Kirkland Lake Gold Project, Ontario

Overview  |  Objective  |  2012 Program  |  Highlights  |  Background  |  Setting  |  Assets  |  Production and Resource Tables

Project Overview

Advancing 5 gold projects towards production in the eastern portion of the camp (Gauthier/Lebel Townships)
Seven joint ventures with Kirkland Lake Gold Inc. in the western portion of camp (Teck Township) → Agreement to sell JV properties to Kirkland Lake Gold to close on August 30, 2012
Joint venture with Newstrike Resources Ltd. in the central portion of the camp (Lebel Township)
Joint venture with West Kirkland Mining Inc in the western portion of the camp (Teck Township)
Past production: 3.5 million ounces
Current-historic mineral resources: 11 deposits, 1.5 M oz Indicated, 1.9 M oz Inferred, 0.9 M oz historic

Objective

The Company is advancing five of its 100% owned gold projects in the eastern portion of the camp located in Gauthier and Lebel Townships towards production. The goal is to outline a collective mineral resource of 8 million ounces of gold at the Upper Beaver, McBean, Anoki, Bidgood and Upper Canada projects to feed a central milling facility. All five projects are within 6 km of the planned mill facility and all are accessible by an existing road network. In addition to the production preparation scenario, in 2012 exploration continues to be a prime focus of the Company both to enlarge our existing deposits as well as targeting new discoveries.

2012 Program
  • $25 million exploration budget with drilling on 8 properties employing up to 14 drill rigs
    advance exploration budget of $10 million on the Upper Beaver project, ground work to begin sinking a shaft
  • updated NI 43-101 mineral resource estimate for Upper Canada
  • updated NI 43-101 mineral resource estimate for Upper Beaver
  • continue to expand and delineate knows deposits
  • test new targets

Highlights
  • 2011 updated NI 43-101 mineral resource at Upper Beaver
  • 2011 new NI 43-101 mineral resource at Upper Canada
  • 2011 new NI 43-101 mineral resource at Amalgamated Kirkland
  • 2011 new NI 43-101 mineral resource at Bidgood
  • 2010 new NI 43-101 mineral resource at McBean
  • 2010 updated NI 43-101 mineral resource at Anoki
  • 2010 updated NI 43-101 mineral resource at South Claims JV
  • 2010 Amalgamated with Vault Minerals Inc, increased land holdings
  • 2010 Strategic Investment by Agnico-Eagle Mines in QMI
  • deep drilling at Upper Beaver continues to intersect high-grade
  • drilling identifies open pit and high grade underground potential at Upper Canada
  • joint venture with Newstrike Resources on Commodore property intersects high-grade mineralization
  • Joint venture formed with West Kirkland on the Goldbanks property

Background

Kirkland Lake is one of the most prolific gold camps in North America. This mining and lumbering community of approximately 10,000 people is located 500 km north of Toronto and is assessable year round by paved highways and roads. Gold was first discovered in 1906, in Swastika and Larder Lake, the first gold in the camp was produced at the Swastika mine in 1910. Production was continuous for 90 years, until 2000 when the Macassa Mine was closed. In 2002, Kirkland Lake Gold Inc. re-opened the Macassa Mine where they are producing gold at a rate of 100,000 oz/year and is forecast to increase to 200,000 oz during 2011. From 1910 to 1999 the camp produced 37.3 million oz. of gold from 25 mines and collectively mined 100 million tonnes at a recovered grade of 12.74 g/t. The camp ranks second in Canada, next only to Timmins, with respect to total ounces of gold produced.

Key Gold Camps in District

Regional and Camp Setting

The Kirkland Lake gold camp is located in the south central portion of the Abitibi greenstone belt and extends east-west along a regional gold structure (the Larder Lake Break) for 50 km across five townships (Teck, Lebel, Gauthier, McVittie and McGarry).

The Kirkland Lake gold camp is a five-kilometer corridor around the Larder Lake Break. This major regional structure is a Tisdale assemblage (also known locally as the Larder Lake Group) mafic to ultramafic rocks justaposed against much younger alkalic volcanic and sedimentary rocks of the Timiskaming assemblage. The Kinojevis (Blake River) package of mafic volcanics in association with an isolated package of Upper Tisdale felsic volcanic rocks, known locally as the Gauthier Group lies north of the Timiskaming assemblage.


Core racks at Upper Canada office, Dobi

The majority of the gold mines in the camp are located on or near the Larder Lake Break or on subsidiary splays and shears. One characteristic of the gold bearing structures in the camp is their lateral and vertical extent, at the Lakeshore mine, operations extended to 2.3 km with ore intersections to 3 km and at the Upper Canada mine ore was mined to a depth of 1.8 km.

