The Property is a Noranda-type VMS (Volcanogenic massive sulfide) hosted by Cambrian-Ordovician metavolcanic and metasedimentary rocks of the Pacquet Harbour Group. The style of mineralization, alteration, host rock, and tectonism most closely resembles other VMS deposits throughout the world. This deposit type is referred to as type G06 by the British Columbia Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources Deposit Profiles.

The polymetallic sulphide deposits in the Ming Mine area are known to contain copper, zinc and minor lead, gold and silver along with traces of other metals. Mineralization in the deposits has been classified in the past as either massive sulphide, footwall stringer, or disseminated ore.

The polymetallic sulphide deposits in the Ming Mine area are known to contain copper, zinc and
minor lead, gold and silver along with traces of other metals. Mineralization in the deposits has been classified in the past as either massive sulphide, footwall stringer, or disseminated ore.

More recent exploration on the Ming deposit has identified distinct zones of sulphide mineralization. This, in conjunction with ongoing academic studies, imply a somewhat greater complexity in orogeny of the Ming Mine and other deposits in the area based on distinct alteration and sulphide assemblages, mineralogical and textural variations and the structural setting of mineralization. For the current documentation there remain two dominant types of mineralization in the Ming deposit:
- Stratiform volcanogenic massive sulphide (MMS); and
- Disseminated stringers of sulphides (LFZ).

The MMS is recognized as a horizon which is open at depth, locally up to three metres in thickness with a strike length of at least 100 metres. Like other deposits in the area, it follows D2 planar fabric and is roughly parallel to the D2 extension lineation plunging 30 to 35 degrees northeast to a vertical depth of at least 1,000 metres. Several textural varieties of mineralization are recognized in the MMS horizon including massive pyrite ore, banded ore, massive chalcopyrite-pyrrhotite ore, and breccia ore.

The MMS has three different ore types. Massive pyrite ore, which is less than 70% pyrite, with chalcopyrite and minor amounts of galena, sphalerite, and silicate minerals. Banded ore consists of alternating bands of pyrite and chalcopyrite-quartz-actinolite-biotite. Massive chalcopyrite-pyrrhotite ore occurs as lenses and layers with up to 80% chalcopyrite. Minor amounts of arsenopyrite, galena, tetrahedrite, native gold, tennantite, and cubanite occur locally. There is up to 10% disseminated pyrite in the immediate footwall.

The LFZ is another mineralized horizon that lies approximately 100 metres below the MMS horizon. The LFZ strike length is approximately 1,700 metres and has a thickness that varies from 200 metres to 290 metres. Base metal assays from drilling are variable indicating that there are clusters of chalcopyrite and pyrite / pyrrhotite stringers which are separated by less mineralized rock. Gold values in the LFZ are generally less than 0.5 g/t and only trace amounts of zinc have been reported. The LFZ is transected by fine to medium grained basic dykes interpreted as feeder dykes to a mafic sequence in the hanging wall above the MMS.

The LFZ is an alteration zone consisting dominantly of chloritic schist that contains varying percentages of chalcopyrite and pyrite which occur as stringers with lesser amounts of pyrrhotite and sphalerite. The LFZ is parallel to the D2 planar fabric and extension lineation, appears to be conformable to the overlying MMS and as such, can be interpreted as the feeder or stockwork alteration zone to the MMS a relationship consistent with the VMS model. The exact location of the hydrothermal conduit responsible for alteration in the LFZ and mineralization in the overlying MMS has been obscured through deformation; however in its plunge direction the LFZ itself may represent a structural conduit that allowed the ascent of hydrothermal fluid. The extent of the LFZ is unknown as it is open both up and down plunge. Recent drilling has traced mineralization 1,500 metres down plunge.

Production commences with post pillar cut and fill mining. Once in steady-state production (from Year 3 onwards) the majority of planned tonnage will come from longhole bulk mining of the LFZ (Lower Footwall Zone) which will help reduce the overall operating unit costs.

Paste backfill augmented with waste rock from underground development as well as geological separation of dilution material from production stopes will be the primary filling mechanism.

Access to each of the zones will be made possible through new development and extension of the existing ramps and raises.

The LFZ has been divided into six blocks for design purposes. Blocks 3 to 6 have been designed with the longhole transverse mining method.

