In the heart of central Newfoundland’s gold belt, innovation and geology are converging to redefine how high-grade gold deposits can be mined responsibly and efficiently. Great Atlantic Resources Corp. and Novamera Inc. have joined forces at Great Atlantic’s Golden Promise Property, located in the central Newfoundland gold belt, to demonstrate a transformative approach known as Surgical Mining™ — a technology-driven method designed for precision, sustainability, and profitability.
Great Atlantic’s high-grade Golden Promise Property and Novamera’s Surgical Mining™ technology are proving that precision, not scale, may define the next chapter of mining. It’s a collaboration that bridges innovation and resourcefulness — and one that may soon turn a pilot project into a paradigm shift for the global mining industry.
A New Era of Mining Innovation
Mining has long been defined by scale — the bigger the project, the greater the reward. But as deposits become deeper, narrower, and more complex, the industry’s frontier is shifting toward precision mining: targeting smaller but richer deposits with surgical accuracy and minimal waste.
Novamera’s Surgical Mining™ technology lies at the heart of this evolution. The system integrates advanced downhole sensing, real-time geological data collection, and AI-driven modelling to map ore bodies with exceptional accuracy. Guided large-diameter drilling then removes only the mineralized rock, leaving waste material largely untouched. The result is a process that dramatically reduces waste, energy use, and surface disturbance — often by more than 90 percent compared to traditional methods.
By focusing on narrow, high-grade ore bodies, Novamera’s technology provides an economic and environmental solution to a long-standing challenge in the mining sector: how to profitably and responsibly extract deposits once considered too small or complex to mine.
Golden Promise: A Natural Match for Surgical Precision
Few properties could better showcase this new mining paradigm than Great Atlantic’s Golden Promise Property, located within Newfoundland’s prolific Exploits Subzone. This region has become a focal point for modern exploration thanks to a string of gold discoveries and a supportive jurisdiction known for its mining-friendly policies.
At the centre of Golden Promise lies the Jaclyn Main Zone (JMZ), a high-grade quartz vein system with a defined inferred resource of approximately 357,500 tonnes grading 10.4 grams per tonne gold — equal to nearly 120,000 ounces. Historic drill intercepts have revealed exceptional grades, including individual assays surpassing 60 and even 100 grams per tonne gold, albeit over narrow widths. These geological characteristics — narrow, continuous, and rich in grade — make the deposit a near-perfect candidate for the Surgical Mining™ approach.
Turning Concept into Action
In mid 2025, the collaboration between Great Atlantic and Novamera reached an important milestone when the companies received approval for a 2,700-tonne bulk sample at the Jaclyn Main Zone. The program is designed to demonstrate the full Surgical Mining™ cycle — from digital mapping to precision targeted recovery and processing — marking one of the first real-world applications of the technology.
By late summer, site preparations and equipment mobilization were complete, with field operations commencing in early autumn. The program represents a pivotal test for both companies: for Great Atlantic, it offers a low-capital pathway to unlock value from its high-grade deposit; for Novamera, it provides a live demonstration of its technology under real operating conditions.
Recent metallurgical scoping results from the Jaclyn Main Zone have reinforced the potential, indicating gold recoveries as high as 99 percent across several processing scenarios. Combined with the project’s high grades and shallow depth, these results position Golden Promise as a potential model for modern, small-footprint gold mining.
Strategic Synergy and Broader Impact
The partnership between Great Atlantic and Novamera is more than a pilot — it is a blueprint for a new kind of mining enterprise. Novamera’s precision technology provides the operational framework; Great Atlantic’s Golden Promise delivers the geological opportunity. Together, they are demonstrating how a high-grade, small-tonnage deposit can be mined with technical sophistication, environmental responsibility, and commercial viability.
For Great Atlantic, success at Golden Promise could establish a replicable path to production while expanding the company’s profile within Newfoundland’s fast-emerging gold district. For Novamera, the project represents a high-impact field validation of its Surgical Mining™ solution — a technology poised to reshape how the industry approaches narrow-vein deposits around the world.
