Property Geology
The strata present at the Ivana prospect are continental epiclastic and pyroclastic rocks of the Oligoceneearly Miocene Chichinales Formation that were deposited unconformably over the rocks of the North Patagonian Massif, or over a marine sequence of Arroyo Barbudo Formation and red beds section of Neuquén Group.

The Chichinales Formation has been divided into three members. The lower member, host to the Ivana uranium-vanadium mineralization, is commonly cross-bedded medium to coarse sandstone with silicified logs and fossil-wood debris. The lower Chichinales, at the Ivana prospect, contains layers of coarse, poorly sorted conglomerate, pebbly tuffaceous sandstone and small discontinuous layers and interbeds of mudstone and sandstone with carbonate cement.

The Middle Members contains characteristic paleosols in sequences of siltstone, mudstone and minor layers of fine sandstone. Finally, the Upper member comprises uniform thick sequences of coarse to fine tuffaceous sandstone and siltstone with interstratified mudstone at the bottom and mostly siltstone to fine sandstone at the top (Bjerg, 1997). Regionally some alteration patterns have been defined by diagenetic red beds style oxidation and gray reduction-bleaching in Chichinales sandstone.

Outside the Ivana prospect, the upper part of the Chichinales interfingers with marginal marine sediments of the Bajo del Gualicho formation. Unconsolidated Quaternary deposits consi ........

The Ivana operation will consist of surface mining operation delivering mill feed to a nearby processing plant or stockpiles. The annual mining rate will be approximately 4.7 Mtpa (13,000 tpd) consisting of waste material and mill feed. The average strip ratio is approximately 1.1:1. Table 3 presents the potentially excavated tonnages. Mill feed may be delivered directly to the process plant or placed into stockpiles for blending purposes.

Mine Layout
The mine is approximately 3,000 metres long and generally ranges in width from 100m to 400m. The mine wall angles are designed at 30 degrees. The final mine floor will be undulating, however the average mined depth is about 20 metres.

In order to optimally schedule the mining tonnages and to accelerate access to higher grade material, the mine was sub-divided into multiple phases. The higher grades are encountered near the centre of the deposit while lower grades are found along the northwest sides. The initial starter excavation will be located in the central part of the deposit.

Loading and Hauling
Diesel powered hydraulic backhoe excavators with 5 m3 buckets will be used to dig the waste and feed materials. The excavators will load the 31-tonne articulated haul trucks with 4 pass loading. Articulated trucks are assumed due to potential trafficability issues when mining below the groundwater table.

Loading operations will also be supported by a wheel loader with a 5 m3 buck ........

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