole assaying.

In total, 19 pit phases were developed for the Project. Phases one through seven, and phase 17 are mined from the two Moody Hill ultimate pits. Phases eight though 16 are mined from the two Sharpe Farm ultimate pits. Phases 18 and 19 are mined from the two Iron Ore Hill ultimate pits.

Smoothed pit designs were not completed for internal phases, rather pit shells were incorporated in the production schedule. Individual phases were selected from the different pit shells within the ultimate pit and based on operational parameters such as bench advance, pushback widths, and quantities of resources.

Contract mining is assumed for mining the pits on the following assumptions:

• Mining operations are based on a single 12-hour shift/day. Stockpile handling and crusher feeding operations are based on two 12-hour shifts/day;
• Drilling and blasting are required with an assumed powder factor of 0.25 kg explosive per tonne of waste rock and 0.30 kg explosive per tonne of mineralized material;
• Conventional truck and excavator operation with an assumed fleet of 40 tonne trucks and 3.8 m3 excavators. A 3.8 m3 wheel loader will support stockpile and crusher loading operation;
• Haul road, pit, and WRSFs will be maintained using a conventional fleet of support equipment inclusive of motorgraders, track dozers, and water trucks;
• Owner-supplied truck shop and office facilities;
• A long-term ROM stockpile will be utilized to balance feed flow into the crusher when necessary.

The Owner will be responsible for the following:
• Blast hole sampling and grade control;
• Surveying;
• Short-range and long-range planning;
• Diesel Fuel.

The haul roads are designed to accommodate 40 tonne articulated haul trucks with a maximum gradient of 10% and an overall in-pit width of 16 m. Access into the final pit bottoms will be gained by way of a section of single-lane road that will be 10 m wide. The mine site road network layout connects the mining pits with the ROM stockpile, and WRSFs. Temporary roads will be developed to access the upper benches of both pits.

Waste material will also be used for construction of the perimeter buttresses of the FRSA, and will be available for use on site haulage roads and other construction needs.

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The conventional route to HPMSM is via electrolytic manganese metal (EMM), itself a specialty product, which is dissolved in high purity sulphuric acid and crystallized as HPMSM from the resulting solution. This route is both energy and reagent intensive. Electrolytic reduction of manganese is a very challenging process to operate.

The process developed for the Project is based on a combination of the reactivity of the largely manganese silicate mineralization to dilute sulphuric acid, and multiple developmental test programs. The process was modelled using Metsim to generate a mass, water, chemical and energy balance.

The process plant design involves treatment of selectively mined material through a sequence of:
• Two-stage crushing;
• Ball mill grinding with hydrocyclone size classification;
• Sulphuric acid leaching under specific temperature and acid tenor to dissolve contained manganese mineralization while minimizing co-dissolution of undesir ........