Level access will be spaced 25 vertical metres with cross cuts, accessing the ore, spaced 20 horizontal metres apart. Cross cuts will be driven 4 mW x 4.5 mH. A 2.4 m x 2.4 m drop raise will be used as a slot to open up the stope. Production holes will be drilled 76.2 mm (3 inches) in diameter. A slot slash method of blasting will be used. The stope will be mucked until the brow is open and then mucked remotely. Burlap covered cable/screen backfill barricades will be installed at the brows. Primary stopes will be filled with pastefill and the secondary stopes will be filled with waste rock.

Mine designs have been standardized to maintain drift sizes to a minimum while optimizing production rates. Present mine scheduling has the majority of the stope mucking being completed remotely, limiting unnecessary operator exposure to potential hazards from blast damage to the walls.

In the MMS, an under-cut or bottom sill will be driven to a maximum of eight metres wide. Ore intersections wider than this will require a pillar which will be recovered in the primary blasting. A bottom cross-cut will be developed into the waste on the footwall. This sets up an artificial footwall to improve on the draw angle. The waste will be blasted using uppers from the bottom cross-cut. A top sill to a maximum width of eight metres will be developed. Again, the standard drop raises will be used with 64 mm (2.5-inch) diameter production holes. Blasting will be a slot slash technique with the brow mucked until it is open. Future mucking will be completed via remote control. The stope will be filled with development waste rock.

The LFZ Block 1 utilizes post pillar cut and fill mining methodology. An 18% drift, off the main ramp, will be driven down to the ore zone. An undercut sill will be driven 5.0 metres high, the width of the ore zone. Post pillars will be left where the ore is greater than eight metres in width. Pillars will be approximately 5.0 metres x 5.0 metres. The undercut will be completed and waste will be used to the desired fill height. The ramp access back will be slashed to a five metre face height to establish a new breast. The breast will be driven to the end of the stope, mined out, and filled again. The process will be repeated until the access drift can no longer be used. New access drifts will be driven to continue the process.

The recovery of a copper-gold concentrate product for this study is based on using the existing copper concentrator located at Nugget Pond with an expansion of the grinding capacity and process water and tailings disposal systems. The existing flotation circuit and concentrate dewatering equipment will be used as-is without any modifications.

Run-of-mine (ROM) mill feed from the Ming Mine is stored on an outdoor pad at the Nugget Pond site. It is fed through a two-stage crushing plant by front-end loader and the crushed material is conveyed into the Crushed Ore Silo.

The expanded grinding circuit consists of a semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) mill (existing) and two ball mills (one new). The mill feed is conveyed to the existing SAG mill and the SAG mill discharge will be split to feed two ball mills operating in parallel. Each ball mill has its own cyclone feed pumps and hydrocyclones for classification. Oversize material discharging from the SAG mill trommel screen is collected in a bin that is periodically dumped back on the mill feed stockpile. Lime and 3418A collector are added to the mill discharge pump boxes. The cyclone overflow from both ball mills is directed to the flotation circuit.

The copper-gold flotation circuit is arranged in a conventional configuration and consists of rougher, rougher-scavenger, primary cleaner, cleaner-scavenger, secondary cleaner and tertiary cleaner flotation cell banks.

Ground mill feed is received from the grinding circuit in the Flotation Feed Holding Tank, which provides some storage capacity for feed to the flotation circuit and allows the downstream processes to continue operating during short-term interruptions of the grinding circuit operation. The Flotation Feed Holding Tank also provides surge capacity to allow continued operation of the grinding circuit during temporary shut-downs of the flotation circuit.

From the Flotation Feed Holding Tank, the ground material is pumped to the Rougher Conditioning Tank. Aerophine 3418A collector and MIBC frother is added to the Rougher Conditioning Tank and hydrated lime slurry is used to adjust the pH of the feed to the optimum range for copper-gold recovery and pyrite rejection. The overflow from the Rougher Conditioning Tank feeds the rougher flotation cells. Concentrate from the rougher cells is normally directed via the inside launder to the Cleaner Conditioning Tank. Under certain conditions, the rougher concentrate grade from the first cells in the bank may be suitable as final concentrate and, under these conditions the operator may direct this stream via the outside launder to the concentrate thickener. Tails from the rougher flotation cells are directed to the rougher-scavenger flotation stage.

