IAMGOLD
Westwood Project, Canada
Location
The Westwood Project is located on the Doyon property, 2.5 kilometres east of the Doyon Gold Mine in the Bousquet Township, approximately 40 kilometres east of Rouyn-Noranda and 80 kilometres west of Val d’Or in southwestern Québec, Canada. This area is approximately 420km northeast of Montreal. The Westwood Project covers 1,925 hectares and consists of 120 titles, one mining lease, one surface lease and three tailings leases. The Westwood Project is held 100% by IAMGOLD.
The Doyon-Westwood property is accessible year-round via paved roads.
The 120 km separating Rouyn-Noranda from Val-d’Or is scattered with producing and past-producing mining projects such as: Mouska, Doyon, Bousquet, LaRonde and Lapa.
Communications are via fast network links and water supply facilities are available at the Doyon Gold Mine. These were extended to the Westwood Project in 2008. The nearest active railway line is located less than 10 km south of the project.
History
History
The first exploration activities reported in the Cadillac area date as far back as 1910. During the 1930’s and 1940’s, development work was instigated by the Mooshla G.M. Company over the Mooshla-A and -B occurrences (4,444 tonnes of 27.0 g Au/t). In 1938 O’Leary Malartic G.M. Ltd developed the Westwood occurrence (surface works, shallow shaft and drifts) and the Mic Mac Mine produced a total of 723,400 tonnes at 4.6 g Au/t and 0.5% of copper between 1942 and 1947.
In 1972 the Doyon site became the co-property of Silverstack Mines Company Ltd and SOQUEM Inc., which carried out exploration between 1972 and 1975. Long Lac Mineral Exploration Ltd (Lac Minerals Ltd) acquired Silverstack and a drilling program of 120 holes brought the deposit into production in February 1980. In 1983, a surface exploration campaign led to the discovery of Doyon West Zones.
In 1986, Cambior Inc. acquired SOQUEM’s mine assets, including 50% of the Doyon Mine. Exploration programs were then conducted on Doyon from underground and on the Westwood-Warrenmac areas from surface. In 1994, Barrick Gold Corp. acquired Lac Minerals assets and acquired its 50% interest in the Doyon mine. In January 1998, Cambior acquired Barrick’s 50% interest to become the sole owner.
In 2002, Cambior carried out a comprehensive geological compilation exercise that identified the favourable Bousquet Formation at depth as a priority target. The first drilling phase was completed from surface in 2002 and resulted in the discovery of the Westwood and North Corridor mineralized zones at depth, on the eastern side of the Bousquet Fault. This was followed by a five-year exploration program targeting the favourable Westwood corridor at depth.
In November 2006, IAMGOLD Corporation acquired Cambior and all of its assets including the Doyon Division and Westwood Project.
Milestones
1974 Doyon Gold Mine acquired by SOQUEM and Lac Minerals
1980 Commercial open pit mining commences at Doyon
1985 Commercial underground mining commences at Doyon
1986 Cambior acquires 50% interest in the Doyon Mine, and 100% of Mouska Mine
1994 Barrick acquires Lac Minerals 50% interest in the Doyon Mine
1998 Cambior acquires the remaining 50% interest in Doyon Mine from Barrick
2002 Westwood and North Corridor mineralized zones discovered at depth
2006 IAMGOLD acquires the Doyon Mine and Mouska Mines through the Cambior transaction
2008 IAMGOLD purchases the participation royalty from Barrick Gold, reducing cash costs by approximately
2008$31 perounce
Geology
2008$31 perounce
Geology
The Westwood Project is part of the Doyon-Bousquet-LaRonde (DBL) mining camp. The project is located within the southern Abitibi Sub-Province, in Archaean volcanic and intrusive rocks of the Bousquet Formation (2701-2696 Ma). The DBL mining camp hosts two world class deposits: the Doyon and LaRonde-Penna mines and is by far the largest Au-Cu-Zn-Ag producing district in Québec.
The Westwood Project area is underlain by meta-volcanics of the Blake River Group and partly by meta-sediments of the Cadillac and Kewagama Groups. Stratigraphy generally strikes east-west (100-110°), dips steeply to moderately (70-80°) towards the south and is interpreted to have a southerly facing direction. The Mooshla intrusive, a synvolcanic differentiated pluton, intrudes the volcanics in the western part of the property. Gold bearing VMS and disseminated sulphide zones occurring in the eastern part of the claims are known as the Warrenmac and Westwood showings, respectively to the west and to the east of the Bousquet Fault. Rocks hosting the Warrenmac-Westwood mineralization are lithologically and geochemically similar to the host rocks of the main sulphide lenses at the LaRonde-Penna mine. The regional foliation strikes east-west, parallel to the stratigraphy, with dips varying from sub-vertical to 70° towards the south. Regional metamorphism is transitional from greenschist to lower amphibolites facies.
Mineralization
Mineralization
Mineralization observed in the DBL camp is mainly associated with units #4.2, #4.3, #4.4, #5.1, and #5.2 of the Bousquet Formation. These units host gold-rich VMS-type mineralization at the Bousquet and LaRonde, deposits and gold-sulphide vein-type mineralization in Zones 1 and 2 at Doyon.
