The Timmins operation consists of two underground gold mines, the Timmins West mine and the Bell Creek mine, which both feed the Bell Creek mill.
Bell Creek
Bell Creek is accessed by a production shaft and portal/ramp system from the surface. Access ramps are driven from the main ramp system to establish sublevels on 20-23 m vertical intervals. Primary level development headings are generally mined 4.0m wide by 4.5m high. Silling development headings are extracted at 3.0m wide by 3.0m high. Primary ramps are typically driven at a maximum declination of 15 percent. Mining is currently being conducted by longhole stoping methods.
Ore is hauled to the surface by skips through the shaft or by truck via the portal/ramp system for ore mined at the 505mL and above, where it is stockpiled on surface prior to being loaded into the crusher located at the Bell Creek Mill.
Development waste is kept underground where it will serve as backfill material for the extracted stopes.
Timmins West
The Timmins West includes three mineralized gold deposits; the Timmins Deposit, Thunder Creek Deposit, and 144 Gap Deposit.
The Timmins Deposit mineral resource extends from near surface (surface is at 10,015m elevation on the mine grid) to approximately 1,525m below surface. There are three main geological mineralized zones; Vein Zone, Footwall Zone, and Ultramafic Zone. Each zone is further comprised of smaller zones, separated by wa ........