Additional 3418A collector and MIBC frother are added to the rougher-scavenger feed box as the rougher-scavenger flotation cells are designed to optimize recovery of copper and gold from the rougher tailings. Concentrate from these cells is recycled to the Rougher Conditioning Tank. Tailings from the rougher-scavenger cells are directed to the Flotation Tailings Tank. The feed to the Cleaner Conditioning Tank consists of rougher concentrate, cleaner scavenger concentrate and secondary cleaner tails, all of which are conditioned once again with lime and 3418A collector prior to be being fed by gravity overflow to the primary cleaner flotation cells where MIBC frother is added. The concentrate from the primary cleaner stage is routed to the secondary cleaner stage and the secondary cleaner concentrate is routed to the tertiary cleaner stage, from where the final concentrate product is directed to the concentrate dewatering section of the plant.

The tails from the primary cleaner stage are fed to the cleaner-scavenger flotation cells to minimize losses of recoverable copper and gold to tailings. Cleaner-scavenger concentrate is recycled to the Cleaner Conditioning Tank and tailings are routed to the Flotation Tailings Tank. Tailings from the tertiary cleaner stage are routed to the secondary cleaner cells and secondary cleaner tails are recycled to the Cleaner Conditioning Tank.

Hydrated lime slurry is added to the cleaner scavenger, secondary cleaner and tertiary cleaner feed boxes to maintain the optimum pH for copper-gold recovery throughout the cleaner circuit and additional 3418A collector and MIBC frother may be added to the cleaner-scavenger feed.

Copper-gold concentrate from the flotation circuit is pumped to the Copper Concentrate Thickener via the thickener feed pumps. Flocculant solution is injected in-line in the piping to the thickener feed well to promote rapid settling of the concentrate solids, which are removed from the thickener underflow by a set of variable speed pumps. A density meter located in the common pump discharge line continuously measures the slurry density (percent solids) and adjusts the speed of the duty underflow pump to maintain the set-point underflow percent solids. The supernatant from the thickener is directed to the Process Water Tank.

The thickened concentrate slurry is pumped on a continuous basis into the Filter Feed Tank, where it is stored until the next filtration cycle begins. A conventional recessed plate filter press is operated on a batch basis for dewatering of the copper concentrate and is fed from the Filter Feed Tank. After the filter press is filled, compressed air is used to further dry the filter cake. At the end of the dewatering cycle, the filter press is opened and the filter cake is discharged through the filter discharge gate into a storage area located directly beneath the filter. A front end loader moves the concentrate from the intermediate storage area into trucks parked at the nearby concentrate transfer truck loading area. Once loaded, the trucks transport the copper concentrate to the Goodyear’s Cove Port Site for storage until final shipment.

Aerophine 3418A is added to the process neat (i.e. undiluted). Drum contents are transferred to the 3418A Reagent Storage Tank using a drum pump. The collector reagent dosages for each injection point are set and controlled independently using diaphragm metering pumps.

Methyl Isobutyl Carbinol (MIBC) is a liquid frother reagent that is commonly used in the mineral processing industry for flotation.

A hydrated lime slurry makeup and distribution system is used to supply lime to various unit operations within the copper concentrator building, and a separate similar system is used within the grinding area. Lime is mixed in batches to the required 5-10 wt% concentration for distribution to the process. Lime slurry recirculation pumps continuously recirculate lime slurry through a hard-piped loop around the concentrator building (or grinding circuit) to deliver lime slurry to each of the injection points.

A high molecular weight, anionic flocculant is used to promote rapid settling / thickening of the copper-gold concentrate in the thickener.

Process water is currently reclaimed from the existing tailings pond at the Nugget Pond site. However, the expanded operation will use a new process water reclaim pump house located at The Steady in order to recycle process water from the new planned tailings impoundment areas.

Based on the proposed tailings management plan, tailings will be disposed of by pumping in slurry form to existing and new tailings impoundment areas to be developed adjacent to the Nugget Pond mill site. New tailings slurry distribution piping will be installed to suit the tailings disposal plan.