- The independent geologist and Qualified Person as defined in NI 43-101 for the mineral resource estimates is Mr. Ove Klavér (EurGeol). The effective date of the MRE remains unchanged to the Previous MRE (August 26, 2021, available on SEDAR), and will be restated in the PEA technical report when it is filed.
- The mineral estimate is reported for a potential underground only scenario. Inferred resources were reported at a cut-off grade of 1.1 g/t (AuEq1 Au g/t + Co ppm /1005) with a depth of 20 meters below the base of solid rock regarded as the near-surface limit of potential mining. Refer to the Previous MRE for details on the cut-off grade calculation used in calculating the Inferred Mineral Resource.
- Resource gold equivalent grades (AuEq2) and ounces stated here are based on the updated PEA metal prices of USD1,700/oz Au and USD60,000/t Co and recovery assumptions of 95% Au and 87.6% Co. (AuEq2 = Au g/t x 95% + Co ppm x 87.6% / 911).
- Wireframe models were generated using gold and cobalt shells separately. Forty-eight separate gold and cobalt wireframes were constructed in Leapfrog Geo and grade distributions independently estimated using Ordinary Kriging in Leapfrog Edge. A gold top cut of 50 g/t Au was used for the gold domains. A cobalt top cut was not applied.
- A parent block size of 12 m x 12 m x 4 m (>20% of the drillhole spacing) was determined as suitable. Sub-blocking down to 4 m x 4 m x 0.5 m was used for geologic control on volumes, thinner and moderately dipping wireframes
- Rounding of grades and tonnes may introduce apparent errors in averages and contained metals.
- Drilling results to 20 June 2021.
- Mineral Resources are not Mineral Reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability.
Mawson’s flagship is the 100%-owned Rajapalot gold-cobalt project, located just south of the Arctic Circle in Finnish Lapland. At Rajapalot the Company has made a significant greenfield discovery and on 26 August 2021 published an updated Inferred Mineral Resource. an updated resource estimation was completed by Eemeli Rantala, AFRY – P.Geo, Ville-Matti Seppä, AFRY – EurGeol of Finland and Craig Brown, Mining Associates Pty Ltd – FAusIMM of Australia. All authors are independent “qualified persons” as defined by NI 43-101. The NI 43-101 technical report is entitled “Mineral Resource Estimate NI 43-101 Technical Report — Rajapalot Property” (the “Updated Technical Report”).
The August 2021 base case open pit and underground constrained Inferred Mineral Resource was estimated at 10,907,000 tonnes @ 2.5 g/t gold (“Au”), 443 ppm cobalt (“Co”), which equates to 3.0 g/t gold equivalent (“AuEq”) for 887,000 ounces (“oz”) Au or 1,041,980 oz AuEq. The AuEq value was calculated using the following formula: AuEq g/t = Au g/t + (Co ppm/1005) and using a gold price of US$1,590 per ounce and a cobalt price of US$23.07/lb. Mineral Resources are stated at a 0.3 g/t AuEq open pit cut-off and 1.1 g/t AuEq underground cut-off from five block models comprising 8 prospects.
The 2021 base case resource increases gold grade by 19% (AuEq grade by 12%) and contained gold ounces by 47% (contained gold equivalent ounces by 35%) as compared to the previous Rajapalot resource estimation published on September 14, 2020.
The Rajapalot mineral resource update covers eight prospect areas (The Hut, Terry's Hammer, Rumajärvi, Palokas, South Palokas, Raja, Uusisaari and Joki East). The 2020/21 drill program delivered more economic grade/width intersections than ever before and led to the discovery of two new gold-cobalt zones, delineated significant extensions to four more prospects with defined resources and added two further prospects suitable for wireframing and resource estimation.
Approximately 80% of the Rajapalot area, or 20 kilometres of mineralization-host package remains untested by drilling. Rajapalot forms a smaller part of Mawson’s larger 100 square kilometre Rompas-Rajapalot Finnish project area owned 100% by Mawson.
At the completion of the 2021 winter drill program, a total of 84,507 metres has been drilled at Rajapalot with the average depth now 155 metres. A total of 330 holes for 72.8 kilometres and an average depth of 250 metres were used in the upgraded August 2021 resource estimation. Whereas a total of 257 holes for 53.8 kilometres metres and an average depth of 209 metres were used the upgraded September 2020 resource estimation and a total of 178 holes for 24.0 kilometres with an average depth of 135 metres were used within the December 2018 maiden resource estimation.
From November 10, 2020, to August 23, 2021, the Company announced a series of drill results from the 76 hole, 19,422 metre 2020/2021 drill program at Rajapalot.
Drill success has continually increased through recognition of strong linear late structural controls to high-grade gold-cobalt mineralization and a strong correlation with electromagnetic conductors that provide a large potential for increasing mineral resources in future drill campaigns. Key results from the program are outlined below: