Three distinct deposit types are present at the Independence Property, a shallow near surface epithermal system, a deeper high gold rich skarn system and an intrusive hosted stock work gold-copper porphyry system.

Surface “Chert Hosted” Mineralization
The mineralized body broadly strikes N-S and dips 55° – 65° to the west overall, with a very shallow 3 to 5° southerly rake. Along the main mineralized zone, high grade ore chutes are developed at intersections with NW to E-NE trending cross faults and favorable lithology. These intersections historically have yielded ore grades to 1 opt gold and 39.4 opt silver with local bonanza grade to 63 ounce of gold per ton and 19,800 ounces of silver per ton. Several of these types of ore chutes were discovered by past operators and mined from the underground workings present on the property. One such rich ore chute was the Bonner-Cole, mined from 1954 to 1958 that produced 2,796 ounces of gold and 110,294 ounces of silver at average grades of 1.0 opt Au and 39.4 opt Ag, respectively.

Gold and silver mineralization in the Independence Shallow, chert hosted mineralization corresponds largely with elevated levels of the pathfinder elements arsenic, antimony and locally bismuth. Elevated levels of certain Rare Earth Elements (REE’s) is indicated in the foot wall of the deposit and is of uncertain correlation pending additional work and better understanding of the relationship with mineralization if any. The minera ........

The Independence Project contains two mining areas: the South Pit and the North Pit. The two pits will be mined simultaneously with mining beginning in the South Pit. The Independence Project is based on standard open-pit mining methods, with drill and blast rock breakage, and truck and loader materials handling all performed by a mining contractor.

Open Pit Mine Design
Open pit design parameters used in the design of the two pits. Road designs have been completed to allow primary access for people, equipment, and consumables to the site. This includes haul roads between the designed pits, dumps, and proposed leach facility. Within the pit designs, ramps have been established for haul truck and equipment access. The initial pit access roads for the top benches will eventually be mined out and only the final ramps to the bottom of the pits will remain. The in-pit ramps will only require a single berm. Ramps outside of the pit will require two safety berms. One-lane traffic ramps are also utilized near the bottom of the two pits where the strip ratio is minimal, and the traffic requirements are low.

The resulting pit optimizations were used as the basis for mineable pit designs. The designs used an inner-ramp slope of 49° and a bench face angle of 63o. Both the South pit and North pit mine schedules utilize single phase top down mining while being mined concurrently.

Leach Pad and Waste Dump Design
Waste dump and leach pad designs wer ........

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