Three distinct mineralized envelopes are identified in the Westwood area. The first two zones (Zone 2 Extension and North Corridor) consist of quartz – pyrite ± chalcopyrite ± sphalerite veins and veinlets within a matrix containing 2 to 10% disseminated pyrite. The vein systems are orientated 085-095°/60-70°S, which is slightly discordant to the regional foliation in both strike and dip. These zones are located within felsic volcanic units #4.3 and #4.4, and associated with a proximal sericite-pyrite-garnet alteration assemblage.
The third envelope delineates the Warrenmac-Westwood mineralized corridor, which is located at the same stratigraphic contact on each side of the Bousquet Fault. Both consist of gold-rich pyrite-sphalerite stringers or concentrations with local massive sulphide bands (5-20cm) and minor gold-bearing sulphide-rich quartz veins/veinlets, all enveloped by a disseminated pyrite-rich alteration halo. Occasional black quartz veins with chalcopyrite traces return gold values, but not systematically. East-west sub-horizontal quartz-tourmaline (pyrite) veins are also present but rarely anomalous in gold. The Federal Government is in the final stages of an important multidisciplinary study that aims to better understand the geological and hydrothermal evolution of the DBL camp. The goal is to determine whether the Westwood mineralized zones represent a transitional system and hydrothermal link between the syn-magmatic Au-Cu veins of the Doyon deposit to the west, and the volcanogenic sulphide veins, stockworks and disseminations of the Bousquet 1 mine to the east.
Mining
Basic rock mechanics studies have been performed using data from the adjacent Doyon mine. A geotechnical drilling campaign is underway to help optimize stope dimensions, sequencing and the location of underground infrastructures. The production rate will be 2,200 tpd obtaining 200,000 ounces or 800,000 tpy in order to reach profitability. The mine start-up is scheduled for early 2013 and should be in production for at least 16 years, based on currently identified resources. The current mine plan postpones extraction of the base metal-rich zones until the end of the project to reflect the current deflated base metal prices.
Processing
Mining
Basic rock mechanics studies have been performed using data from the adjacent Doyon mine. A geotechnical drilling campaign is underway to help optimize stope dimensions, sequencing and the location of underground infrastructures. The production rate will be 2,200 tpd obtaining 200,000 ounces or 800,000 tpy in order to reach profitability. The mine start-up is scheduled for early 2013 and should be in production for at least 16 years, based on currently identified resources. The current mine plan postpones extraction of the base metal-rich zones until the end of the project to reflect the current deflated base metal prices.
Processing
Ore processing will be carried out at the existing Doyon carbon-in-pulp (“CIP”) mill complex. However, the project will be split into two phases.
In the first phase, only the gold mineralization will be treated at the mill. During the first year of operation the Westwood mineralization will be processed at a rate of 700,000 tpa. Subsequently, the tonnage will be increased to a capacity of 800,000 tpa. The Mouska copper circuit will be temporarily converted to a desulphuration circuit. Cyanide destruction capacity will be increased to treat the generated tailings.
In the second phase, the capacity of the existing copper flotation circuit will be increased. A zinc flotation circuit will be added and a new desulphuration circuit will be set up to begin tailings reclamation.
The ore will be hauled to the Doyon mill (two kilometres away) to be crushed and ground. The ore grinding circuit will utilize the existing SAG mill and a 1,000 HP ball mill
The current Mouska flotation circuit will be used for copper flotation in the second phase of the project. Three tanks, Cell (1+2), will be added to increase the retention time and the current copper concentrate thickener (3.6 metres) will be upgraded (6 metres) in order to meet the higher demand. A new circuit will be installed for zinc flotation. The paste backfill plant will be moved closer to the Westwood shaft allowing the paste to be distributed by gravity when required by the underground infrastructure. The Doyon mill produced up to 250,000 ounces of gold per year in the 1990’s. The existing gold recovery circuit will have more capacity than required to recover the annual gold production from Westwood.
Source: http://www.iamgold.com/English/Operations/Development-Projects/Westwood/Overview/default.aspx
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Junior Ground Control Engineer
- Design and supervision of construction of geotechnical and hydrological structures such as foundations, slopes, excavations, diversion ditch, and dams;
- Investigation of ground instabilities and recommending and designing mitigation measures
Procurement Officer
To purchase materials, goods, and services for all operations, maintenance, and support functions.
Surveyor
To provide safe and cost-effective survey services, by way of design, plans, and measurement data that communicate critical mining instructions to operators and development results to engineers.
Administrative Assistant, Mill
To provide administrative support and ensure the efficient and effective functioning of the mill office and related activities.
Road Maintenance Supervisor, Mine Operation
The purpose of the Mine Road Supervisor is to ensure all site service roads are maintained year round.
Supervisor, Mine
The purpose of the Supervisor Mine is to supervise the mine crew and ensure production targets and schedules are met as forecast.
Senior Engineer, Mining
The Senior Mining Engineer takes part in the development of economic studies of mining projects (approach, prefeasibility, feasibility).
Senior Metallurgist
To ensure optimization of the Mill process is maintained through effective management and technical support to the Operations group as well as external support groups including Mine Technical Services and Mine Operations.
Bilingual Analyst, Global Supply Chain
As a member of the Global Supply Chain (GSC), the analyst will utilize your abilities to provide actionable recommendations to the leaders of the organization.
Superintendent, Mine Maintenance
This position is responsible to manage all maintenance activities including; safety, execution, personnel, budget, planning and continuous improvement.