QMines Ltd (ASX:QML) has wrapped up maiden metallurgical testwork conducted on drill core from its Develin Creek project, just 90 kilometres northwest of Rockhampton, Queensland.
Saleable copper and pyrite
The results confirm the potential to produce saleable copper and pyrite concentrates, which sets a strong foundation for future project development and optimisation.
QMines engaged Como Engineers in late 2023 to supervise a testwork program carried out on drill core that was sourced from the Develin Creek project.
The objective was to assess the metallurgical response of Develin Creek deposit against the process flowsheet of the proposed Mount Chalmers flotation plant.
The core, originally drilled by Zenith Minerals Limited in 2022 and prepared to minus 3.35 mm in size, was tested at ALS Laboratory in Perth for copper, iron, lead, zinc and sulphur.
The team then selected testwork samples from these assay results and dispatched them to Auralia Laboratory for flotation testwork.
Key findings show the ability to generate a 20% copper concentrate (targeting 15%) and a pyrite concentrate containing 51% sulphur.
Attempts to produce a saleable zinc concentrate (targeting 50%), however, have been as yet unsuccessful, yielding only 5.7% zinc.
The company continues its efforts at Develin Creek, with ongoing drilling, and awaits further assay results with interest.
In other project news, QMines has extended its agreement with Zenith Minerals to acquire the remaining 49% interest in the project, pushing settlement to 30 September 2024.
About Develin Creek
The Develin Creek project consists of multiple Volcanic Hosted Massive Sulphide (VHMS) copper-zinc deposits located within the Rookwood Volcanics.
On August 28, 2023, QMines disclosed that it had signed a term sheet to acquire an initial 51% interest in the Develin Creek project from Zenith Minerals, with the option to purchase the remaining 49% interest within 12 months.
In September, the company finalised a new mineral resource estimate (MRE) for the project.
Consultant geologists HGMC calculated a total resource of 3.2 million tonnes at grades of 1.05% copper, 1.22% zinc, 0.17 g/t gold and 5.9 g/t silver, with 53% classified as inferred.