North Bay Resources Inc. (OTC:NBRI) has started ore processing from its Fran Gold Project using new gravity separation and gold recovery equipment at its Bishop Gold Mill.
The company reported significant gold recovery from initial operations, with microscopic analysis confirming notable concentrate quality.
The concentrate, produced using centrifugal gravity recovery in a Knudsen Bowl, was shipped to North Bay's Metallurgy Laboratory for assay and further analyses before being sent to its gold refinery partner.
The company said it plans to integrate a Gemini Table to further upgrade gravity concentrates as part of a transition to gravity-based primary operations. A scavenger recovery flotation circuit is also being commissioned, with reagents arriving this week and final supplies expected within 10 days.
Recent metallurgical recovery studies from the Fran Gold Project demonstrated a recovery rate of over 97%. Initial gravity methods achieved 67% recovery, with an additional 29% from flotation.
Head grade ore, averaging 0.91 ounces per ton gold, was upgraded to a concentrate of 11.2 ounces per ton gold—representing a twelvefold increase.
The Fran Gold Project covers over 34,000 acres near Centerra Gold’s Mt Milligan Copper-Gold Mine in British Columbia. Over 50,000 feet of diamond drilling across 104 holes has delineated a gold deposit extending 3,700 feet in length, up to 120 feet wide, and over 700 feet deep within the Bullion Alley Zone.
The deposit features high-grade veins, with assays reaching up to 2.6 troy ounces of gold per ton, alongside mid- and low-grade gold disseminated throughout. Near-surface trenching has revealed a sub-zone with accessible gold-bearing veins, while surface material totaling 5,000 tons is available for shipment.
Additional mineralization has been identified, including copper grades up to 1.7% and silver assays up to 5.1 troy ounces per ton, which North Bay feels holds broader exploration potential.