Northstar Gold and Novamera have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to model, develop and mine a potential resource at Northstar’s 100%-owned Cam Copper mine.
The site is located on the Miller Copper-Gold Property, 20km south-east of Kirkland Lake in Ontario, Canada.
The MOU provides the framework for both companies to understand the value of surgical mining at the project as well as the necessary stages for commercial deployment and extraction from small-scale resources.
Novamera will undertake a four-stage surgical mining programme to test and extract material from the near-vertical Zone 2 volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) horizon at Cam Copper, which is interpreted to be copper-rich.
The programme will use Novamera’s proprietary technology, which integrates into conventional drilling equipment and conducts vein mapping, smart drilling and progressive backfilling.
The company has almost completed the first stage involving development of a 3D block model. This will be followed by guidance tool calibration activities, mine permitting and an environmental impact assessment.
The completion of initial surgical mining in the third stage is subject to Novamera securing external funding from prospective financial partners and government grant agencies.
Once these stages are complete, surgical mining will be expanded to other areas of Cam Copper.
According to Northstar, further exploration is needed at the site as there has previously been “insufficient” work to classify Cam Copper as a current mineral resource.
Northstar president and CEO Brian Fowler commented: "The MOU significantly strengthens Northstar’s ability to explore and develop the narrow, high-grade copper zones at Cam Copper. Looking ahead, this partnership could pave the way for further agreements to explore and exploit a 3km stretch of VMS copper horizons.”
Novamera president and CEO Dustin Angelo added: “Our mission is to empower companies like Northstar to unlock small-scale, high-value mineral resources that are critical in today’s market.”
