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Geology & Mineralisation of La Cristina Copper-Gold Prospect - Sierra Maestra Copper Belt, Cuba
Antilles Gold Limited (“Antilles Gold” or the “Company”) (ASX: AAU, OTCQB: ANTMF) advises it has received the attached Report on the Geology and Mineralisation of the La Cristina copper-gold prospect within the Sierra Maestra copper belt in south east Cuba. The La Cristina concession is held in an Exploration Agreement as are two other concessions in the same region with the three properties totalling 53,710ha.
The Report was prepared by the Company’s Exploration Director, Dr Christian Grainger, and Colombian consulting geologist, Riccardo Sierra, and summarises the results of prospecting activities carried out between July and November 2023.
Conclusions and Recommendations
- The La Cristina project represents an excellent exploration project with high potential for the discovery of both porphyry copper-gold and high-sulphidation gold-copper deposits.
- A major E-W structural corridor has been located between the Borbon and Arabica prospects that measures 4.5 km x 2.2 km. This zone incorporates overlapping pervasive and intense zones of both advanced argillic and phyllic style hydrothermal alteration styles that indicates the presence of a potentially large porphyry system at depth that has a large exposed lithocap and high- sulphidation style halo over very large dimensions at surface.
- Numerous zones of high-grade copper-gold mineralization has been identified from initial sampling in numerous historical artisanal underground workings and their immediate vicinities. No detailed exploration has been undertaken within these areas to date and simple surficial exploration programs including surface geochemical sampling and geophysics are expected to return rapid positive results for a following drilling campaign.
- A detailed ridge and spur soil sampling campaign is suggested to start as soon as possible to efficiently sample large areas on topographic highs geochemically and to prevent sampling in areas with transported cover.
- Stream sediment sampling of active drainages to discover additional anomalous areas is also suggested to rapidly and cheaply define the additional potential of the larger project area.
- LIDAR survey of topography with high resolution imagery should be undertaken along with a ground magnetic program over the main mineralized trend of Bourbon-Arabica.
- Additional detailed geological mapping of prospects and detailed underground sampling and mapping of all historical workings is essential.
Mr Brian Johnson, Chairman of Antilles Gold, said“the Company intended to undertake the low cost prospecting campaign recommended by Dr Grainger as soon as practicable provided it did not impact on resources required for the near-term development of the Nueva Sabana gold-copper mine.”
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This article includes content from Antilles Gold, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
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Antilles Gold Limited
Overview
Antilles Gold (ASX:AAU, OTCQB:ANTMF) is an Australian mining company focused on gold and copper projects in Cuba through joint ventures with the Cuban Government’s mining company, GeoMinera.
With a change in the US‐Cuba relations, Cuba is becoming a destination for miners. To encourage foreign investments in its mining sector, the Cuban Government has instituted attractive investment laws and realistic mining and environmental regulations. The country also offers investment incentives, including a waiver of 15 percent income tax for eight years, no import duties, and no withholding tax on foreign services or dividends. Royalties on metal sales are fixed at an industry standard of 3 percent.
Additionally, the Cuban Government allows JV loans and sales proceeds to be deposited in a foreign bank account for disbursement directly to creditors, effectively eliminating country credit risk.
Several international companies have established operations in Cuba, including Toronto‐based mining giant Sherritt International and Australian oil & gas company Melbana Energy. Commodities trading company Trafigura also has a major presence in Cuba, commissioning the US$300‐million Castellanos base metals mine in 2017, which was developed in a joint venture with GeoMinera.
Antilles Gold’s partnership and excellent relations with GeoMinera has resulted in rapid project permitting and access to several new development opportunities for the Australian company.
Antilles Gold offers strong growth potential through two near‐term development projects, Nueva Sabana and La Demajagua, and two exploration projects, El Pilar porphyry system and Sierra Maestra copper concessions.
The Nueva Sabana is a near‐term, gold‐copper mine development within a 50:50 JV with GeoMinera, and is expected to initially produce around 55 grams per tonne (g/t) gold in a concentrate from a high‐grade gold cap followed by ~25 percent copper concentrate. Project development strategy includes finalizing the mineral resource estimate (MRE) in January 2024, completing the feasibility study by April 2024, and beginning the 10‐month construction program in June 2024. The project is expected to generate strong cash flow from mid‐2025.
