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Canada

Lawyer Project

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Overview

Mine TypeOpen Pit
StagePreliminary Economic Assessment
Commodities
  • Gold
  • Silver
Mining Method
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
Mine Life... Lock
SnapshotThe PEA for Lawyer presents a solid open-pit mining operation with a base case scenario, attractive economics that have the potential to produce additional gold and silver ounces and improved economics through facility design adjustments.

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Thesis Gold Inc. 100 % Direct
On March 1, 2024, Thesis Gold Inc. announced the amalgamation of Thesis Gold Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiary, PPM Phoenix Precious Metals Corp. As a result of completing the Amalgamation, the amalgamated Thesis Gold Inc. now directly owns all of the mineral properties comprising the Lawyers Gold-Silver Project.

Contractors

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Deposit type

  • Porphyry
  • Skarn
  • Epithermal
  • Breccia pipe / Stockwork
  • Vein / narrow vein

Summary:

At the centre of the Lawyers Trend are the structurally controlled. Cliff Creek, Dukes Ridge, Phoenix, and AGB zones are located within a large 5 km by 8 km radiometric anomaly that is coincident with potassic alteration and associated with a low-sulphidation epithermal system.

The Cliff Creek, Dukes Ridge-Phoenix and AGB zones are all considered to be structurally controlled, low-sulphidation type epithermal gold-silver deposits. Evidence for a number of different mineral deposit styles occur in the Lawyers Property region, including low- and high-sulphidation epithermal gold-silver mineralisation, calc-alkalic porphyry copper-gold mineralisation, and uncommon iron or copper (± gold and silver) skarn mineralisation.

Volcanic strata on the Property are only very weakly altered and original textures generally well preserved. Narrow localized zones associated with mineralisation in the main zones show intense silicification and potassic alteration. A variety of alteration facies are observed across the Property, ranging from a massive advanced argillic zone north-west of Cliff Creek to the strong quartz-sericite-pyrite alteration concentrated along structures in the Marmot area. The alteration, variation and zonation suggest that the epithermal mineralisation on the Lawyers Property was part of a large-scale hydrothermal system.

The Lawyers Zones consist of a combination of quartz veins, stockwork zones and chalcedony breccia bodies developed along northwest and north-northwest trending fracture systems. Low- sulphidation epithermal gold-silver mineralisation consists of predominantly pyrite, with minor chalcopyrite, sphalerite, galena, native gold, native silver, electrum and acanthite in a gangue of quartz, chalcedony, jasperodial chert, amethyst, minor calcite and barite. Veins occasionally display banded and crusti-form textures typical of low-sulphidation epithermal systems, however brecciation and alteration related to faulting are more common than classic epithermal textures. The three principle mineralised zones are the Amethyst Gold Breccia (AGB) Zone, the Cliff Creek Zone with its many sub-zones, and the Dukes Ridge-Phoenix Zone. Subsidiary zones (or prospects) include Marmot Lake and Silver Pond Zones.

Low sulphidation (adularia-sericite) epithermal type alteration is characterized by core zones of intense silicification ± adularia and bleaching. At higher elevations within the AGB Zone and within Cliff Creek and Dukes Ridge zones, adularia forms narrow, pink boundaries on vein margins, and outbound of veins replaces plagioclase phenocrysts and groundmass silicate minerals, partly obscuring the porphyritic texture of the wall rocks. At AGB, the central potassic alteration grades outward to a propylitic assemblage of epidote-carbonate-chlorite-pyrite. At Cliff Creek and Dukes Ridge zones, adularia on vein margins occurs with sericite flanked by kaolinite. The argillic alteration, accompanied by pyrite and chlorite, forms wide envelopes on the veins and grades outward to a propylitic assemblage similar to the AGB Zone.

