Graphite deposits occur in three forms: flake graphite, vein graphite, and amorphous graphite.

Landis (1971) tentatively concluded that graphite formation is primarily dependent on metamorphic temperature and forms above 400°C, with pressure and variation in starting material constituting secondary controls.

The Coosa graphite deposits are flake graphite deposits in high grade metamorphic rocks. They are associated with anomalous vanadium, including the vanadium-mica roscoellite, and nickel, as well as other elements.

Geological mapping of the Coosa resource grid was carried out by Alabama Graphite geologists based on stream sections, road cuts, drill pads, and trenches. The main graphite schist trends northeast and to the south changes to north-south, and joins with another unit of graphite schist to the east. There is garnet schist on the east side of the graphite schist, which dies out to the south. These features may be interpreted as an anticline plunging at a low angle to the south with a core of garnet schist overlain structurally by graphite schist. The graphite schist is underlain structurally on the west side by quartz-muscovite-biotite-graphite schist.

Open pit mining was selected as the mining method to examine the Coosa deposit based on the decision to restrict mining to the shallow oxidized horizon as well as the very low strip ratio of the deposit. As there is very little waste rock, and mining would not occur in competent rock, underground bulk mining was not considered to be a practical mining method for this deposit.

Due to the decision to only mine the oxidized mill feed initially, all waste and overburden material was to be hauled outside of potential mining areas. Therefore, no backfilling of pits was to be planned for so that future potential mining below the oxidized horizon could be preserved.

Pit designs were generally very shallow with depths up to approximately 100 feet. Four starter phases were identified in the northern area of the project, followed by six small lower grade pits to the south. Some mining areas were standalone pits and while others were pushbacks of other phases.

Mining will not include blasting, so a simple, small conventional loading and hauling fleet will be used. It will consist of loading with a 6.0 cubic yard excavator in the pit and 45 ton articulated trucks. Assistance to the excavator will be with a 400+ horsepower dozer to loosen and push material to the excavator for loading. Additional support to the mine and plant will be provided by graders and smaller dozers to dress roads and waste/overburden storage facilities.

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Process water is stored in a 200 m3 tank and is distributed to the plant by a process water pump. Plant hosing/flushing water is provided by the hose-down water supply pumps.

The process water tank is also used to feed the diesel powered fire water pump from a separate (lower) offtake, thus guaranteeing availability.

Clean water is piped into the plant from wells and stored in the plant clean water tank. From the storage tank, water is pumped around the plant for use as reagent mixing water, slurry pump gland seal water, and as required for mill lubrication system cooling.

Approximately 90,000 gal/d of fresh water will be required to satisfy water demand for the process plant. This will come from water collection in the settling pond below the dry stack tailings management facility as well as from a series of water wells.