Lexam VG Gold has recorded outstanding gold recoveries from metallurgical tests at its four gold properties in Timmins area of northern Ontario, Canada.
The recoveries range from 90.7% to 98.5% of gold, in line with historical recoveries from the Buffalo Ankerite, Paymaster, Fuller and Davidson Tisdale mines.
Tests using traditional gravity concentration and cyanide leaching were performed using a coarse grind, P80 of 68 to 82 microns.
Lexam said the samples also exhibited low reagent consumption and short leaching times, and added that finer grinding of the ore would probably result in even higher recoveries.
A preliminary economic assessment is being conducted to identify the economic viability of open pit mining on each of the properties.
The resource estimate on the four projects includes 761,400t of measured and indicated resources grading at 1.91g per tonne of gold and 358,400t of inferred resources, grading at 1.78g per tonne of gold.
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By GlobalDataLexam submitted the composite samples to SGS Minerals Services, which carried out metallurgical investigations at its facility in Lakefield, Ontario.
Lexam noted that the five samples of diamond drill core utilised in the metallurgical testing represent composite intervals from the open pit sections of the properties, out of which one sample was tested for each Buffalo Ankerite North Zone, Buffalo Ankerite South Zone, Paymaster, Fuller and Davidson Tisdale.
The company said that most of the properties have either historic metallurgical studies or a history of gold milling indicating favourable metallurgical properties on grades of underground tenure.
Image: Recovery rate are likely to increase with a finer grind. Photo: courtesy of Stuart Miles.