There are three major ore types in the Kirkland Lake camp. In terms of importance these include “break/vein/breccia type” associated to fault and shear zones in Timiskaming rocks, “flow ore type” associated to altered mafic Fe-tholeiitic flow rocks and “green carbonate ore” associated to altered and deformed ultramafic komatiitic flow rocks. The majority of the gold mines in the camp are located on or near the Larder Lake Break or on subsidiary splays and shears. One characteristic of the gold bearing structures in the camp is their lateral and vertical extent, at the Lakeshore mine, operations extended to 2.3 km with ore intersections to 3 km and at the Upper Canada mine ore was mined to a depth of 1.8 km.

There are three major ore types in the Kirkland Lake camp. In terms of importance these include “break/vein/breccia type” associated to fault and shear zones in Timiskaming rocks, “flow ore type” associated to altered mafic Fe-tholeiitic flow rocks and “green carbonate ore” associated to altered and deformed ultramafic komatiitic flow rocks.

Property and Assets

With a combination of approximately 1,842 patented, leased and unpatented mineral claims (22,000 ha) comprising 35 properties the Company controls the single largest, land package ever assembled in this historic camp covering 30 km along the Larder Lake – Cadillac Break. On 25 properties (1,663 claim units) the Company owns a 100% interest and on 10 others (179 claim units) holds joint venture interests.



On the combined property four mines (Sylvanite, Upper Canada, McBean and Upper Beaver) have produced 3.4 million ounces of gold and there exists 7 gold deposits (Upper Beaver, Upper Canada, McBean, Anoki, Bidgood, AK, and South Claims) with combined current resources (NI 43-101 compliant) indicated resources of 9,124,000 t averaging 5.0 g/t (1,464,000 oz.) and current inferred resources of 9,937,000 t grading 5.6 g/t (1,782,000 oz). The historic indicated resources are 1,101,000 t grading 6.6 g/t (235,000 oz.) and historic inferred resources of 1,342,000 t grading 5.1 g/t (222,000 oz.). In addition to the deposits there are 50 gold showings on the property, 14 shafts with underground workings, an exploration office and a tailings impoundment facility

Past Production
Deposit Years Tonnes Mined Grade Recovered (g/t) Gold Production (oz)
Upper Canada 1936-1972 4,294,873 11.0 1,520,503
Sylvanite 1927-1961 4,580,786 11.4 1,674,808
McBean 1984-1986 505,866 3.0 48,513
Upper Beaver 1913-1972 526,678 8.3 140,770
Anoki 1987 24,494 4.0 3,134
Golden Gate 1913-1947 94,011 10.3 31,089
Bidgood 1934-1951 557,858 9.2 165,000
Total   10,584,566 10.5 3,583,817

Historic Mineral Resources
(Non-Compliant NI 43-101)
Deposit Measured + Indicated Resources Ounces Inferred Resources Ounces
Upper Canada1 774,000 t @ 7.7 g/t 192,000  
180 East2   327,000 t @ 4.1 g/t 43,000     
Victoria Creek3     1,342,000 t @ 5.10 g/t 222,000
Total   1,101,000 t @ 6.5 g/t 235,000 3,342,000 t @ 5.10 g/t 222,000
1 RPA/Inco/Queenston:1996/1990/1997
2 Inco/RPA: 1989/1996
3 Hubacheck Consultants: 1996

Current Mineral Resources (NI 43-101 Compliant)
Deposit Measured + Indicated Resources Ounces Inferred Resources Ounces
Upper Beaver1 3,074,000 t @ 8.0 795,000 3,093,000 t @ 7.0 696,000
McBean2   705,300 t @ 4.7 105,000 1,220,800 t @ 4.7 185,000
Anoki2  727,700 t @ 4.8 111,200 337,200 t @ 4.8 52,000
SMC3  46,000 t @ 48.3 72,000 51,400 t @ 46.3 77,000
Upper Canada4 1,959,000 t @ 2.2 137,000 4,895,000 t @ 4.0 633,000
AK5 1,145,000 t @ 4.47 164,000 1,530,000 t @ 4.21 207,000
Bidgood6 1,464,000 t @ 1.69 79,000 318,000 t @ 2.02 21,000
Total  9,124,000 t @ 5.00 1,464,000 11,445,000 t @ 5.08 1,871,000
*Note: Upper Beaver resource includes 36.6 M lbs Cu (0.54%) M&I and 28 M lbs Cu (0.41%) Inferred
In this table copper has been converted to a gold equivalent using $1050 /oz for Au and $3.00/lb for Cu
1 Watts, Griffis and McOuat Limited: 2008, 2011
2 P&E Mining Consultants: 2009
3 Clarke & Associates Ltd.: 2009, 2010
4 P&E Mining Consultants: 2011
5 Dave Gamble Consultant 2011
6 P&E Mining Consultants 2011