The Dolores Mine is operated as an open pit mine. Run-of-mine ore is processed via heap leaching and the Merrill-Crowe recovery process to produce gold and silver doré.

Process facilities consist of a three-stage crushingcircuit, a conveyor system, and a lined heap leach pad that lead to aconventional Merrill-Crowe gold and silver recovery circuit. Run-of Mine ore issent through a primary jaw crusher, followed by secondary and tertiary conecrushers. Crushed ore is conveyed andstacked on the leach pad and a solution percolates through the ore leachinggold and silver from the rock to produce a “pregnant solution” which is thenpumped to the Merrill-Crowe plant to produce gold-silver doré.

Dolores Mine Heap Leach Operation Flow Sheet

Based on positive results from an independently prepared pre-feasibility study as reported by news release on April 8, 2010, Minefinders is progressing to a detailed feasibility study on the construction of a mill at the Dolores Mine. The mill would treat high-grade ore from the open pit, process additional underground ore and increase production capacity. In advancing the feasibility study, additional mill options will be reviewed and evaluated in the context of the economic considerations pertinent to the Company prior to a construction decision. These include scenarios with lower initial capital costs that both capture the high grade ore in the open pit and provide the infrastructure necessary to develop a new underground mine at Dolores in the future.