Meeka Metals Ltd (ASX:MEK) confirms “exceptional gold recoveries” at the Murchison Gold Project’s St Anne's prospectThe test work confirms gold recoveries averaging 98% for the prospect, with an average gravity gold recovery of 49%.
Paving the way for PFS
These positive metallurgical test work results pave the way for St Anne’s to provide a meaningful contribution to the pre-feasibility study due in mid-2023.
The program assessed conventional carbon-in-leach (CIL) gold recovery for St Anne’s mineralisation at 150µm grind size.
Key results from the test work were:
- total gold recovery ranged from 97.0% to 99.4% (average 97.9%) after 48 hours;
- gravity gold recovery ranged from 28.9% to 82.1% (average 48.5%);
- rapid leach kinetics with average recoveries of 91.1% achieved after 4 hours and 94.7% after 8 hours residence time;
- low leach residue tail grades for all tests (average 0.08g/t gold);
- low cyanide consumption for all tests; and
- moderate lime consumption in one test.
The program was conducted by independent metallurgical consultants, ALS Metallurgy.
Commenting on the metallurgical results, Meeka managing director Tim Davidson said: “High gold recoveries, rapid leach kinetics and low cyanide consumption, coupled with the shallow, high-grade oxide nature of the mineralisation, points to St Anne’s making a meaningful contribution to the pre-feasibility study due in mid-2023.
“With this in mind, the initial St Anne’s mineral resource remains on track for the March 2023 quarter, allowing the impact of this additional mineral resource on our other mining centres and mill sizing to be optimised.”
Forward plan
The company is completing a pre-feasibility study for the 1.1-million-ounce mineral resource at Murchison.
The study contemplates underground mining at Andy Well, and both open pit and underground mining at Turnberry.
In addition, the St Anne’s discovery is rapidly being advanced through drilling, metallurgical test work (reported here) and an initial mineral resource, to be reported in the March 2023 quarter for its inclusion in the study.
In addition to the pre-feasibility study, a range of activities are progressing to expand the resource, including:
- an updated mineral resource for Turnberry, to be reported in December 2022, incorporating 16,213 metres of drilling completed since the previous mineral resource update in the June 2021 quarter;
- extensional aircore and RC drilling at St Anne’s and Turnberry are underway, with assays coming in over the coming months; and
- an initial mineral resource for St Anne’s to be reported in the March 2023 quarter, incorporating more than 30,000 metres of drilling completed at St Anne’s since June 2022.