The program was designed to quantify acid generation potential and evaluate waste rock management options for the proposed open pit gold mine. The study was concluded in 1993. The project area experiences mild damp maritime conditions.
Most precipitation occurs in the winter, primarily as rain.
Bedrock in the area is mantled by thin till deposits. The Cinola deposit was formed by localization of relatively low temperature hydrothermal fluids along a fault system. Calcite occurs at similar or lower concentrations. Several rock types were classified as potentially acid generating based on conventional acid-base accounting. The study yielded important data on long term weathering trends for tests conducted at different scales.