Mining Intelligence and News
Canada

Tower Project

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Overview

Mine TypeOpen Pit & Underground
StagePreliminary Economic Assessment
Commodities
  • Gold
Mining Method
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
  • Longhole stoping
  • Longitudinal retreat
  • Transverse stoping
Backfill type ... Lock
Mine Life... Lock
SnapshotThe Tower Gold Project consist of two properties, Golden Highway and Garrison. No historical mining has occurred on the Golden Highway property, whereas the Garrison property contains one past-producing mine (Jonpol), which produced 9,476 ounces of gold between 1996 and 1997.

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
STLLR Gold Inc. 100 % Indirect
Moneta Gold owns 100% of the Tower Gold Project.

On February 6, 2024, STLLR Gold Inc. (formerly Moneta Gold Inc.) (TSX: ME) (OTCQX: MEAUF) (FSE: MOPA) ("STLLR") and Nighthawk Gold Corp. ("Nighthawk") (TSX: NHK) announced the completion of their previously announced at-market merger (the "Transaction") by way of a court-approved plan of arrangement (the "Arrangement"). In connection with the Transaction, Moneta Gold Inc. ("Moneta") changed its name to "STLLR Gold Inc." and effected a 2-for-1 consolidation of its common shares.

Under the terms of the Arrangement, STLLR acquired all of the issued outstanding common shares of Nighthawk. As a result of the Arrangement, Nighthawk has become a wholly-owned subsidiary of STLLR and the Nighthawk Shares are anticipated to be delisted from the Toronto Stock Exchange (the "TSX") at market close on or about February 8, 2024.

Contractors

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Deposit type

  • Vein / narrow vein
  • Orogenic
  • Breccia pipe / Stockwork

Summary:

The deposits located on the Garrison and Golden Highway Properties are interpreted to be structurally- controlled orogenic gold deposits in an Archean greenstone belt setting. This deposit type is a significant source of gold mined in the Superior and Slave provinces of the Canadian Shield. These deposits are typically quartz-carbonate vein hosted and are distributed along crustal-scale fault zones that mark convergent margins between major lithological boundaries such as those between volcano-plutonic and sedimentary domains. The greenstone- and sediment-hosted quartz-carbonate vein deposits are structurally controlled, epigenetic deposits characterized by simple to complex networks of gold-bearing, laminated quartzcarbonate structure-fill veins. These veins are hosted by moderately to steeply dipping, compressional, brittle-ductile shear zones and faults with locally associated extensional veins and hydrothermal breccias.

The Tower Gold Project to date hosts nine gold deposits: six on the Golden Highway property, and three on the Garrison property. Most of the gold occurrences are found within a corridor parallel to the DPFZ. This corridor contains two highly prospective geological settings: a North Corridor with sheared mafic and ultramafic volcanic units and syenitic intrusive complexes, and a South Corridor defined by Timiskaming sediments containing banded iron formation (BIF).

This section describes the geology and gold mineralization of the following deposits: Southwest, 55, Westaway/West Block, Windjammer, Windjammer North, Discovery, Garrcon, Jonpol, and 903 which were examined in the current mineral resource estimation. Five additional gold zones on the property— namely, Western, Dyment 3, LC, Twin Creeks, and Landing—are also briefly discussed, although no resources have been estimated for them.

Gold mineralization at the at the Tower Gold Project is hosted in a variety of metasedimentary zones (with minor metavolcanic sequences) with the predominant host rock being Timiskaming-age metasedimentary rock sequences that include greywacke, arkose, and iron formation cut by narrow lamprophyre and syenite dikes, occurring adjacent to the DPFZ. These metasedimentary and minor metavolcanic sequences have been hydrothermally altered and mineralized in distinct zones persisting to depths greater than 700 m vertically.

Gold occurs in a complex system of lode veins, stockwork veins, microfractures, and breccias hosted in a zone of brecciated and silicified metasediments, metavolcanics, and in some cases syenitic intrusions. The main sedimentary host package shows little variation, mainly including fine- to coarse-grained sandstones, siltstones, as well as minor mudstone layers. The veins are composed predominately of quartz-carbonate (calcite, dolomite and ankerite) with and without albite. The stockwork veins are normally less than one centimetre in width with many being only a half centimetre wide or less.

The Southwest deposit stratigraphy is cut by two major cross faults. The Main (West) Fault is a dip slip fault that displaces the BIF, and the north Timiskaming sediment-Tisdale ultramafic volcanics contact. The Main Fault strikes 155° and dips 60° to the southwest. The second in the east portion of the Southwest deposit, the Gap Fault strikes 135° and dips 65° to the southwest. Both faults are crosscut by the Golden Highway gabbro that trends 050°.

The vein arrays and stockwork dip shallow to moderately to the southwest at 30° to 40°. The veins and associated stockwork zones generally have an average width of approximately 2.8 m and up to 25 m in proximity to the regional BIF. These mineralized structures generally occur 25 m to 30 m apart. The vein arrays and stockwork zones can be traced for 300 m to 400 m southeast from the southern regional BIF contact.

The vein structures have been intersected at depths up to 1,200 m below surface and remain open down dip. The vein arrays are extensional quartz-carbonate-pyrite veins and/or quartz-carbonate stockwork style veining with distinct narrow (millimetres to centimetres in size) ankerite-silica alteration halos. Gold mineralization occurs associated with 1% to 3% pyrite in the veins and vein alteration halos, as well as visible gold. In some cases, a zone of quartz-pyrite veinlets occurs adjacent to the veins and hosts mineralization. The veins can be brecciated and occur as quartz matrix-supported breccia zones.

Reserves

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Mining Methods

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Comminution

Crushers and Mills

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Processing

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Production

CommodityProductUnitsAvg. AnnualLOM
Gold Payable metal koz 4,579
Gold Metal in doré koz 1934,581

Operational metrics

Metrics
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* According to 2022 study.

Production Costs

CommodityUnitsAverage
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All-in sustaining costs (AISC) Gold USD  ....  Subscribe
Assumed price Gold USD  ....  Subscribe
* According to 2022 study / presentation.

Operating Costs

Currency2022
Combined mining costs ($/t mined) CAD 3.7 *  
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G&A ($/t milled) CAD  ....  Subscribe
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* According to 2022 study.

Project Costs

MetricsUnitsLOM Total
Initial CapEx $M CAD  ......  Subscribe
Sustaining CapEx $M CAD  ......  Subscribe
Closure costs $M CAD  ......  Subscribe
Total CapEx $M CAD  ......  Subscribe
OP/UG OpEx $M CAD  ......  Subscribe
Processing OpEx $M CAD 1,676
Refining costs $M CAD  ......  Subscribe
Refining and transportation $M CAD  ......  Subscribe
Transportation (haulage) costs $M CAD 11
G&A costs $M CAD 156
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After-tax Cash Flow (LOM) $M CAD  ......  Subscribe
Pre-tax NPV @ 5% $M CAD  ......  Subscribe
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Required Heavy Mobile Equipment

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Personnel

Mine Management

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