RubiconRubicon Minerals Phoenix Gold Project (PGP) is an underground exploration project located in the district of Red Lake, Ontario, Canada. The PGP is approximately 510 hectares in size and located approximately 16 km north of Balmertown, Ontario. The PGP consists of the high-grade ore body, named F2 Gold Deposit, more than 9,000 m of underground development including a commissioned shaft that goes down approximately 730 m below surface, and surface infrastructure that includes a 1,250 ton per day mill facility.
Currently, the PGP is in the advanced exploration, bulk mining and processing stage. There are two diamond drills that are underground drilling approximately 100 meters of core per day. The drill core is brought to surface where it is logged by professional geologists for structure and rock type. The core is then split in half - one half of the core is sent to the lab for fire assaying, while the other is stored in the core yard. The results from the assays are then used by the geologists to create a block model and a mineral resource. The bulk sample is being mined from three different underground stopes, using development and longhole mining methods. The stopes will be mined, hoisted and stored on surface separately. This ensures that we are able to compare the tons and grade of each stope to the geologic block model to get a proper reconciliation. During the mining process, rock is sampled and sent to an assay lab to determine the grade of the stope. Each stope is then processed through the mill separately in order to compare the tons and grade to the mined and modelled tons and grade. This process will allow Rubicon Minerals to get a better idea of what the ore body looks like and provide them with a better understanding of whether the block model matches the material being mined and processed. |
The exploration and mining history of the Red Lake mining district dates back to 1925, when significant gold was first discovered by prospector L. B. Howey. The Phoenix gold property (previously known as the McFinley property) was initially staked and owned by McCallum Red Lake Mines Ltd. in 1922. After a series of ownership changes, Rubicon optioned the property from Dominion Goldfields Corporation in two agreements in 2002. The surface rights of the Patented Claims are now owned by 0691403 B.C. Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Rubicon.
Since acquiring the Phoenix gold project in 2002, Rubicon has conducted an extensive exploration program, which includes geological mapping, re-logging of selected historic boreholes, digital compilation of available historical data, ground and airborne magnetic surveys, mechanical trenching, channel sampling, bathymetric survey, airborne high resolution resistivity and induced polarization (DCIP), Titan 24 geophysical survey, petrographic study, topographic survey, data modelling and processing, along with numerous drilling programs. Since 2002 and up to November 1, 2015, Rubicon has completed 523,283 m of core drilling (235,228 m from the surface and 288,055 m from underground stations) on the Phoenix gold project. During this period, 450,175 m of drilling targeted the F2 gold system. Since October 31, 2012, 561 new core boreholes (94,575 m) have been drilled with the majority of the new boreholes consisting of infill drilling targeting the Main Zone of the F2 Gold Deposit from underground drilling stations. In 2017, the Company intends to re-start exploration activities at the Phoenix Gold Project. Rubicon plans approximately 23,500 m of orientated diamond drilling targeting various areas of the F2 Gold Deposit. |
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