The Hislop deposit is felsic intrusive related and located in a broad deformation zone within the Destor Porcupine Fault Zone (DPFZ). Numerous gold deposits occur in the vicinity of the DPFZ and related structures, such as the Pipestone Fault.

Some of the DPFZ gold deposits extend from surface to over 1,000 m below surface, and some are blind deposits, in that they do not reach bedrock surface. The top of the Holloway deposit, for example, is over 300 m below surface.

The following description of potential gold deposit types on the SAS Timmins area claims is from Reid (2003). Deposit types and exploration models can generally be characterized as one of three main types, although they tend to merge with each other at times. The deposit types may have more to do with the different host rocks than a genetic difference. Proximity to the main break(s), associated splays, presence of hydrothermal alteration, Timiskaming sediments or high level porphyries are common to all. The three main types are as follows:

•Green Carbonate Hosted: Nighthawk Lake, Aquarius, Stock, West Porphyry, and Glimmer all fall into this classification. Gold is generally present as free gold in quartz veins or with disseminated sulphides associated with small intrusive rocks or albitic alteration in completely carbonate altered ultramafic flows. Carbonate alteration is up to 200 m wide and can be traced for thousands of metres discontinuously on strike. The gold is often ........

The Hislop deposit has been designed as an open pit mine with a planned ore production rate of 1,500 tpd. The mining rate was selected as a supplement to the planned 1,000 tpd from the Holloway-Holt Project to be fed to the 3,000 tpd capacity Holt Mill.

The mining will be undertaken by mining contractors using conventional truck and shovel equipment, with haulage trucks in the 40 t capacity range and appropriately sized excavators for ore and waste. Overburden may be mined with larger units, but the ramps in the lower areas of the pit are designed for the 40 t class trucks.

The pit has been designed with six metre high benches. At the final walls, there will be 12 m (two benches) between each planned safety berm. The ramps will be 15 m wide for two lane traffic and 11 m wide for single lane traffic. The maximum ramp grade is 10% on the main ramps, with some short steeper sections for final mining of the lowest benches.

There are existing underground development workings and some stopes within the volume to be exploited by the open pit. The development workings include a shaft, ramps, development drifts, and some empty stopes.

Mining will progress through a number of underground workings, and the proposed plan is to drill ahead with the production drills in order to confirm the location of these voids. This drilling would be carried out at least one bench in advance to provide sufficient crown pillars and to permit time for mine p ........

There is no crusher at the Holt Mill.

Ore can be delivered to the mill from the Holt Mine by conveyor or from a separate surface dump that enters a 100 tonne hopper and then can be fed to either of the two storage bins. Ore from Hislop will enter the mill via the surface dump bin. The dump area will be modified to provide suitable space for semi-trailer units.

The grinding circuit consists of a 5.0 m diameter by 6.1 m long Allis Chalmers ball mill, converted to a SAG mill, a 4.0 m diameter by 5.5 m long Allis Chalmers ball mill, and a 3.6 m diameter by 4.9 m long tertiary ball mill. All are operating in series and in a closed circuit. The grinding circuit is controlled by an expert system and fuzzy logic.

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