The second proposed mine development is La Demajagua open-pit mine, which is likely to produce ~50,000 tpa of gold arsenopyrite concentrate (32 g/t gold, 27 percent arsenic), and ~10,000 tpa of gold antimony concentrate (28.8 g/t gold, 48 percent antimony, 1,200 g/t silver) for nine years. According to the plans, construction will commence in late 2024, with commissioning in mid‐2026. La Demajagua will also include the construction of a commercial concentrate processing facility to treat La Demajagua’s gold arsenopyrite concentrate and imported gold pyrite concentrate, with the capacity to produce 100,000 oz gold per year in dore, which will further increase JV profit and cashflow.
The company’s two exploration projects comprise the 17,800‐hectare El Pilar Concession in Central Cuba covering a cluster of three copper‐gold porphyry deposits (El Pilar, Gaspar and San Nicholas), and three concessions totaling 54,000 hectares within the producing Sierra Maestra copper belt in Southeast Cuba, with indications of porphyry deposits highly prospective for copper, gold and molybdenum.
Antilles aims to recommence drilling of the El Pilar porphyry system in mid‐2024 after its concession has been transferred to a new JV with GeoMinera. Importantly, there is a likelihood for Antilles to become the majority owner of the new JV, which would permit the future transfer of a controlling interest to a major mining group for any mine development.
Antilles intends to invest part of the expected surplus cash flow from the Nueva Sabana mine to fund the exploration of major copper targets, including the El Pilar copper‐gold porphyry system, and the Sierra Maestra copper belt.
Company Highlights
- Antilles Gold Limited is an Australian mining company listed on the ASX (AAU) and OTCQB (ANTMF).
- The company is focused on gold and copper projects in Cuba through joint ventures with the Cuban government’s mining company GeoMinera. The relationship with GeoMinera opens new development opportunities for Antilles and de-risks permitting processes.
- The company is engaged in four development projects: 1) Nueva Sabana gold‐copper mine; 2) La Demajagua gold mine; 3) El Pilar porphyry copper project; and 4) Sierra Maestra copper concessions. Of these, Nueva Sabana and La Demajagua offer near‐term development opportunities.
- The Nueva Sabana is a near‐term gold‐copper mine development project with a 10‐month construction beginning in June 2024. The project is expected to generate strong cash flow from concentrate sales from mid‐2025.
- The second mine development project is La Demajagua, an open-pit mine gold project where construction will commence in late 2024 and commissioning begins mid‐2026. The project includes the construction of a commercial concentrate processing facility capable of producing 100,000 oz of gold per year in dore. This project will also produce approximately 10,000 tons per annum (tpa) of antimony‐gold concentrate (30,000 oz gold equivalent per year).
- The company’s two exploration projects include the El Pilar copper‐gold porphyry system and three concessions in the Sierra Maestra copper belt.
- Investment in Cuba offers several benefits, including richness in minerals, lower operating costs and royalties, stable government and regulations, several investment incentives and the availability of a skilled workforce.
Key Projects
Nueva Sabana Project
Nueva Sabana is the company’s near‐term, gold‐copper mine development project. The project is held in a 50:50 JV with the Cuban Government’s mining company GeoMinera. It will be an open-pit mine developed on the El Pilar oxide deposit in central Cuba.
Results from 24,000 metres of historical drilling results, 1,800 metres drilled in 2022, and the 10,000 metres drilled in 2023 will be used to establish a mineral resource estimate (MRE) in January 2024. A feasibility study for the proposed development of the oxide deposit will follow soon after that, and the 10‐month construction phase is expected to begin in June 2024.
Recent drilling has shown outstanding grades for gold and copper, and increasing lateral and vertical boundaries of the copper domain. The results reinforce the prospect of near‐term development of the low‐capex Nueva Sabana mine at El Pilar. The outstanding grades in the gold domain extend from the surface to a depth of 40 to 50 metres, and robust grades in the underlying copper domain continue for a further 50 to 70 metres.
The proposed mining rate for the project will be 650,000 tpa of ore with a low waste‐to‐ore ratio. The anticipated initial production of 55 g/t gold concentrate will be followed by ~25 percent copper concentrate.
The estimated project cost is approximately $23 million, of which $3 million is shareholders equity with the balance of $20 million funded through an advance on purchases of the gold concentrate by an international commodities trader.