The Silver Pond Group of prospects, most of which lie along the Silver Pond Trend, a north-northwest trend that sub-parallels the Cliff Creek Zone, is centred approximately 3 km west of the AGB Zone and approximately 1 km to 2 km west of the Cliff Creek Zone. Two general styles of high-sulphidation (acid-sulphate) epithermal gold-silver mineralisation occur along this trend:
1) vein and breccia-type shoots and pods, such as the West and Silver Creek zones; and
2) high-level stockwork-type mineralisation. Gold and silver are generally absent from the areas of intense alteration, and pyrite and magnetite are the only visible metallic minerals. The Silver Pond Group of prospects is characterized by an intense central zone of quartz-dickite ± pyrite ± barite that obliterates original rock textures. This central alteration assemblage envelopes northwest-trending veins and (or) fracture fillings of microcrystalline quartz with drusy quartz-lined cavities. The central zones grade outward to dickite-quartz ± natroalunite argillic alteration and peripheral chlorite-carbonate-epidote ± montmorillonite propylitic alteration.

Low Sulphidation Epithermal Deposits
The epithermal system(s) present on the Lawyers Property are structurally related. Much of the significant epithermal-style mineralisation occurs associated with a series of deep-rooted, subvertical N-NW trending faults with pervasive variably zoned alteration of the wall rock. The Lawyers Group prospects generally exhibit low-sulphidation characteristics with intense quartz-adularia-sericite alteration within the mineralised zone and variably contain a narrow argillic zonation halo .

High Sulphidation Epithermal Deposits
The Silver Pond Prospects had generally been considered to be high sulphidation-style mineralisation. However, based on current mapping and prospecting by Benchmark, clear evidence of high sulphidation mineralisation has not been observed to date. The mineralisation in the Silver Pond North and Silver Pond West Prospect areas appears to be restricted to narrow translucent and banded grey silica veinlets, similar to those at Cliff Creek. Extensive advanced argillic and high sulphidation-style alteration and gangue minerals occur over Silver Pond, including alunite, pyrophyllite, vuggy quartz, and bladed barite.

Porphyry Deposits
Although the primary exploration target is low sulphidation epithermal gold-silver deposits, a secondary target type on the Lawyers Property is porphyry style of mineralisation.

Skarn Deposits
The Black Lake Alteration Corridor (BLAC) exploration target has been identified as a potential skarn deposit.

Skarnified limestones and intense silicification observed in rock samples collected in the Black Lake Alteration Corridor and Silicon Valley North prospects bear Cu and Pb sulphides They are regional proximal to identified porphyry systems and host suites, the Black Lake Intrusives. This suggests potential for new deposit types and mineralisation on the property and warrants further investigation.

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 1361,634
Gold Metal in doré koz 1361,636
Silver Payable metal koz 2,12425,491
Silver Metal in doré koz 2,12425,749
Gold Equivalent Payable metal koz 1631,950

Operational metrics

Metrics
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Ore tonnes mined, LOM  ....  Subscribe
Total tonnes mined, LOM  ....  Subscribe
Tonnes processed, LOM  ....  Subscribe
* According to 2022 study.

Production Costs

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

Operating Costs

Currency2022
OP mining costs ($/t mined) CAD 3.68 *  
OP mining costs ($/t milled) CAD  ....  Subscribe
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G&A ($/t milled) CAD  ....  Subscribe
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* According to 2022 study.

Project Costs

MetricsUnitsLOM Total
Pre-Production capital costs $M CAD  ......  Subscribe
Sustaining CapEx $M CAD  ......  Subscribe
Closure costs $M CAD  ......  Subscribe
Total CapEx $M CAD  ......  Subscribe
OP OpEx $M CAD  ......  Subscribe
Processing OpEx $M CAD 807.9
Refining costs $M USD  ......  Subscribe
G&A costs $M CAD 240.2
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Pre-tax NPV @ 8% $M CAD  ......  Subscribe
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After-tax NPV @ 8% $M CAD  ......  Subscribe
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Required Heavy Mobile Equipment

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Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNamePhoneEmailProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Sep 30, 2022
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EmployeesYear
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Aerial view:

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