The exploration and development of gold deposits goes back many centuries, but after a period of relative inactivity caused by low prices, the recent price rises have caused a significant rise in exploration and development activity. The long history of gold mining has enabled geoscientists to recognise the wide variety of types of mineralisation, the geological processes important in their genesis and the optimum methods of exploration to be utilised for their successful discovery. A C A Howe geologists have been active in many parts of the world applying these methods for their international clients and have an enviable success rate in the delivery of gold deposits. All stages of the industry have been covered in this work from area selection through mine planning to mine management as shown from the following selected examples, which includes Competent Person's Reporting and NI 43-101 reporting for stock market listings:

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• Target selection and grass roots exploration leading to the development of a major epithermal gold mine in Indonesia. Investigation of other epithermal and intrusive-related deposits in Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, CIS, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Iceland, Indonesia, Papua, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Romania, Slovakia, Vietnam, UK and the USA
• Grass roots exploration projects in Mozambique, DRC and Zambia
• Trench mapping, drill supervision and analysis of the structural controls of an Archaean gold deposit in Venezuela
• Field evaluation of gold properties in Brazil and Guyana
• Mapping and field supervision of a gold exploration project in Georgia
• Detailed field evaluation of gold mining prospects in Egypt
• Geological mapping, geophysical surveys, diamond drill supervision and reserve estimation of a number of Archaean greenstone-hosted gold deposits in northern Ontario and Quebec
• Review and management of major exploration projects in Australia, Burkina Faso, Congo, Finland, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Portugal, Senegal, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and up to and including resource delineation in Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso and Liberia
• Preparation of a review of the geology and controls of gold mineralisation in West Africa
• Reserve estimation and exploration potential studies on a gold producer in Northern Ireland
• Review of gold deposits in China, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan
• Resource estimation and pit optimisation for a gold mine in Kazakhstan
• Competent Person's Report on a gold property in Turkey
• Competent Person's Report on a new gold producer in Western Australia
• Competent Person's report on a gold property in Malaysia
• Exploration and reserve estimation of a large number of alluvial gold deposits in the Bolivia, Ghana, Guinea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Scotland, Sierra Leone, and USA leading to production in Indonesia
• Technical audit of a producing gold mine in Sudan for a major UK bank
• Area selection and exploration leading to the establishment of a new gold mine in Ivory Coast
• Management of a small producing gold mine in the Witwatersrand, South Africa
• Mapping, sampling and reserve estimation at an open-pit gold mine in Mexico
• Evaluation of Lower Palaeozoic gold deposits in Australia, France, Nova Scotia, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, and Wales
• Full feasibility study on open-pit gold mining operation in northern Portugal
• Reserve estimation for feasibility study of Saskatchewan gold mine and subsequent mining reserve audit for more than 10 years

Howe has expertise in the Platinum Group Metals (PGMs) and has conducted studies in several areas of the world, including:

• Competent persons' report on the Kroondal platinum mine and Marikana mining prospect, South Africa
• Review of a platinum exploration project, Thunder Bay, northwestern Ontario
• Geological review, monitoring of exploration and resource estimation of PGM deposits and prospects in the Soloview Hill area of the southern Urals, Russia
• Review of PGM prospects in Sierra Leone
• Review of PGM prospects in Finland
• Exploration for gold and platinum in Ethiopia
• Review of platinum project in Albania

After a period of depressed prices, silver has become a significant exploration target in recent times. Howe has been involved in a number of silver projects world wide, including:

• Geological and resource study of lead-zinc and a silver mine in Morocco
• Geological study and resource and reserve estimation of a major silver project in Mexico
• Geological studies and resource evaluations on gold-silver projects in the Philippines