Chinese engineering group, Prominer Mining Technology, which has extensive experience in designing and constructing gold and copper concentrators, is expected to supply the crushing and flotation circuits for the Nueva Sabana mine.
Concentrator to be supplied for Nueva Sabana mine by Chinese Engineering Group ProMiner
La Demajagua Project
La Demajagua involves the development of a gold‐antimony‐silver deposit as an open-pit mine by the joint venture company, Minera La Victoria.
The project covers 900 hectares of mining concession on the Isle of Youth, 60 nautical miles from mainland Cuba. The project site is 35 kilometres from the port city of Nueva Gerona and enjoys excellent infrastructure in terms of accessibility by highway, and availability of water, electricity and fiber optic cable.
The project has an MRE of 905,000 oz gold equivalent for the open-pit operation. The MRE was calculated from results from 29,000 metres of drilling undertaken by the JV, and selective results from about 50,000 metres of historic drilling and revised after the receipt of additional antimony assays. The project expects mining of about 815,000 tpa ore to produce two concentrates: 50,000 tpa of gold‐arsenopyrite and 10,000 tpa of gold‐antimony‐silver for nine years.
The project will also include a commercial concentrate processing facility to produce gold dore. The facility will comprise a 75,000‐tpa two‐stage fluidized‐bed roaster and a 100,000‐tpa carbon-in-leach (CIL) circuit. It is expected to process 50,000 tpa gold arsenopyrite concentrate, and 35,000 tpa gold oxide ore from La Demajagua, and 25,000 tpa of imported gold pyrite concentrate. The overall production target is 100,000 oz gold per year in dore for overseas refining. Chinese engineering firm BGRIMM Technology Group, which has extensive experience in designing and constructing roasters, is expected to supply the turnkey process plant.
Total mine development cost is estimated at US$145 million, which will be funded by US$60 million in equity, which includes contribution by a third shareholder in the project, and the balance of US$85 million in debt. The life‐of‐mine cash surplus is estimated at ~US$600 million, with an NPV of about US$330 million based on US$1,800/oz gold, and US$13,000/t antimony.
Completion of the definitive feasibility study is expected in September 2024, and construction is anticipated to commence in late 2024, with commissioning targeted for mid‐2026.
El Pilar Copper‐Gold Porphyry System Project
El Pilar is an exploration project with a cluster of three copper‐gold porphyry deposits: El Pilar, Gaspar and Camilo. The project comprises 752 hectares of exploration licenses and 17,000 hectares of reconnaissance permits. The project will be transferred to a planned new joint venture, which is expected to permit majority foreign ownership.
The project site benefits from established infrastructure with access to a major highway, high‐tension power, and a 60 kilometre rail link to Palo Alto port.
Previous mapping, soil sampling, ground magnetics, an aeromagnetic survey and 24,000 metres of shallow drilling confirmed the existence of copper‐gold mineralization and identified the exposures as potentially a large, leached porphyry system. The surface exposures at El Pilar are leached phyllic caps to a cluster of copper‐gold porphyry cores. The extent of surficial hydrothermal alteration indicates the porphyry intrusions have large dimensions, and potential depths greater than 1,000 metres.
Ground magnetics and induced polarization surveys in early 2023 have confirmed a cluster of three potentially large porphyry intrusives – El Pilar, Gaspar and Camilo. A six‐hole initial program has demonstrated positive results with good copper intercepts in porphyry‐style veining and has indicated the proximity of drilling to the core of El Pilar porphyry intrusive. In particular, drill hole PDH‐004A assayed 1.23 percent copper over its length of 134 metres from 49 metres.
An extensive two‐year drilling program will be conducted from mid‐2024 and the company notes it may seek financial support for the program from a major mining company.
Surface mineralisation at El Pilar
Sierra Maestra Copper Belt Project
The project is an exploration project covering three highly prospective concessions for copper, gold and molybdenum in the Sierra Maestra copper belt in southeast Cuba. It includes a 3,600-hectare geological investigation license in La Cristina, a 49,000‐hectare reconnaissance license in Vega Grande, and a 1,100‐hectare reconnaissance license in Buey Cabon.
The copper belt spans more than 200 kilometres of Cretaceous‐age geology intruded by Eocene stocks, which are the source of widespread gold and base‐metals mineralization. The project is near the El Cobre mine which is the oldest operating copper mine in the Americas. The concessions incorporate a series of copper‐gold‐molybdenum zones that display significant footprints of hydrothermal alteration normally associated with potentially large porphyry systems.
