The Point Rousse Complex is host to orogenic style gold mineralization. Mineralization comprises both vein-hosted and altered-wall rock or replacement styles of mineralization and both exhibit features common to orogenic gold deposits. The mineralization is typically structurally controlled and developed within subsidiary deformation zones, such as the Scrape Trust Fault, to major regional structures, like the Baie Verte – Brompton Line fault. Gold mineralization is intimately associated with disseminated and massive pyrite within the host rock indicating that iron rich rocks are an important precursor to mineralization. Alteration within mafic volcanic and gabbroic rocks can be is characterized by albitization and carbonitization. Iron and titanium rich lithologies associated with the Scrape Thrust are typical host rocks.

The Point Rousse gold mineralization exhibits relatively narrow, but distinctive alteration haloes dominated by Fe-carbonate, albite, sericite, chlorite and leucoxene (Plate 9). The ore mineralogy is relatively simple and is generally comprised of non-refractory gold either as free gold or as coatings on, or along fractures/grain boundaries in pyrite. Silver and base metals can be present in minor amounts and the deposits typically exhibit only trace arsenic.

The Project covers three prospective gold trends: the Scrape Trend, the Goldenville Trend and the Deer Cove Trend. These trends have approximately 20 km of cumulative strike length and include three deposits and numerous prospects and showings all located within 8 km of the Pine Cove Mine and Mill.

The Scrape Trend consists of a prospective belt of rocks approximately 7 km long and 1 km wide.

Mineralization within the Scrape Trend is typical of orogenic greenstone-hosted gold. The fault, where observed is not mineralized, but secondary structures adjacent to the fault zone can host gold, such as the deformation zone which hosts the Pine Cove Deposit as well as the structures hosting the Stog’er Tight Deposit.

The geological setting of the Pine Cove Mine area is characterized by greenschist facies mafic volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rocks and minor iron formation; part of the Snooks Arm Group.

Mineralization is associated with a broad alteration envelope characterized by broad zones of very fine-grained calcite and chlorite. Proximal to mineralization fine wispy orange-brown leucoxene is common in intrusive rocks and is either chaotically oriented or rotated and flattened parallel to the foliation. Where alteration is most intense, and gold mineralization occurs, iron-carbonate is pervasive, variably developed, brecciated, quartz-veins and quartz-carbonate veins are observed as well as albite (Plate 3). Pyrite is part of the alteration assemblage and intimately associated with gold mineralization.

Pyrite occurs marginal to the quartz veins, disseminated within wall rock fragments incorporated in the veins, and as minor disseminated pyrite within the quartz veins. The gold concentrations are directly related to pyrite content. The gold occurs as small disseminated grains (ranging from 1 to 50 microns) within pyrite, quartz veins and as thin stringers.

The Stog’er Tight area is host to several gold prospects including the; Stog’er Tight Deposit and its East and West extensions, the Gabbro, Gabbro East, Gabbro West, South and Cliff zones, The geological setting of the Stog’er Tight area is characterized by volcaniclastic, sedimentary and intrusive rocks, which form part of the cover sequence of Snooks Arm Group.

The gold within the Stog’er Tight Deposit occurs as fine-grained (<.05 mm) micro veinlets and disseminated blebs within the coarse pyrite aggregates. Visible gold was observed as rare very delicate flakes localized within weathered-out pyrite cubes and in narrow quartz veins. Generally, higher grades are associated with coarse mottled pyrite.

The Point Rousse Project also includes the Pine Cove Mine, the Stog’er Tight Mine (“Stog’er Tight”) and the Argyle Deposit (“Argyle”). The Stog’er Tight Mine is located approximately 3.5 kilometres east of the Pine Cove Mill. The Argyle deposit is located approximately 4.5 kilometres from the Pine Cove Mill and is a shallow-dipping, near-surface (less than 100 vertical metres), mineralized gold system with a strike length of over 600 metres and a down dip extension to at least 225 metres.

The Pine Cove Mine is an open pit mine consisting of traditional drill and blast operations followed by and transport of ore by haul trucks to the crusher run-of-mine pad (“ROM Pad”) and transport of waste to the waste rock piles (Plate 12). On average, between 8,000 and 10,000 tonnes per day (“tpd”) of waste and ore is mined.

The mine is being developed as a 350 m wide open pit that will have a maximum depth of 154 m by end of the mine life.

The main access ramps are designed at a 10% gradient to accommodate rear wheel drive haulage trucks. The 15 m wide ramps are designed to facilitate two-way truck traffic at all points, assuming a John Deere 460E production haulage truck with a 44 tonne capacity. Final pit bottom access ramps are designed at a gradient of –10% and a width of 10 m to accommodate one-way traffic between the 4,940 m elevation (mine datum, Geodetic + 5000 m) and the pit bottom. The last pit bench at 4910 m elevation (mine datum) will be excavated primarily with a back-hoe due to the steep temporary access ramp on broken ore and minimal working space.

There are two low-grade ore stockpiles. One is located on the slope to the southwest of the mill site while the second on is built on the top of the South Mill Dump. The low-grade ore stockpiles are used to store lower grade ore that is considered marginally economic to mill at the time it is mined. The material will be milled if or when economic or processing conditions improve or if there is a disruption in the supply of higher grade ore to the mill. Each of the piles is estimated to contain about 268,000 tonnes at a grade of 0.55 g/t gold.

Development of the Stog’er Tight mine will include two adjacent open pits: The West and East pits. Approximately 1,100,000 tonnes of material will be mined while developing the West pit, followed by 533,000 tonnes of material while expanding the East pit.

Once west pit is exhausted, waste rock from East pit would be placed into it to about 6 metres below water level. The exhausted east pit will also expand the existing Fox Pond to have larger pond footprint.

Equipment at Stog’er Tight will be operated by the same contractors as the Pine Cove site: Bailey and NL Hardrok.

The mining operation at Stog’er Tight will stockpile the ore on the Stog’er Tight property initially. A separate activity will transport ore from Stog’er Tight to Pine Cove mill for processing. This material will be stockpiled in the same location as the current Pine Cove ore.

The Pine Cove Mill operates as a grind/flotation circuit followed by leaching. Comminution is via a two-stage crushing plant followed by a 10 ft by 14 ft primary ball mill, which processes an average of 1,340 tonnes per day of ore. Cyclone overflow feeds the flotation circuit, with 3 column cells for roughing, 1 scavenger/staged reactor cell, and one cleaner cell. The concentrator has a flotation circuit which produces a gold-pyrite concentrate that advances to the leach circuit. Mass concentration is typically 2-4%, with a recovery of 92-93%. Flotation concentrate is thickened in a 4.5 m diameter thickener and reground in a 5.5 ft diameter ball mill down to a P80 of 20 microns. Leaching is conducted in a series of four 70 m3, mechanically-agitated leach tanks. Two drum filters and a Merrill Crowe circuit are used for gold recovery from the pregnant solution.

The mill process at the Pine Cove site consists of 6 major systems: crushing, grinding, flotation, leaching, drum fi ........