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Canada

East Kemptville Project

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Overview

Mine TypeOpen Pit
StatusTemporary Suspension
Commodities
  • Tin
  • Zinc
  • Copper
Mining Method
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
Mine Life... Lock
SnapshotThe Avalon completed a preliminary economic assessment during fiscal 2018 with a development model of utilizing the existing tailings management area and had been in negotiation with the surface rights owner to secure full tenure to the project site. Agreement in principle was reached in Fiscal 2019, however, the surface rights owner subsequently refused to sign the agreement and denied Avalon access to the site after putting a hold on any new work on all of its closed mine sites.

The Avalon continues to retain the mineral rights through its exploration licence, and management remains optimistic that the Company will eventually be able to secure access to the site again to resume its site re-activation plans.

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Avalon Advanced Materials Inc. 100 % Direct
Avalon holds a 100% interest in the East Kemptville Project.

Contractors

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Deposit type

  • Vein / narrow vein
  • Greisen hosted

Summary:

The East Kemptville deposit is a greisen-hosted Sn-Cu-Zn-Ag-In deposit with the alteration and mineralization predominantly affecting the East Kemptville leucogranite (EKL). Three major lithologies (besides overburden) are recognized for the East Kemptville deposit. They are:
1. Leucogranite (EKL) intrusive which is primary host of the mineralization.
2. Within the Baby Zone, a contact zone which is a mineralized igneous breccia containing both metasediment and granite clasts.
3. Metasedimentary rock consisting of interbedded psammites and pelites.

Tin and base metal (Zn-Cu-Ag-W) mineralization within the deposit is primarily fine to medium-grained and is associated with northeast-trending, sub-vertical and zoned, quartztopaz, sulphide-bearing greisens, veins, and stockworks that occur primarily in the sericitesilica-topaz altered portions of the leucogranite meet the roof zone in contact with surrounding metasediments.

In many respects, the geometry of the mineralization over the areal extent of the deposit appears akin to a series of closely spaced jellyfish where the bodies represent wider zones of 51 intense fracturing and coalescing greisens near the top of the intrusion and where the tentacles represent narrower, higher-grade feeders or root zones. A structural control on the emplacement of the mineralization may help explain why some thicker (20-40 m) portions of the deposit occur at greater depths and why some thinner zones (2-5 m) occur at higher levels (i.e., northern portion of Main Pit). In general, the zones below the current pit appear to be thinning and are of higher grade.

The overall gross dimensions of the original potential economic mineralization at the Main and Baby Zones based on a cut-off grade of approximately 0.05% Sn are in the order of 1,500 m long, 350 m wide and 75 m to 150 m deep. Most of this volume is represented by the larger, Main Zone, which has been further subdivided into three subzones termed the Western Flank and South and North Extension Zones. The smaller and discrete Baby Zone occurs a few hundred metres southwest of the Main Zone within what is believed to be a structurally controlled, satellite intrusion. The intrusion hosting the Baby Zone is in the order of 250 m long and 50 m to 75 m wide, but may be continuous with that of the Main Zone at depth through the South Extension Zone.

Higher grade, thicker, mineralization in the Baby Zone is focused along its structurally controlled, southeastern contact with the metasediments and along an interpreted fault that continues northeastward through the Main Zone. Here, potentially economic mineralization reaches tens of metres in thickness and grades appear to average over 0.20% Sn, 0.30% Zn and 0.10% Cu.

The Main Zone mineralization is closely associated with ductile zones and greisens are predominantly restricted to fractures whereas the Baby Zone displays brittle deformation and has pervasive greisens below the wallrock contact.

Mineralization between the Main Zone and the Baby Pit is referred to as the Southwestern Extension of the Main Zone and is not exposed at surface but intersected in drilling.

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
Tin Metal in concentrate t 13,078
Tin Concentrate kt 1.324

Operational metrics

Metrics
Daily processing rate 2,208 t *
Annual processing capacity 806,000 t *
Stripping / waste ratio 0.4 *
Waste tonnes, LOM 3,237,483 t *
Ore tonnes mined, LOM 9,218,329 t *
Total tonnes mined, LOM 12,455,813 t *
Tonnes processed, LOM 15,088,329 t *
* According to 2018 study.

Production Costs

CommodityUnitsAverage
Cash costs Tin USD 12,646 / t *  
Assumed price Tin USD 21,038 / t *  
* According to 2018 study / presentation.

Operating Costs

Currency2018
OP mining costs ($/t milled) CAD  ....  Subscribe
Processing costs ($/t milled) CAD  ....  Subscribe
G&A ($/t milled) CAD  ....  Subscribe
Total operating costs ($/t milled) CAD  ....  Subscribe
* According to 2018 study.

Project Costs

MetricsUnitsLOM Total
Pre-Production capital costs $M CAD  ......  Subscribe
Total CapEx $M CAD  ......  Subscribe
OP OpEx $M CAD  ......  Subscribe
Processing OpEx $M CAD 121.3
Transportation (haulage) costs $M CAD 5.4
G&A costs $M CAD 6.3
Total OpEx $M CAD  ......  Subscribe
Total Taxes $M CAD  ......  Subscribe
Gross revenue (LOM) $M CAD  ......  Subscribe
EBITDA (LOM) $M CAD  ......  Subscribe
Net Income (LOM) $M CAD  ......  Subscribe
Pre-tax Cash Flow (LOM) $M CAD  ......  Subscribe
After-tax Cash Flow (LOM) $M CAD  ......  Subscribe
Pre-tax NPV @ 8% $M CAD  ......  Subscribe
After-tax NPV @ 8% $M CAD  ......  Subscribe
Pre-tax IRR, %  ......  Subscribe
After-tax IRR, %  ......  Subscribe
Pre-tax payback period, years  ......  Subscribe
After-tax payback period, years  ......  Subscribe

Required Heavy Mobile Equipment

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Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Feb 14, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Aug 30, 2018
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Feb 14, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jun 3, 2024

Aerial view:

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