An extensive, two‐year prospecting program will be carried out on the three concessions, commencing in Q1 2024, to identify drill targets.
Management Team
Brian Johnson – Executive Chairman
Brian Johnson is a graduate of civil engineering from the University of Western Australia and a member of the Institute of Engineers, Australia. He has rich experience in the construction and mining industries in Australia, Southeast Asia and North America. He was instrumental in establishing successful companies in the iron ore and coal sectors. Previously, he has served as a director of two listed gold producers, and of companies with stock exchange listings in London, New York, Vancouver and Australia.
James Tyers – Chief Executive Officer
James Tyers is a member of the AusIMM and has more than 30 years of experience in the mining industry, holding senior management roles in gold and iron ore operations. He has been associated with the Palm Springs Gold Mine in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, and the Cornishman Project, a JV between Troy Resources and Sons of Gwalia. He has experience developing and operating iron ore projects in the mid‐west of Western Australia. He was responsible for developing the Las Lagunas Project and is the project director for the La Demajagua gold mine in Cuba.
Ugo Carlo – Non‐executive Director
Ugo Carlo has more than 30 years of experience in the Australian mining industry. Throughout his career, he has served in several senior leadership roles at Rocklands Richfield, Austral Coal and Conzinc Rio Tinto Australia Group. He is also a former director of the Port Kembla Coal Terminal, the New South Wales Joint Coal Board, and interim chairman of the New South Wales Minerals Council.
Angela Pankhurst – Non‐executive Director
Angela Pankhurst has more than 20 years of experience as an executive and non‐executive director, primarily in the mining industry. She has been a senior executive for companies with projects in Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Vietnam, South Africa and Australia. She has held senior leadership positions at Antilles Gold and Central Asia Resources. She is currently a director of Consolidated Zinc and a director of Imritec.
Tracey Aitkin – Chief Financial Officer
Tracey Aitkin is a professional member of CPA Australia and has more than 30 years of rich experience in finance, administration and staff management across a range of industries, including mining, manufacturing, retail, transport and agriculture. She joined the company in 2009 and was named CFO in 2010.
Dr. Jinxing Ji – Technical Director
Dr. Jinxing Ji is a seasoned metallurgist with six years of research experience in universities and 26 years of practical experience in the mining industry related to gold, silver, copper, zinc and lead. His broad experience includes due diligence, metallurgical test work, pre‐feasibility study, feasibility study, detailed design, plant commissioning support, and operational support for projects in Turkey, Greece, Canada, China, Romania, Brazil and Papua New Guinea.
Steve Mertens – Mining Director
Steve Mertens is a mining engineer with more than 20 years of industry experience across a range of commodities, including nine years based in Latin America. He has been associated with the Goro Nickel Project in New Caledonia and the Mina de Cobre Project in Panama. Prior to his current role as general manager for the Minera La Victoria JV company, he was the mining manager for Antilles Gold’s Las Lagunas operation in the Dominican Republic.
Chris Grainger – Exploration Director
Chris Grainger holds a PhD in economic geology from the University of Western Australia. He is an Australian geologist with more than 25 years of international experience with involvement in grassroots and brownfield exploration, as well as resource definition and development, with a focus on precious and base metals in South and Central America and the Caribbean. He has been associated with Continental Gold’s Buritica gold‐silver project, and Cordoba Minerals’ Alacran copper‐gold project.
*This article was written in collaboration with Couloir Capital.
More Outstanding Gold Mineralisation Intersected at Auld Creek
Siren Gold Limited (ASX: SNG) (Siren or the Company) is pleased to provide an update on its latest drilling program at Auld Creek, located within the Reefton Project.
Highlights
- ACDDH016, the second diamond hole drilled in 2024, intersected the Bonanza East Shoot with a downhole intersection of 22.2m @ 7.2g/t Au and 0.3% Sb from 67m, with an estimated true width of 10m.
- ACDDH016 follows on from the first hole ACDDH015 that intersected 12.4m @ 5.3g/t Au and 14.9% Sb with an estimated true width of 6m.
- To date eight diamond holes have been drilled in the Bonanza East Fault, with all holes intersecting significant gold or gold and antimony mineralisation.
