On Friday, February 17, CIM-NB (Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy and Petroleum-NB Branch) hosted a winter Student/ Industry Meet and Greet at the new Quartermain Earth ScienceCenter in the Earth Sciences Department on the University of New Brunswick’s Fredericton Campus, Forestry and Geology Building.

 

The event introduced geoscientists and geological engineers, members of other engineering disciplines and students interested in the mineral and mining industry to industry representatives and regulatory agencies. This presentation hosted Mr. Pat Merrin (P. Eng., MBA), Chief Operating Officer of Adex Mining Inc. to give an update on the status of the Mount Pleasant Mine, located in Charlotte County, New Brunswick approximately 80 km south of Fredericton.

 

The Mount Pleasant mine is being developed by Adex Mining Inc., a Canadian junior mining company. The Mount Pleasant Mine is a multi-metal project that is host to tungsten-molybdenum and tin-indium-zinc mineralization. The site contains the world's richest and largest known indium resource and North America's largest tin resource.

 

Molybdenum is used for specialty steels such as in bike frames and automobiles. Indium and tin-indium oxides are in demand for TVs, flat-panel displays for mobile phones and computers (tin-indium oxide) and for the next generation of photovoltaic cells. Tungsten is in demand for its characteristics including highest melting point of any metal, high tensile strength, extremely hard and use as a strategic metal for drill bits, saw blades, ammunition, the nose cone of the X51A hypersonic vehicle and space research. These are all high growth sectors.

 

Mr. Merrin discussed the complicated geology of the site and identified two distinct ore zones. Leading metallurgists have developed cutting-edge, cost-effective processes to extract specialty metals and concentrates from this polymetallic deposit. Currently underway are a series of technical pilot plant programs including flowsheet optimization for concentrate production and test programs focused on producing added-value products from the North Zone. The company is currently assessing the next step in the evaluation of the North Zone, which may include a Definitive Feasibility Study. 

Adex is deeply committed to becoming a world supplier of specialty metals. At the same time, it practices good corporate citizenship. All mining operations will be kept strictly underground, and the ore milling and metal extraction processes are environmentally sound. 

Over 60 attendees were at the event. Pizza and refreshments usually add additional incentive to attend the event, but in this case, many students were already familiar with the mine, the complicated geology and the potential job opportunities its opening may provide thanks to coursework by Dr. David Lentz, Economic Geology Chair, UNB Department of Earth Sciences.

 

For additional information on the activity at the Mount Pleasant Mine, go to the Adex Mining Inc. website. www.adexmining.com