The vast majority of the mineralisation at the Project is hosted within the altered parts of the sheared ultramafic rocks. Pyrrhotite and arsenopyrite are the main sulphides with occasional pyrite and rare chalcopyrite or pentlandite. The areas with the highest gold grades are associated with arsenopyrite. Metallurgical tests of the mineralised sections carried out by Lakefield Research Limited (Lakefield, 1999b) indicated that the gold is free in form. Gold mineralisation occurs in zones of variable thickness, with average widths of 10 m, and is nearly continuous along 2 km of strike.

Gold at the Project is linked with an assemblage of sulphides and oxides in ultramafics and granite. Opaque minerals include trace to minor quantities of pyrrhotite, arsenopyrite, chalcopyrite, pentlandite, galena, sphalerite, magnetite, ilmenite and rutile. Sulphide growth may be in the form of vein fills, massive aggregates, clusters, blebs, stringers and fine or coarse disseminations in ultramafics or granite veins. There appears to be a progression from syntectonic to late-tectonic growth, with at least two phases of sulphide and oxide growth. The non-opaque minerals are amphibole, chlorite, mica, serpentine, talc and quartz. Pyrrhotite, arsenopyrite, coarse grained pyrite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite and minor pentlandite are the principal sulphides; the chief observation being (but not always) an increase in grain size and abundance, both absolute and relative, in host rocks near granite veins.

The gold mineralisation at the Project is associated with sulphides, hosted in metamorphosed ultrabasic rocks intruded by tourmaline-bearing granites that are closely associated with albitite dykes. The ultramafics consist of amphibole (tremolite, actinolite), chlorite, phlogopite, talc, some carbonate and the sequence is moderately to highly silicified.

The widespread silicification is accompanied by ubiquitous magnetite precipitation. The sulphide association is pyrrhotite, pyrite (the two alternating in dominance), arsenopyrite and minor- to-trace chalcopyrite, niccolite and gersdoffite. Magnetite and minor haematite are the main oxides

The mineralisation being targeted by Aureus comprises typical Upper Archaean to Lower Proterozoic greenstone belt-hosted lode gold mineralisation. These deposits are often referred to as orogenic and are characterised by the presence of a combination of gold-quartz veins and disseminated mineralisation.

Archaean orogenic deposits are typically hosted in greenstone belts comprising meta-volcano sedimentary supracrustal assemblages, together with coeval calc-alkaline granitoid intrusions. The gold mineralisation is typically hosted in moderate to steeply dipping quartz-dominated shear zones with associated extensional vein systems and is considered to be coeval with the syntectonic stages of the orogeny and related to periods of crustal shortening at 8 km -15 km depth. Structures are typically formed at, or close to, contacts between rock types of contrasting competencies, and mineralisation is often localized at bends or splay intersections in the shear system.

The mining operations are based on conventional drill-and-blast, load and haul mining techniques. Loading of the ore and waste rock following drill-and-blast will be undertaken by hydraulic excavators in backhoe configuration into nominal 100 tonne Komatsu HD 785 haul trucks with 50% of the ore reporting directly to the crusher tip and 50% to the ROM ore pad, and waste to the designated waste dump areas. It is has been assumed that the weathered portion of the ore and waste is free dig or requires some local ripping and as it transitions to fresh rock, blasting will be required.

All waste material will report either to the surface waste dumps which wrap around the open pit or be backfilled in the mined-out pit areas of the Larjor pit, depending on which facility is closest and available at the time of mining, and to suit the efficient scheduling of the mining fleet. Before any waste is backfilled into Larjor, an underground mining study will be undertaken to assess the potential of mining the deeper, down plunge high-grade ore shoots. In the early stages of the Pre-Strip and mining phases, waste rock will be used to construct a protective drainage berm, which wraps around the open pit between the waste rock dumps.

The process plant is designed to treat 1.1 million tonnes per annum.

The proposed process flowsheet is an industry standard arrangement consisting of two-stage crushing, ore stockpiling, milling and classification, gravity and CIL, cyanide detoxification, tailings disposal, acid wash, elution, electrowinning and gold room, carbon regeneration, reagent preparation, storage and dosing, oxygen, air and water systems.

ROM open pit ore received from trucks will be treated in a primary crushing circuit comprising of a ROM bin (100-BN-001) fitted with a static grizzly, apron feeder (100-FD 004) and primary jaw crusher (100-CR-010) operated in open circuit. A dust suppression system will be installed.

A ball milling and regrind vertimill circuit will treat crushed ore at a design feedrate of 146 t/h dry solids producing a final product with a nominal P80 of 45 micron and P60 of 25 micron.

The gravity concentrator feed is pre-screened on a vibrating screen (220-SR-100) to remove oversize material not suited for the concentrator. The screen sprays will be used to dilute the feed to the concentrator to 60%-65% solids by mass while also increasing screening efficiency. Screen oversize will return to the mill, with the underflow gravitating to the gravity concentrator (220-GS-104). Concentrator tailings will gravitate to the ball mill feed while the concentrate will report to a batch dissolution reactor. Fluidizing water will be supplied to the concentrator, which will be fenced for security reasons.

