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Azurite,Inc. <br /> 10001 CR 12 P.O. Box 338 <br /> Cotopaxi, Colorado 81223 <br /> 719-942-4178 <br /> April 27, 2015 <br /> Dan Tezak, President <br /> Tezak Heavy Equipment Company, Inc. <br /> 205 Tunnel Drive <br /> Canon City, CO 81212 <br /> RE: BYZANTINE QUARRY HIGHWALL INSPECTION, APRIL, 2015 <br /> On April 15, 2015, the writer visited the Byzantine Quarry site to inspect the condition of <br /> the working face and application of mine plan actions as prescribed in the original permit <br /> document. At the time of permit approval, DRMS directed the mine operator to perform <br /> an annual inspection and report addressing the stability of the mining face and other <br /> highwall features that may be developed over time at the Byzantine Quarries site. <br /> Due to the fact that production blasting was performed at this location during the past <br /> year, such an inspection is in order. The operating mine is in the early stages of <br /> development, with two mining benches excavated at present. The lower bench including <br /> product stockpiles is located at the entry road elevation and measures approximately <br /> 300'long x 200'wide along the strike of the bedrock outcrop. The first bench was started <br /> at the point where the eastward dipping (30-35 degrees) sedimentary rock units intersect <br /> the flat valley floor. Mining has progressed westward 200'to result in a 40' highwall <br /> exposed along half of the overall 400'length of the active mining area. The second bench <br /> is located directly above the lower bench and extends westward approximately 70-85', <br /> portraying a length of bench about half of the lower bench. The rock in question is thin <br /> bedded, tan to grey limestone marl rock inter-bedded with dark red clay and siltstone <br /> units. The red clay/siltstone members appear to be discontinuous within the limestone <br /> marl, but effectively impacts the color of the limestone bed at the face as well as in the <br /> final product stockpile, staining most aggregate with a dark red coating on one or more <br /> break side of aggregate. Due to original owner/mine operator bankruptcy and change in <br /> ownership (twice) over the past five years, a limited volume of material has been moved <br /> from this site and the main highwall features have not changed dramatically since <br /> original development work. This enables at least a short term (5 year) view of highwall <br /> exposed to weathering and gravity that may be useful in evaluating the effectiveness of <br /> the highwall design and mine plan implementation. <br /> 1) After at least five years of exposure to weathering, the active mining face does not <br /> show any substantial evidence of instability at forty feet of vertical height. Photo <br /> #1 does show the affect the 35 degree dip of bedding, with the upper eight feet of <br /> highwall angled back and loose boulders on the dip slope that must be handled <br /> safely prior to drilling operations and/or working in the area below the face. The <br />