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Canada

Island Gold Mine

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Overview

Mine TypeUnderground
StatusActive
Commodities
  • Gold
Mining Method
  • Longitudinal open stoping
  • Longhole open stoping
  • Transverse open stoping
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Production Start... Lock
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SnapshotIsland Gold is one of Canada’s highest grade and lowest cost gold mines.

On June 28, 2022, the Company reported results of the P3+ Expansion Study conducted on its Island Gold Mine, located in Ontario, Canada. Based on the results of the P3+ Expansion Study, the Company is proceeding with an expansion of the operation to 2,400 tpd.
Related AssetIsland Gold Phase 3+ Expansion Project

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Alamos Gold Inc. (operator) 100 % Indirect
Alamos owns and operates the Island Gold mine.

Contractors

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Deposit type

  • Vein / narrow vein

Summary:

The Island Gold Property is located in the Michipicoten Greenstone Belt (“MGB”) which is part of the Wawa Subprovince within the Archaean Superior Province.

A major regional deformation zone called the Goudreau Lake Deformation Zone (“GLDZ”) is situated throughout the area at the interface of the Wawa and Catfish Assemblage cycles. It is a north-easterly trending structure which has been traced along strike for 30 km with a width of 4.5 km and believed to be the main control of gold mineralization for the Project area. It is a high angle oblique-slip fault zone with an overall dextral movement cutting stratigraphy at a shallow angle.

There are three main splays to the GLDZ in the area, the southernmost of which hosts the Island Gold Mine structure which contains a stacked sequence of east-northeast striking, steeply dipping, and subparallel zones of gold mineralization.

The Island Gold Mine is an Archean orogenic lode gold deposit. It is a structurally hosted quartz-carbonate vein system situated within the Goudreau Lake Deformation Zone (“GLDZ”), a major regional brittle-ductile structure. The host terrane is a sequence of felsic to intermediate volcanic rocks of the Wawa Assemblage which are in the greenschist metamorphic range as is common for this type of deposit. High strain zones associated with the GLDZ have the tendency to develop at variable scales along lithologic unit contacts where complex geology and related competency contrasts can control stress patterns and facilitate shearing and the consequent development of dilatancy zones and concomitant quartz carbonate vein formation. It is generally accepted that these Archean orogenic lode gold deposits are related to compressional and transpressional tectonics and the associated metamorphic dewatering and devolatization of magma processes from which the gold bearing fluids are derived.

Gold mineralization in the Goudreau-Lochalsh area is not restricted to any rock type with the general exception of the late intruding north-west trending Matachewan diabase dykes which show no evidence of mineralization. Deposits may be hosted by one or several rock types, with past-producing mines and numerous other gold occurrences in the area exhibiting a close spatial association with felsic, intermediate, and even mafic intrusive rocks. East of the Island Gold Mine, in Jacobson Township, the past producing Edwards and Cline Lake gold mines are associated with felsic intrusive complexes and dykes. The past producing Magino Mine to the immediate west of the Island Gold property is hosted by the Webb Lake stock, a trondhjemite intrusive. The past producing Kremzar Mine, located on the Island Gold property, is hosted by a regional gabbroic sill.

Mineralization in the Goudreau Camp occurs along a 30 kilometre strike length of the GLDZ which transects the Island Gold property area in a roughly east-west direction. The GLDZ is a major regional deformation structure and it is believed to be the main control on gold mineralization for the area. The GLDZ and subsidiary splays have been subdivided into four structural domains (Southern, Northern, Eastern and Western) based on the style of deformation, lineation patterns, and the orientation and sense of shear displacement on sets of shear zones. The Island Gold mine mineralized zones are within the Southern domain of the GLDZ (Heather and Arias 1992). Most mineralization in this domain is hosted by quartz veining and/or shear zones with an orientation of 075°. The zones with this orientation are roughly parallel with the overall deformation zone and are considered to have formed along shear planes related to the dextral oblique slip movement of the GLDZ.

Typical alteration mineralogy associated with gold deposits of the Goudreau Camp includes variable amounts of carbonatization (Fe-carbonate ± calcite), silicification, sulphidization, biotitization, sericitization, feldspathization, and chloritization. Deposits and gold occurrences with a felsic rock association are generally associated with a quartz-sericite-pyrite ± pyrrhotite alteration package. Deposits and occurrences hosted by mafic host rocks, such as the Kremzar Mine and the historic showings along this trend are generally altered to biotite, Fe-carbonate, pyrrhotite ± pyrite, quartz, and minor K-feldspar. Chloritization is common throughout the belt. Gold presence in the Goudreau-Lochalsh area is primarily associated quartz stringers, fracture fillings and veins. Gold can be associated with pyrite disseminated in alteration envelopes but generally only in low grade levels.

Reserves

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Mining Methods

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Comminution

Crushers and Mills

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Processing

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Production

CommodityUnits202320222021202020192018201720162015
Gold koz  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe150106998355
All production numbers are expressed as metal in doré. ^ Guidance / Forecast.

Operational metrics

Metrics20222021202020192018201720162015
Daily ore mining rate  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe1,042 t943 t1,027 t869 t659 t
Daily processing rate  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe1,099 t1,013 t928 t814 t663 t
Daily processing capacity  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe1,200 t
Ore tonnes mined  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe380,266 t344,336 t374,962 t318,045 t240,706 t
Tonnes processed  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe401,276 t369,767 t338,603 t297,757 t242,137 t
Waste  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe332,372 t294,895 t
Total tonnes mined  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe650,417 t535,601 t

Production Costs

CommodityUnits2023202220212020201920182017
Cash costs (sold) Gold USD
Total cash costs (sold) Gold USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 495 / oz **   589 / oz **   401 / oz **  
All-in sustaining costs (sold) Gold USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 656 / oz **   781 / oz **   546 / oz **  
^ Guidance / Forecast.
** Net of By-Product.

Operating Costs

Currency2017
UG mining costs ($/t milled) USD 95  

Financials

Units202320222021202020192018
Capital expenditures (planned) M USD  ....  Subscribe
Sustaining costs M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 24.1   20.2  
Growth Capital M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 28.4   30.3  
Capital expenditures M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 68.9   66.1  
Revenue M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 207.3   135.1  
Operating Income M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 76.8   27.2  
Operating Cash Flow M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 133.4   75.9  

Heavy Mobile Equipment

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Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Apr 26, 2023
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Apr 28, 2023
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Apr 28, 2023
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Apr 26, 2023
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Apr 28, 2023
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Apr 26, 2023

EmployeesContractorsTotal WorkforceYear
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2022
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2021
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2020
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2019
...... Subscription required 2018
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Aerial view:

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