Concentrate from the gravity concentrator is collected in the Acacia concentrate de-watering cone (220-ZA-111). De-watering cone underflow at ±60% solids by mass is fed to the intensive dissolution reactor on a batch basis, once every 24 hours, while the overflow is returned to the ball mill discharge sump. A batch solution of cyanide and caustic is made up and this leach solution is used to achieve a target gold extraction in excess of 95%. The resultant pregnant leach solution is then pumped to the dissolution circuit, electrowinning cell, feed tank (520-TK-323). The solids in the reactor are rinsed with water after the batch leach. The rinse water with the solids is then pumped to the milling discharge sump.

Cyclone overflow gravitates to the pre-leach thickener (260-TH-120), where it is thickened to produce an underflow density of 45% solids by mass. The thickener underflow is pumped to the 1,000 m3 pre-oxidation tank 300-TK-164 and spillage will be pumped (260-PP-123) back to the thickener feed box.

There is a step height of 600 mm between the pre-oxidation tank and the first CIL tank to ensure that slurry is transferred from one tank to the next by gravity. The pre-oxidation tank has a bypass facility to ensure continuity in production if the tank is taken offline for maintenance. Oxygen will be introduced to the bottom of the pre-oxidation tank by spargers and a pump with high shear reactor will increase the dissolved oxygen content. Lead nitrate will be added to aid the process and milk of lime for pH control.

The CIL circuit consists of 6 × 1000 m3 (300 TK-127/128/129/130/131/132) tanks in series, with slurry transferred between tanks by Kemix MPS (P) inter-tank screens and launders. All tanks have a bypass facility to ensure continuity in production if a tank is taken offline for maintenance. Carbon concentrations of 12-15 g/L will be maintained in each tank, with counter-current carbon flow. In the CIL circuit, cyanide is added to the first and/or second CIL tank so as to effect the leaching of gold. Barren electrowinning solution and elution spillage is recycled to the first CIL tank to boost cyanide levels. The CIL circuit will be operated to achieve a carbon loading of 1,100-1,500 g/t, with daily inter tank carbon transfers to achieve constant carbon distribution. This translates to a loaded carbon batch size of ±5 tons per day. The CIL circuit will be operated to achieve a desired gold grade of less than 0.22 – 0.25 g/t in the tailings (dependant on mill feed grade) and a target solution gold tenor of 0.005 ppm.

The slurry from the 6th CIL tank is then pumped to the Detox/ As leach tank before entering the Arsenic precipitation tanks via the carbon safety screen (300-SR-156).

Loaded carbon from the first CIL tank will be pumped to a vibrating screen for washing. (300 SR-168). The screen oversize (washed loaded carbon) will gravitate to the elution circuit acidwash tank (500-TK-255) and the undersize (slurry) will report back to the first CIL tank.

A spillage pump is installed in the CIL bund (300-PP-159). Intensive leach reactor spillage and CIL spillage are recycled to the pre oxidation tank.

Hydrogen cyanide and ammonia gas detection will be installed on both the CIL and Detox circuits, together with cyanide and pH control equipment in required locations. A safety shower will be installed in the area. A maintenance bay with a screen frame and washing facilities will be supplied for the cleaning of the inter-stage screens as well as a tower crane (300-XL-161) for maintenance.

The elution circuit processes one ±5 dry tonne batch per day of gold-laden carbon for subsequent gold recovery by electrowinning and smelting. Elution is based on the AngloAmerican Research Laboratory (AARL), split-circuit process. The circuit essentially consists of loaded-carbon acid washing, elution and carbon regeneration.

Loaded carbon recovery screen oversize is delivered at a rate of ±5 t per daily cycle to the acid-wash hopper (500-TK-255) located directly above the elution column (500-ZM-256). Dilute hydrochloric acid is pumped (500-PP-287) into the acid-wash hopper. The loaded carbon is soaked for ±1 hour in the acid solution. The acid solution is then drained to the spent acid tank (500-TK-289). Wash water is then passed through the hopper and the carbon is washed until a neutral pH is achieved, with the rinse effluent also draining to the spent acid tank.

The neutralised carbon is dropped into the elution column. The solution used for the first two steps in the elution cycle, will be drawn from the intermediate solution tank, which was obtained from the previous cycle’s wash and cooling steps. Cyanide and caustic will be added to this tank yielding a solution with 1%w/w cyanide and 3%w/w caustic respectively.

The electrowinning plant processes both intensive-leach reactor and CIL pregnant solutions to recover gold for downstream smelting.

The CIL pregnant solution tank (520-TK-320) and Intensive leach pregnant solution tank (520- TK-323) that supply pregnant feed liquor from the CIL elution circuit and ACACIA reactor to the electrowinning cells, as well as barren solution tank (520-TK-331) that recycles barren effluent back to the plant, are situated in a discrete, concrete-bunded area immediately adjacent to the gold room.

High-security gold room processing comprises electrowinning of gold from the pregnant solutions, followed by drying and fluxed smelting of the resultant gold sludge to a final doré bar product to be transported to the refinery. The gold room layout design accommodates both full security guard surveillance and second-level surveillance by remote control CCTV cameras with viewing facilities in the process manager and security foreman offices.

CIL pregnant solution is pumped from the CIL pregnant solution tank to the CIL electrowinning cells, and recirculated to the CIL pregnant solution tank for the duration of the 18 hour process. Similarly, ILR pregnant solution is recirculated from the ILR pregnant solution tank via its electrowinning cells to the ILR pregnant solution tank for the same duration. On completion of the electrowinning cycle, the barren solution from both circuits is directed, using the same recirculation pumps, to the barren solution tank (520-TK 331).