Cote Gold Project

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This project is owned by IAMGOLD through the indirect subsiduary Trelawney Mining and Exploration Inc which IAMGOLD acquired in 2012. Trelawney had carried out exploration activities at the Project site since 2009. IAMGOLD is assessing the potential to construct and operate a new open pit gold mine on the Project property. Open pit mining operations are estimated to occur at a rate of approximately 60,000 tonnes per day of ore production. The preliminary site layout proposes to install the necessary mine-related facilities in close proximity to the open pit. The Chester Property, within which the Côté Gold deposit is located, includes 56 claims, 28 patents, and three leases with a total area of approximately 1,936 ha.

The deposit is underlain by rocks of the Swayze greenstone belt representing the southwestern extension of the Abitibi greenstone belt of the Superior Province. The Swayze belt contains a diversity of extrusive and intrusive igneous rock types ranging from ultramafic through felsic compositions, as well as, both chemical and clastic sedimentary rocks. The Swayze greenstone belt underwent a complex and protracted structural history of polyphase folding, development of multiple foliations, ductile high-strain zones, and late brittle faulting. The Côté Gold Project deposit consists of low to moderate grade gold +/- copper mineralization which is associated with brecciated intermediate to felsic, and locally mafic intrusive rocks. The nature of the alteration and mineralization suggests a porphyry-style deposit.

The main infrastructure on the Chester Property is a 3 m by 5 m, 1,675 m decline to a final depth of 162 m plus 700 m of lateral drifting on five levels. This is referred to as the Chester 1 Project, which is located several kilometres east of the Côté Lake deposit. There is a shallow shaft (Bates) on the east end of the main vein structure and 90 m of raises in mineralization. The development work was completed from 1986 to 1989, but production was not achieved.