Project Funding and Partnership Support
The Surgical Mining™ pilot at the Golden Promise Property is being funded in part by co-investment from DIGITAL, Canada’s Global Innovation Cluster for digital technologies, as part of a broader initiative to advance data-driven and digital solutions in the mining sector. The initiative is further supported by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), and the Mining Innovation Commercialization Accelerator (MICA), collectively reflecting a national effort to advance low‑impact, high‑precision mining solutions.
Looking Ahead
As the Golden Promise bulk sample advances through 2025, momentum is building toward a potential breakthrough for both partners. If the field results deliver on expectations — high-grade recoveries, minimal waste, and efficient execution — the implications could reach far beyond central Newfoundland.
For the mining industry, it would mark a tangible step toward a cleaner, smarter, and more adaptive approach to resource development. For Great Atlantic and Novamera, it could cement their roles as early leaders in a movement reshaping what modern gold mining looks like: smaller in scale, sharper in focus, and far more sustainable in practice.
A quiet revolution is underway in the rolling goldfields of central Newfoundland. Great Atlantic’s Golden Promise Property and Novamera’s Surgical Mining™ technology are forging the way in demonstrating that precision, not scale, may define the next chapter of mining. It’s a collaboration that bridges innovation and resourcefulness — and one that may soon turn a pilot project into a paradigm shift for the global mining industry.
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Reference list:
Great Atlantic Resources Corp. – Bulk Sample Permit APPROVED – 2,700 Tonnes and Equipment Being Mobilized to Site, Targeting High‑Grade Gold Zone at Jaclyn Main Zone (119,000 oz @ 10.4 g/t). July 14 2025.
https://greatatlanticresources.com/bulk-sample-permit-equipment-mobilized-to-site-targeting-high-grade-gold-zone-jaclyn-main-zone/ Great Atlantic Resources
Great Atlantic Resources Corp. – Applies for 2,700 Tonne Bulk Sample Permit Targeting a High Grade Area within its 119,900 oz Resource Averaging 10.4 g/t Gold at Jaclyn Main Zone, 100%‑Owned Golden Promise Gold Property — Central Newfoundland. April 10 2025.
https://greatatlanticresources.com/applies-bulk-sample-permit-targeting-high-grade-area-jaclyn-main-zone-golden-promise-gold-property/ Great Atlantic Resources
Great Atlantic Resources Corp. – Reports Bulk Sample Operational Progress and Additional Overview of Other Exploration Activities – Atlantic Canada. October 14 2025.
https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/270335/Great-Atlantic-Reports-Bulk-Sample-Operational-Progress-and-Additional-Overview-of-Other-Exploration-Activities-Atlantic-Canada Newsfile
Novamera Inc. – Surgical Mining™ (Technology Overview). October 2025.
https://novamerainc.com/surgical-mining/ Novamera
Novamera Inc. – Digital Supercluster co‑invests $3.5 M to advance Novamera’s Surgical Mining technologies. April 2024 (project announcement).
https://novamerainc.com/digital-co-invests-3-5m-to-advance-novameras-surgical-mining-technologies/ Novamera
Novamera Inc. – Shaping the Future of Mining with Surgical Precision. November 2025.
https://novamerainc.com/novamera-shaping-the-future-of-mining-with-surgical-precision/ Novamera
Novamera Inc. – Northstar and Novamera Execute Definitive Surgical Mining Services Agreement. October 14 2025.
https://novamerainc.com/northstar-and-novamera-execute-definitive-surgical-mining-services-agreement/ Novamera
DIGITAL Supercluster – “Data Driven Surgical Mining” project page: https://digitalsupercluster.ca/projects/data-driven-surgical-mining/ DIGITAL
DIGITAL Supercluster – News release: “DIGITAL co‑invests $3.5 M to advance Novamera’s Surgical Mining technologies” (June 27, 2024) → https://digitalsupercluster.ca/digital-co-invests-3-5m-to-advance-novameras-surgical-mining-technologies/ DIGITAL+2International Mining+2
Industry overview – “Canada’s DIGITAL aims to expand mining portfolio” (July 7, 2024) → https://www.investmets.com/canadas-digital-aims-to-expand-mining-portfolio/ Investmets