- These results compliment previous drilling at Auld Creek that focused on the Fraternal Shoot, with 8 diamond drillholes defining an inferred Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) of 66koz @ 3.5g/t gold and 8.7kt @ 1.5% antimony. Siren’s Reefton inferred MRE is 444koz @ 3.8 g/t Au and 8.7kt @ 1.5% antimony.
Siren Managing Director and CEO, Victor Rajasooriar commented:
“Drilling at Siren’s Auld Creek target within the Reefton Project continues to exceed geological interpretations with higher widths and grades than initially expected. The current MRE from Auld Creek is defined solely from the initial fraternal shoot drilling. Over the coming months we expect the results from the recent drilling targeting the Fraternal & Bonanza Shoots to add significantly to the Auld Creek MRE and consequently Siren’s Global MRE which currently stands at ~1.27Moz at 3.1 g/t Au and 8.7kt Sb @ 1.5%”.1
Background
In 2024, Siren’s strategy at Auld Creek is to drill test all four mineralised shoots (Fraternal, Fraternal North, Bonanza and Bonanza East) identified from soil sampling, surface trenching and diamond drilling carried out over the past 12 months.
The Fraternal and Bonanza west dipping mineralised faults are interpreted to be sub-parallel approximately 100m apart (Figure 1). On the Fraternal Fault at least two mineralised shoots have been identified: Fraternal and Fraternal North, which are interpreted to plunge moderately to the south.
The Bonanza East Fault dips to the east and links between the Fraternal and Bonanza Faults. Diamond drilling by Siren in 2023 confirmed the continuance of the Bonanza East Shoot that was intersected in surface trenches, with ACDDH011 intersecting 5m @ 4.1g/t Au and 7.0% Sb 80m below the surface. The Bonanza East Shoot is interpreted to plunge to the north, with the top and bottom limits constrained by the intersection with the Fraternal and Bonanza mineralisation.
Siren plans to target the Bonanza East, Bonanza and Fraternal North Shoots with the initial drilling over the next few months, with all four shoots having then been tested to around 100m below surface. The second phase of drilling will then target down plunge extensions to the mineralisation.
Click here for the full ASX Release
This article includes content from Siren Gold, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
Scoping Study Completed for Nueva Sabana Mine, Cuba
Antilles Gold Limited (“Antilles Gold” or the “Company”) (ASX: AAU, OTCQB: ANTMF) is pleased to advise the results of the Scoping Study for the first stage of the proposed Nueva Sabana gold-copper mine in Cuba. The Study has been prepared by the 50:50 Cuban joint venture company, Minera La Victoria SA (“MLV”), which is undertaking the project.
- The 752ha concession covering the Nueva Sabana deposit also hosts the El Pilar, Gaspar, and Camilo porphyry copper intrusives, and numerous shallow gold targets identified by artisanal mining.
- The Nueva Sabana deposit has a small 3g/t gold cap, an underlying copper-gold zone, and a deeper sulphide copper zone that is open at depth at 150m, and could potentially transition into the El Pilar porphyry copper deposit which is offset to the south.
- The Study has been based on a pit limited to 100m depth which at a mining rate of 500,000tpa of ore, will result in an initial mine life of 4 years.
- With additional exploration by the joint venture, and a greater mining depth, the project life and NPV could be increased.
- The Initial MRE for Nueva Sabana which is incorporated as ATTACHMENT A in the Study, established approximately 30M lb of 0.8% copper in Inferred Resources within the 50m below the planned 100m mining depth for the first stage of the development which is a positive indication of the potential to increase the mine life.
- Metallurgical testwork set out in ATTACHMENT C has indicated the mine will initially produce a gold concentrate with a grade of ~70.9g/t Au, followed by a blended copper-gold concentrate with an average grade of ~27.4% Cu, and 25g/t Au.
- The off-take agreement is expected to include a provision for advanced payments for concentrates by the buyer, to assist in the funding of construction costs.
Payables for these concentrates have been received from the two international commodity traders the joint venture is negotiating with to establish an off-take agreement.
HIGHLIGHTS OF FINANCIAL ANALYSIS FOR STAGE ONE OF THE NUEVA SABANA MINE:
- Pre-development Costs of ~USD5.0M including the concession acquisition are being met by MLV
The Chairman of Antilles Gold, Mr Brian Johnson, commented that“even though the first stage of the Nueva Sabana project is quite small, it is fortunate that it will be development-ready within a short period of time.
