Modern gold deportment studies include physical, chemical and mineralogical assessments, combined to obtain a full understanding of the nature and variability of gold in a resource. The objective is to provide information which will allow cost effective and practical processing by informing decisions regarding resource evaluation, mining method and extraction process optimization. The distribution of gold, based on speciation, grain size and mode of occurrence (liberation, exposure, and mineral association) is quantitatively determined by means of automated Scanning Electron Microscopic Techniques (QEMSCAN/MLA). Furthermore, general mineralogical characterization is undertaken in order to characterize the gangue components; with special emphasis on deleterious characteristics of the ore (e.g. cyanide consumers such as secondary Cu-species, preg-robbers/borrowers, passivation due to Sb-minerals or As-minerals and oxygen consumers such as pyrrhotite/marcasite). Predictions based on the mineralogical observations are confirmed by physical and chemical testwork. These include grading analyses, gravity separation, direct cyanidation, and diagnostic (sequential) leach tests. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.