Pokrovskiy - Satellite Deposits
The occurrences of gold mineralisation around the Pokrovskiy mine have been termed the Pokrovskiy Satellite Deposits. The Pokrovskiy Satellite Deposits are located at distances ranging from several hundred metres to up to 15km from the main site and are at different stages of exploration. These areas have been termed the ‘inner' and ‘outer' satellite deposits.
The inner satellite deposits are covered by the licence for the main Pokrovskiy deposit. Exploration on the inner flanks of Pokrovskiy has been completed at the Pokrovka 2 and Bazoviy sites. Reserves in Categories C1 and C2 of 558 koz will be submitted for GKZ (the Russian State Commission for Reserves and Resources) approval in the second quarter of 2009. It is planned that after depletion of gold bearing ore from the main Pokrovskiy pit at the end of 2012, the Pokrovskiy resin in pulp (RIP) plant will treat material from Pokrovka 2 and Bazoviy.
The Pokrovskiy outer satellite deposits comprise four separate sites covered by the Zeltunak licence and are located at a distance ranging from 1km to 15km from Pokrovskiy and include: Velikie Luzhki, Anatolevskiy, Proletarskiy and Zeltunak. The most prospective outer satellite deposits are the Luzhki and Zeltunak sites.
At Luzhki, the total length of mineralisation traced is 3.5km, with further westward extensions discovered and explored in the second half of 2008. The pre-stripped area shows a continuous east-west ore structure, but its thickness and grade are both very variable. At Zeltunak the subhorizontal mineralised thrust zone area of 5km in length identified in the spring/ summer of 2008 has been confirmed locally in mapping holes and trenching, though the nature of the mineralisation remains uncertain. The gold appears to be associated with fragments of vein quartz. From the grades which have been found, it is clear that there is an ore body of some significance at this area. It is planned that from 2013 to 2019 2.0 mt per annum of ore at an average grade of 1.1g/t of gold will be processed through the RIP plant and 0.6 million tonnes per annum of ore, also at an average grade of 1.1g/t of gold, will be processed through the heap-leach facility feeding from the Pokrovskiy Satellite Deposits.
It is the Group's intention to explore the Pokrovskiy Satellite Deposits in greater detail in the coming years and gradually bring them into production as the main Pokrovskiy deposit becomes exhausted. Operations at the Pokrovskiy Satellite Deposits should benefit from the established infrastructure at the main Pokrovskiy deposit.