This is economically advantageous considering the joint venture’s flagship development, the La Demajagua gold-silver-antimony mine, had to be delayed after being expanded to allow the production of a gold doré when the market for its gold-arsenopyrite concentrate became an issue in August 2023.
Antilles Gold intends to subscribe the final US$2.0M of its US$15.0M earn-in for a 50% shareholding in the joint venture company, Minera La Victoria (“MLV”), within the next few months. Thereafter, the Company’s cash burn will be substantially reduced.
If MLV decides to undertake an exploration program on the copper properties before cash flow becomes available from the Nueva Sabana mine in Q4 2025, the required capital will probably have to come from a share issue by MLV to Antilles Gold, and, or a third party.
With respect to this possibility, MLV has recently presented commercial propositions to two major investors interested in becoming a shareholder in MLV, and participating in the exploration of its highly prospective copper properties, and the development of La Demajagua, and other gold projects potentially available to the joint venture.
However, MLV’s near term priority is to finalise negotiations on a concentrate off-take agreement for Nueva Sabana, and to arrange project financing.
Antilles Gold’s share of the NPV8 for the first stage of Nueva Sabana is ~A$70M at current metal prices of US$2,300 per oz Au, and US$4.30 per lb Cu, and an exchange rate of A$1.00 = US$0.65, which is significantly higher than the Company’s current market capitalisation of A$10.4M.
The opportunity for growth will increase with the proposed development of the La Demajagua gold- silver-antimony mine, where the Company’s share of NPV8 reported to ASX on 30 March 2023 was ~A$150M, prior to the decision to expand the project to produce gold doré from its gold arsenopyrite concentrate, and increase antimony production.”
Click here for the full ASX Release
This article includes content from Antilles Gold, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
Manuka Resources Ltd. (ASX: MKR) – Trading Halt
Description
The securities of Manuka Resources Ltd. (‘MKR’) will be placed in trading halt at the request of MKR, pending it releasing an announcement. Unless ASX decides otherwise, the securities will remain in trading halt until the earlier of the commencement of normal trading on Thursday, 9 May 2024 or when the announcement is released to the market.
Issued by
ASX Compliance
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This article includes content from Manuka Resources Limited, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
Excellent Stope Performance as Mining Rates Ramping Up at Second Fortune
Brightstar Resources Limited (ASX: BTR) (Brightstar) is pleased to advise that Linden Gold Alliance Limited (subject to an off market takeover offer by Brightstar2) have recently completed its underground capital development program and is now in ore production on the 1085 level under its owner operator model. Production has also started from stoping activities (Figure 2) supplementing ongoing ore drive development along with commencement of surface road haulage activities from the Second Fortune gold mine (Figure 1).
HIGHLIGHTS
- Current stoping and development production of 7,000 - 9,000 t/month, ramping up to the 12,000 - 15,000 t/month previously achieved mining rate at Second Fortune.
- Stoping recommenced in April on the 1085 level (Main Lode South), with stoping performing in-line with or better than expectations, achieving an average stoping width of ~1.5 metres
- Road Haulage recommenced in April after significant weather event in previous month
- Sampled Main Lode ore vein grades within ore development drives exceeding +40g/t Au
- Surface & underground diamond drilling contractors engaged to commence resource definition and near-mine exploration programs in near term1
Brightstar’s Managing Director, Alex Rovira, commented“The recommencement of ore haulage activities at Second Fortune is exciting to see as the team builds momentum towards the steady state production rate of 12,000 - 15,000t per month by the September quarter 2024, which was the previous mining rate at Second Fortune.
Whilst the operational Linden team on site is focused on safe production, Brightstar and Linden geologists have worked together to design a surface and underground drill program to build confidence in the existing Mineral Resource Estimate as part of Brightstar’s broader +30,000m drilling program across the Menzies and Laverton portfolio in the near term. This forms part of Brightstar’s commitment to unlocking the inherent value in the Linden assets and advancing the enlarged groups’ assets towards development and monetisation of the combined resource base within the Eastern Goldfields.”
