GOLD: Rubicon stockpiling mill feed for mid-2015 start

ONTARIO – Rubicon Minerals of Toronto has begun stockpiling ore at the Phoenix gold project near Red Lake. Ore is being accumulated ahead of mill commissioning in the middle of next year.

The ore has come from underground stope development, including a longhole Alimak trial stope between the 305 and 244 metre levels.

"This trial stope will provide us with valuable information with regard to dilution, recovery, and productivity as we march forward to projected initial production in mid-2015," said Rubicon president and CEO Michael A. Lalonde. "Underground stope development will accelerate in January as several new stopes are being developed."

Mill construction in on budget and on schedule. Installation of the SAG mill drive in underway, and the ball mill drive train installation is complete. The Knelson concentrators are also being installed, as are the carbon-in-leach tanks, the refinery, thickener and cyanide destruction circuits. All structural steel in the mill, with the exception of the stairways, has been installed.

Rubicon says it has approximately $28 million left to spend on the mill before commissioning.

The company has several professional photo galleries of work on the Phoenix mine and mill site. Click here to enjoy them, especially the ones of visible gold.