Name: Eagle River mine complex.
Location: The Eagle River mine complex is located 50 km west of Wawa, in Ontario, Canada.
Controlling Company: Wesdome.
Brief History: The Eagle River property was bought in 1994. In 1995, preproduction development started and the first gold bar was poured in October that same year. Commercial production was declared on January 1, 1996, with the mine currently in its twentieth year of commercial production. To December 31, 2014, Eagle River has produced 1.01-million ounces of gold from 3.4-million tonnes at a grade of 9.2 g/t of gold.
The Mishi properties were acquired in 1998. Seasonal surface mining started in 2002. To December 31, 2014, the mine has produced 27 267 oz of gold from 290 095 t milled at an average grade of 2.92 g/t of gold.
Brief Description: The mine forms part of the Eagle River mine complex, which includes the Mishi mine and the Eagle River mill and all related infrastructure and equipment. The mine has the third-highest gold reserve grade, compared with North American underground gold mines.
Geology/Mineralisation: The Eagle River mine complex is situated in the central portion of the Mishibishu greenstone belt, which is a broad arcuate belt about 60 km long and up to 18 km wide. This belt is part of the 2.7-billion-year-old Wawa-Abitibi subprovince. This age-correlative subprovince of the superior province stretches east to Val d’Or, Quebec, and includes the famous prolific gold mining camps of Timmins, Kirkland Lake, Noranda, Cadillac, Malartic and Val d’Or. To the west, this subprovince re-emerges from Lake Superior near Thunder Bay, Ontario, extending westwards through Shebandowan and into northern Minnesota where it is known as the Vermillion Lake greenstone belt.
Products: Gold.
Reserves: Total proven and probable reserves at the Eagle River mine as at December 31, 2014, were 816 000 t grading 10.1 g/t of gold.
Total proven and probable reserves at the Mishi mine as at December 31, 2014, were 1.79-million tonnes at 2.1 g/t of gold.
Resources: Total inferred resources at the Eagle River mine as at December 31, 2014, were 292 000 t grading 8.5 g/t of gold.
Total inferred resources at the Mishi mine as at December 31, 2014, were 764 000 t grading 2.4 g/t of gold. Indicated resources were 3.69-million tonnes grading 2.1 g/t of gold.
Total indicated resources at the Mishi underground mine as at December 31, 2014, were 567 000 t grading 4.5 g/t of gold. Inferred resources were 437 000 t grading 5.8 g/t of gold.
Mining Method: From 1996 to 2001, the primary mining method was shrinkage stoping, but since 2002 it has been sublevel long-hole stoping. This method has increased production volumes at the expense of higher dilution and development costs.
Mishi is a surface mining operation using conventional 5 m benches. Underground access is established at the 150 m level.
Major Infrastructure and Equipment: The Eagle River is accessed through a ramp system and a 580 m shaft, with a loading pocket of 460 m.
The Eagle River milling complex is situated 10 km north of the Eagle River mine and 2 km east of the Mishi mine. The mill has demonstrated historical capacity of 1 000 t/d.
Prospects: Recent drilling at the Eagle River mine has identified two new parallel zones with considerable promise.
Drilling at Mishi has identified shallow, continuous mineralisation for the 1.3 km length.
Production growth is being realised by a low-risk, low-cost expansion of existing mining and milling infrastructure.
Contact: Investor relations.
Contact Details:
Wesdome,
tel +1 416 360 3743,
fax +1 416 360 7620, and
email info@wesdome.com.