Figure 1 - ROM Loader placing Second Fortune gold ore into road train (April 2024)
Figure 2 – Long hole open stoping at Second Fortune. Looking south on the 1085 Level Main Lode (April 2024) Highlighting narrow stope width, clean extraction with limited dilution and good ground conditions
Figure 3 - Planned surface (black) and underground (blue) drillholes into Second Fortune (block model shown)
TECHNICAL DISCUSSION
The Second Fortune underground mine has a present production run rate of 7,000 – 9,000 tonnes per month with the mine expected to reach steady state production of 12,000 - 15,000 t/month in the September quarter 2024 consistently achieved in recent years. Stoping recommenced in April, along with ongoing capital (decline) and operating (ore drive) development activities in the mine.
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This article includes content from Brightstar Resources, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
Trailbreaker Resources Receives Exploration Permit for Swan Target at Atsutla Gold Project
Trailbreaker Resources Ltd. (TBK.V) (“Trailbreaker” or “the Company”) is pleased to announce it has received a multi-year area-based exploration permit for the Swan target at the Atsutla Gold Project in northern British Columbia (BC). The permit will allow Trailbreaker to conduct advanced exploration at the Swan target, including geophysical surveying and future diamond drilling, in order to better define the mineralization system.
Trailbreaker is currently planning its 2024 exploration activities for Swan, including an induced polarization (IP) survey covering a strong multi element geochemical anomaly coincident with argillic alteration. The survey is designed to identify any chargeability and resistivity features potentially associated with mineralized alteration zones. As porphyry deposits often form in clusters, additional surface exploration will be conducted concurrently with the IP program to continue exploring for new mineralized targets at the Atsutla Gold Project.
Message from the President
“Receiving our exploration permit for Swan is a big step toward advancing the Atsutla Gold Project. We now have the capability to be more aggressive with our exploration efforts in order to advance the Swan target.” – Daithi Mac Gearailt
Swan Target Description
The Swan target is located in the eastern Atsutla Gold Property area, in northern BC. Swan is a potential gold-silver-copper (Au-Ag-Cu) porphyry system, defined by a 900 m by 700 m Au-Ag-Cu-arsenic (As) – antimony (Sb) – molybdenum (Mo) – lead (Pb) soil geochemical anomaly along a gossanous ridge. The host setting is a leucogranite porphyry intrusion with argillic and phyllic alteration assemblages. Bedrock sampling by Trailbreaker in the centre of the soil anomaly has returned values up to 11.5 g/t Au and 16.8 g/t Ag.
Historic IP surveying around the Swan target took place in the valley west of the soil anomaly. This work focused on a molybdenum anomaly associated with a semi-circular chargeability high. This chargeability feature partially wraps around the soil anomaly, but the survey dimensions do not cover the entire anomaly. Additionally, IP surveying will be valuable in identifying potential chargeability highs, which may indicate high sulphide content and associated alteration zonation. As well, resistivity characteristics may help vector toward felsic intrusive centers and high-density quartz veining which would indicate the potassic core of a porphyry system.
Figure 1: Highlights of the Swan target include the strong Au geochemical anomaly, phyllic and argillic alteration zones, and the partial chargeability high ring feature defined from a historic IP survey.
About the Atsutla Gold Project
The Atsutla Gold project covers over 40,000 hectares of underexplored and prospective ground in northwestern BC. The project covers a portion of the Atsutla mountain range 70 km south of the BC-Yukon border. Placer gold was recorded in the area during the early 1900s, with very little subsequent mineral exploration.
The project is centered over the crustal-scale Teslin-Thibert fault system that marks the division between the Quesnel and Cache Creek terranes. Gold mineralization is associated with Mesozoic intrusive batholiths that are the predominant geological unit on the property. Trailbreaker has discovered five significant zones of gold mineralization across the property. These are:
- Swan Zone – discussed above – Au-Cu-Ag porphyry target defined by a 900 m by 700 m multi-element soil geochemical anomaly with rock samples grading up to 11.5 g/t Au and 16.8 g/t Ag.
- Highlands Zone – A 750 m by 600 m area in the western Atsutla Gold property region, with veins containing coarse visible gold and assaying up to 630 g/t Au and 1,894 g/t Ag.
- Christmas Creek Zone – Gold-bearing quartz veins 2 km east of the Highlands Zone, with rock samples assaying up to 102 g/t Au and 524 g/t Ag.
- Snook Zone – High-grade veins 3.5 km northeast of the Highlands Zone with rock samples assaying up to 53.3 g/t.
- Willie Jack Zone – 1.25 km long gold-in-soil anomaly with soil samples assaying up to 3.77 g/t Au and rock samples up to 9.9 g/t Au.
