The Portia (gold) Deposit occurs at the base of the Eyre Formation (of Tertiary age) and immediately above a weathered basement profile of pyritic albitite, graphitic pelite, quartz albitite, and another pelite unit, all of which dip at about 40 degrees.

The gold occurs as granular aggregates sitting in a deflation surface that has formed a slight depression in the basement topography. Weathering occurs for many tens of metres below the Tertiary - basement contact in the pyritic albitite but is less deep in the graphitic pelite, quartz albitite and other pelite unit. The base of the oxidised zone also occurs significantly shallower in the pyritic albitite.

The Eyre Formation is overlain by clayey sediments of the Namba Formation, which extends from surface to about 70 metres. The following cross section shows the base of Namba Formation, base of Eyre Formation, the base of the Tertiary gold horizon, dipping basement units, the base of the oxidised zone, and the base of the weathered zone.

The Portia and North Portia prospects are overlain by about 50-75 m of Quaternary and Tertiary sediments. The Proterozoic host and footwall rocks are intensely albitized and oxidized (hematite- and magnetitebearing). Prior to albitization, the host rocks were finely laminated carbonaceous shales and evaporite- and carbonate-rich beds of saline silt and shale (Teale, 1999). The hanging wall is carbonaceous phyllite intercalated with albite- and muscovite rich ........

At Portia, the first gold ore was mined during March 2016, with the first gold pour occurring in May 2016.

The Portia open pit is 110m deep, 750 m long and 500 m wide. Details of the wall angles, bench heights and berm widths are described in Table 3-10. Details of the full assessments can be found in Appendix B9. Access to the Portia pit is via two access ramps. The north access ramp width is approximately 20 m, whilst the south ramp width is 16 m.

Mining operation utilizes conventional open cut mining methods using a truck and excavator fleet supported by ancillary equipment.

Originally the Portia Mine Site was anticipated to have approximately twelve months of overburden removal followed by approximately six months of mining and processing of the gold bearing materials, giving an expected life of mine (LoM) of approximately eighteen months total. Based on subsequent positive drilling results, approval was given to expand the original Portia open pit design to include extensions to the north and south. Majority of the north and south extensions were completed by mid-2018, subsequently in August 2018, the Porta Mine Site was placed in a phase of care and maintenance.

Benagerie Gold & Copper Pty Ltd (BGC) announced that the Portia pit is being placed on care and maintenance for a period of time until an updated PEPR (Program for Environmental Protection and Rehabilitation) for the Benagerie ML had been approved.

BGC plan ........

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