Cantung is a typical skarn-type deposit, albeit of an unusually large size for a tungsten bearing skarn. As with most skarns, the mineralization is related to a granitic intrusion and its associated intrusive dykes. These intrusive units are believed to have given off reactive fluids that have then come in contact with the overlying reactive Ore Limestone and Swiss Cheese Limestone units.

The two main historic scheelite skarn ore bodies, the Open Pit and E-Zone, are spatially located within the Ore Limestone unit on the upper and lower limbs, respectively, of a recumbent anticline on the west side of the Flat River Syncline.

The major scheelite ore body mined from underground at Cantung historically was the EZone ore body. Since reopening in 2010, the mine has expanded the known extent of the scheelite ore horizon down dip along the lower limb of the recumbent anticline to the south and to the west as well as along the upper limb to the west.

These expanded areas include the West Extension, the Amber zone and Below 3700 elevation level along the lower limb of the fold and the Upper West Extension along the upper limb of the fold. The underground ore zones extend 4,360 ft. along strike, 1,200 ft. down-dip along the lower limb, with some interruption from intrusive sills and dikes, and 200 ft. up dip from the fold hinge along the upper limb.

Throughout most of the underground deposit, three main ore lenses are present: one lens occu ........

The mine consists of both open pit and underground operations, which extract ore from a scheelite-chalcopyrite bearing skarn.

The primary mining method is sub-level longhole stoping with delayed backfill. Currently longhole methods are planned for the majority of the remaining reserves with cut and fill being employed in areas where the ore zone is too narrow for efficient longhole mining.

The original ore body (E zone) was accessed by an adit and a decline for traffic flow and ventilation purposes. The West Extension, West Extension Below 3700 and Amber Zone are accessed by a series of declines driven from the 3950 Level adit. This adit is the main equipment traffic road and ventilation exhaust air way. The 4450 level decline is the fresh air ventilation intake and is not used for vehicle traffic. The current main development size is 15ft x 15ft. The drifts are drilled using a two boom jumbo and ground support is installed with a MacLean Bolter or scissor deck.

Longhole stoping is currently the primary mining method used at Cantung in the West Extension area (below 3700) and the Amber Zone. This method is simple, reliable and has a relative lower cost. The majority of the remaining reserve at the Cantung mine will continue to be mined using longhole stoping to meet the current targeted mill feed rate. A small area of the reserve has a shallow dip angle and, depending on the thickness of the mineralization zone, cut and fill or room and pilla ........

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