About Trailbreaker Resources
Trailbreaker Resources is a mining exploration company focused primarily on mining-friendly British Columbia and Yukon Territory, Canada. Trailbreaker is committed to continuous exploration and research, allowing maintenance of a portfolio of quality mineral properties which in turn provides value for shareholders. The company has an experienced management team with a proven track record as explorers and developers throughout the Yukon Territory, British Columbia, Alaska and Nevada.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD
Daithi Mac Gearailt
President and Chief Executive Officer
Carl Schulze, P. Geo., Consulting Geologist with Aurora Geosciences Ltd, is a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 for Trailbreaker's BC and Yukon exploration projects, and has reviewed and approved the technical information in this release.
Other
For new information about the Company’s projects, please visit Trailbreaker’s website at TrailbreakerResources.com and sign up to receive news. For further information, follow Trailbreaker’s tweets at Twitter.com/TrailbreakerLtd, use the ‘Contact’ section of our website, or contact us at (604) 681-1820 or at info@trailbreakerresources.com.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements contained in this news release that are not historical facts are "forward-looking information" or "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "Forward-Looking Information") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-Looking Information includes, but is not limited to, disclosure regarding possible events, conditions or financial performance that is based on assumptions about future economic conditions and courses of action; expectations regarding future exploration and drilling programs and receipt of related permitting. In certain cases, Forward-Looking Information can be identified by the use of words and phrases such as "anticipates", "expects", "understanding", "has agreed to" or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "would", "occur" or "be achieved". Although Trailbreaker has attempted to identify important factors that could affect Trailbreaker and may cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in Forward-Looking Information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. In making the forward-looking statements in this news release, if any, Trailbreaker has applied several material assumptions, including the assumption that general business and economic conditions will not change in a materially adverse manner. There can be no assurance that Forward-Looking Information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on Forward-Looking Information. Except as required by law, Trailbreaker does not assume any obligation to release publicly any revisions to Forward-Looking Information contained in this news release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available athttps://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c66345bd-85aa-42bb-a466-fe24fe4ce990
Ross Norman: Gold's Record Highs Driven by China, What Happens Now?
Gold's record move above US$2,400 per ounce has sparked much discussion about price drivers. Speaking to the Investing News Network, Ross Norman of MetalsDaily.com explained China's key role in the metal's increase.
To start, he noted that the buying that took gold to the US$2,050 or US$2,100 level was largely high-quality purchases from central banks, which have been adding the yellow metal to their coffers at a strong pace.
"Central bank buying is quality because it's unlikely to be sold if there's a significant price correction. It's for the very long term — think multi-generational," Norman said. He added that Chinese buying also supported that move.
"(Chinese) retail buying is strong, central bank buying is strong. Institutional buying is strong on exchange-traded funds. Added to that, China is having its Costco (NASDAQ:COST) moment in the sense that Gen Z and Millennials are buying gold — at high premiums might I add — in gold beans," Norman continued.
All of those factors were in place earlier this year, but on March 1, when gold started to take off, something changed.
"It was clear that there was a very significant large player in the market, and they were driving it massively higher," said Norman. "Spoiler alert — it was more China. Even more than we expected."
He determined that the buying was coming from speculators on the Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE).
"The Chinese threw themselves speculatively at gold. They took it to an all-time high of US$2,430, US$100 above where we are now. And then the market corrected lower. Now, the reason for that is the exchanges, particularly the Chinese exchanges, (the Shanghai Gold Exchange) and SHFE, significantly increased initial margins, effectively putting a speed bump in terms of trading gold. The COMEX did the same, by the way, as well at the same time. The exchanges are saying these markets are too hot, calm down. We're going to make it more expensive for you to deal in them."
Once that happened, Chinese traders became less interested and the gold price pulled back.
"In a nutshell, if you like, gold has moved higher, significantly higher, to around US$2,100, on quality buying. The last US$200 on top of that arguably is of a vulnerable nature because it's futures buying," he said.
Watch the interview above for more from Norman on what's going on with gold right now.
Don't forget to follow us @INN_Resource for real-time updates!
Securities Disclosure: I, Charlotte McLeod, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Editorial Disclosure: The Investing News Network does not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the information reported in the interviews it conducts. The opinions expressed in these interviews do not reflect the opinions of the Investing News Network and do not constitute investment advice. All readers are encouraged to perform their own due diligence.
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