The Mount Hope Deposit is a classic molybdenum porphyry, typified by the deposit at Climax Colorado. This type of deposit has well zoned molybdenum (moly) mineralization where the grade zoning surrounds the central zone of the deposit and forms geometries that are circular in plan and arch shaped in section.

Mount Hope differs from Climax in that the multiple mineral centers are adjacent horizontally rather than juxtaposed over the same porphyry center. The centers of mineralization are referred to as the east and west mineral systems. The eastern and western mineral systems each contain mineral shells at least 3,300 ft in diameter, and the two systems are centered about 2,300 ft apart along a west-northwest axis. The mineral zones or “shells” consist of quartz stockwork veining that contains molybdenite that is hosted within both porphyry and sedimentary units.

MINERALIZATION
The main form of molybdenum mineralization is molybdenite (MoS2), developed within the porphyritic igneous rocks and in the Vinini hornfels adjacent to the southern margin of the igneous rocks. Much of the known molybdenite is distributed around two mineralized systems consisting of two dome shaped zones of mineralized stockworks. These zones are shaped like inverted bowls along an east-west trend. The two systems form east and west mineral systems that intersect each other.

Eastern and Western Minerals Systems
The western mineral system is characterized by a t ........

The Mount Hope deposit will be mined utilizing conventional open pit methods. Low-grade material between the mill cut-off and a breakeven cut-off is stockpiled for later processing primarily in years 35 through 41, with some low-grades ores supplementing the mill throughout the mine life.

A conventional hard rock open pit mine plan was developed for the Mount Hope deposit based on the block model of the mineralization. The mining process will use standard open pit mining techniques of drilling, blasting, loading, and hauling of ore and waste to the crusher and waste storage facilities.

The mine is planned to deliver a nominal 66,688 t/d of sulfide flotation ore to the crusher.

Low-grade material between the mill cutoff and a lower stockpile cutoff is stockpiled for later processing in years 34 through 41. The total material rate for the first 15 years of the mine life starts at 97,207 kt/yr and ramps up to 112,564 kt/yr (266,320 to 308,395 t/d). The rate decreases from year 16 through the end of the mine life.

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