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Restigouche

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Location

New Brunswick, Canada

Ownership

100%

Mine Type

Planned underground

Resource

Zinc-lead-silver-copper-gold

Operations

  • Intermittent previous open pit mining operation
  • Conceptual mine design is in progress for underground development
restigouche_section
restigouche_location

Restigouche Project

Formerly producing zinc-lead-silver mine located approximately 27-km west-southwest of Trevali’s Caribou mine in the Bathurst Mining Camp of New Brunswick. Restigouche was intermittently mined using an open pit mining method by two different past operators, Breakwater Resources and Blue Note Mining, with the material being trucked to and processed at the Caribou mill, in total approximately 756,000 tonnes were mined historically.

Restigouche deposit historic resources and past production

Category Tonnes Zn% Pb% Cu% Ag g/t
Historic Indicated Remaining(1) 861,882 7.07 5.25 0.33 78.16
Past Production 1997 198,000 6.6 5.34 - 127
Past Production 2008 557,978 6.4 4.7 - 100

(1) Based on a Mine Plan Reopening Report dated March 2009 and prepared by CSI Mining and Engineering, for Blue Note Metals Inc. Historic resource estimate is based on 236 diamond drill holes and past open pit production, using a 7% lead+zinc cut-off grade. Gold was not estimated. These resources should be viewed as historic and neither the Canadian Provincial Securities Commissions nor the US Securities and Exchange Commission recognize the reporting of historic resources, they are considered conceptual in nature. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of historic geological resources will ever be upgraded to a higher category.

Mineral Reserve and Mineral Resource Estimates

Restigouche Mineral Resources as at December 31, 2019(1)


 Grade Metal
Category Quantity Mt Zn % Pb % Cu % Ag g/t Au g/t Zn M lbs Pb M lbs Cu M lbs Ag K oz Au K oz
Restigouche Project (1)










Measured 0.29 4.63 3.08 0.21 38.80 0.45 30 20 1.4 364 4
Indicated 0.79 5.19 3.36 0.22 49.07 0.55 91 59 3.8 1,249 14
Measured & Indicated 1.08 5.00 3.30 0.22 46.30 0.52 119 79 5.3 1,613 18
Inferred 0.58 6.10 4.30 0.28 67.83 0.81 77 55 3.6 1,256 15

(1) The Restigouche Underground Mine Mineral Resource estimate is reported based on zinc equivalent cut off grade of 3% ZnEQ. The Restigouche Underground Mine Mineral Resource estimate has been prepared by the exploration geology department and non-independent technical consultants to the company with an effective date of July 30, 2019, under the supervision of and approved by Yan Bourassa (P.Geo.), a Qualified Person as defined in NI 43-101. Mr Bourassa is Vice President Mineral Resources Management of the Company and accordingly, is not independent.

Geology and Mineralization

High-grade sulphide mineralization outcrops at surface and dips gently to the north-northwest. The Restigouche sulphide body has a strike length of approximately 120 metres and continues down dip for 460 metres. Thickness varies between 1-to-plus-30 metres, with an average thickness of approximately 20 metres.

restigouche_section
Section of the Restigouche project looking ENE

Development Plans

A mining method trade-off study and conceptual mine design is in progress by Mining Plus. In parallel to mine design, additional diamond drilling was undertaken in H1-2018 to obtain geotechnical data, samples for metallurgical test work and to produce a NI43-101 compliant resource estimate. Following receipt of Approval to Operate, development of the mine portal will commence along with refurbishment and installation of site infrastructure: generators, maintenance shop, offices and site security, partly utilizing mobile infrastructure from Trevali’s Halfmile mine site. It is anticipated that initial production from Restigouche to supplement feed to the Caribou mill will be in Q1-2019.