Mineralisation occurs in variably orientated tabular sulphide – quartz veins and mineralised shear zones and in numerous vein stock works. Areas of weak veining separate the more strongly stock-worked areas into discrete zones. Individual veins can vary in width from hairline fractures up to one metre locally. Mineralisation extends from the topographic surface and has been confirmed to extend at depth in deep drilling. The mineralisation remains open at depth.

The Jessop Creek Tonalite, an Early to Middle Devonian age unit of the Ravenswood Batholith, hosts the mineralisation. In the project area the Jessop Creel Tonalite can be divided into diorite, quartz diorite and minor gabbro. Boundaries between these units vary from sharp to indistinct and often show complex relationships including stoping xenoliths and irregular dykes. No association between the host lithology and the gold mineralisation has been established other than it is a suitable competent host that allowed the cross cutting sulphide veins to develop.

Buck Reef West / Sarsfield-Nolans Deposit lies within the northern part of the Thomson fold belt which forms part of the Charters Towers province, in a tight cluster of calc-alkaline intrusives of Ordovician to Devonian age known as the Ravenswood Batholiths. Individual intrusive compositions vary from adamellite to diorite: - granite and granodiorite are the most common.

The Buck Reef West / Sarsfield gold deposit is located with ........

Mining methods for the extraction of gold at Buck Reef West and Sarsfield-Nolans has primarily been by open pit and underground methods. It is anticipated that large scale open pit mining methods will be applied for the remaining resources. Grade control of mining blocks will be based on sampling from high quality reverse circulation drilling spaced at approximately 5mE by 12.5mN with samples taken at 1.5 metre intervals down-hole.

The Buck Reef West and Sarsfield pits were mined historically using routine open pit mining methods with a backhoe type excavator to excavate benches. Beneath the open cut, open stope underground mining methods were used historically dating back to 1870.

Historically, (1870-1918) + recent (1987-2005) production, totaled around 400koz of high grade gold.

A minimum mining width of 30m has been applied. Ramp widths are set at 30m (double lane – 180 t rear dump truck), with narrower single lane ramps (16m wide) for the bottom 40m of the pit design.

Existing geotechnical parameters, used in previous mining and validated through external consultant studies as part of the Feasibility have been applied which include:
- Oxide – Single 10m bench height with a batter face angle of 60o and berm width of 8m.
- Fresh - Double stacked 10m high benches (20m overall height) with a batter face angle of 80o and 7m berm width.

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