Quality control

Follow up on exploration programs is carried out by Virginia’s team of geologists under the supervision of Geological Engineer, Paul Archer. He is a Qualified Person (as defined by National Instrument 43-101) and has more than 25 years of experience in exploration.

In 2004 Virginia Mines set up a program to control and assure the analytic quality of gold exploration. This program includes the systematic addition of blank samples and certified standards to every batch sample sent for analysis at commercial laboratories. Blank samples will be used to check for contamination in laboratories while certified standards will check the analytic precision.

Assay samples, coming from core halves varying in length from 0.5 to 1.5 metres are sent for assaying in certified laboratories. Samples are usually assayed by fire-assay followed by atomic absorption or gravimetry according to industry standards. Repeats on the coarse rejects are carried out on mineralized intersections of interest and on the majority of the samples containing 1 g/t Au or more. These repeats are duplicated by the laboratory and also from time to time by a second independent laboratory.

An additional procedure will apply to mineralized zones subject to resource calculation. For each mineralized intersection in these zones, 10% of the samples (1 to 2 per intersection) will be quarter split and the core will be sent to a second certified laboratory.Furthermore, each pulp from the quarter split will be returned to the first laboratory for a second gold analysis in order to cross check the analytical reproducibility.

For more information on our control and assurance analytic quality program, do not hesitate to contact Mr. Paul Archer Vice-President Exploration and Qualified Person for Virginia Mines.