The Red Chris deposit displays characteristics of both alkalic and calc-alkalic porphyry copper deposits.

Alkalic features are:
- the paucity of quartz in the pre-mineral monzodiorite and late-mineral porphyry phases,
- the relatively high K2O, Na2O lithogeochemistry of the Stuhini Group volcanics,
- its copper-gold metal signature (versus copper-molybdenum for most calc-alkalic systems),
- magnetite-bearing potassic alteration,
- the unusually high copper-gold grades, at least in part of the system (in contrast, calc-alkalic deposits tend to be bulk mineable lower grade ore bodies).
Calc-alkalic features are:
- the large tonnage of the deposit,
- the relatively simple and centralized alteration pattern,
- the intense quartz-sericite-pyrite or ‘phyllic’ alteration, which is generally underdeveloped in alkalic systems, especially in British Columbia,
- the strong association of copper sulfides with quartz veins.

The Red Chris porphyry copper-gold deposit is distributed along the central axis of the pervasively altered and fractured formation called the Red Stock. The Red-Chris copper-gold mineralization has good near-vertical and longitudinal continuity, controlled largely by postmineral faulting superimposed on and along the ancestral, en echelon, central axis fault zone. Pyrite, chalcopyrite, bornite, with minor chalcocite are the principal sulphide minerals of the shallower portions of the Red Chris deposit. Minor covellite occurs as inclusions in pyrite, and molybdenite, sphalerite and galena occur locally in trace amounts. Gold, second in economic
importance to copper, occurs spatially and genetically associated with the copper mineralization.

Prospecting and drilling in the Red stock has delineated several zones of significant copper-gold mineralization in the central part of the stock. The two principal zones targeted for mine development currently are the East zone, and the Main zone. The depth of significant mineralization is over 1,000 metres in the East zone and about 1,000 metres in the centre of the Main Zone.

Red Chris mine is a 30,000 tpd open pit conventional milling operation. The mining fleet includes a 311mm diesel rotary drill, 40m³ electric cable shovel, 20m3 wheel loader, 230 tonne capacity haul trucks and associated support equipment. Ore is fed to a 1.4m x 2.0m gyratory crusher for crushing to a nominal -150mm. Crushed ore is conveyed over a 1.2m x 2.4km overland conveyor to be held in a 120,000 tonne capacity intermediate stockpile before reclaim to the plant.

Plant design is based on a standard porphyry copper flow sheet employing SAG and ball milling, flotation, regrinding, thickening and filtering to produce a concentrate for export averaging 27% copper at a moisture content of 8%. The grinding circuit would include a 10.36m x 4.72m x 11,200kW SAG mill feeding one 7.32m x 12.80m x 13,428kW ball mill providing a primary grind of K80 of -150µ. Coarse rejects from the SAG mill would be crushed in a 600kW pebble crusher. Ball mill discharge would feed one bank of 5 x 200m³ rougher flotation cells followed by 1 x 183m3 and 1 x 61m3 cleaner flotation columns and a bank of 5 x 100m³ cleaner scavenger flotation cells. Cyclone underflow would be fed to a 4.12 m x 6.93m x 2,200kW primary regrind ball mill and a 4.6m x 4.4m x 14.3m x 1,120kW secondary regrind vertical mill to provide a K80 of -24µ. The primary and regrind product sizes were determined by G&T Metallurgical Services Ltd. to provide the optimum conditions for copper recovery and conce ........