Pampa Metals Mobilizes Follow-Up Diamond Drill Testing of the Piuquenes Porphyry Copper-Gold Project

Perth, Australia (ABN Newswire) - Vertex Minerals Limited (ASX:VTX) (OTCMKTS:VTXXF) is pleased to announce that the underground mining operation is on track to be producing high grade gold feed to the recently commissioned gravity gold plant early this quarter.

Vertex's Technical Director and Geologist, Tully Richards commented: "It is very exciting to be involved in the opening of the next chapter of what is a legendary gold field. I'm particularly pleased to see the enthusiasm of all those involved in wanting to make this chapter a success"

HIGHLIGHTS:

- VTX remains on track to deliver first underground high grade gold ore to the Gravity Gold plant in early Q3 2025, with commissioning and underground mine readiness ramp- up activities progressing as planned.

- Underground Gold Mining Readiness

- First underground miners onboarded under owner operator model

- TD1 Jumbo (for development and production) commissioned and operating underground

- Primary ventilation installed

- First stope development dewatering completed

- Explosive Magazine constructed

- Water feed installed

- Air lines installed and operational

- 11kva power installation underway

- Revised mine plan and schedule received and being implemented

- Underground Ore trialled through gravity plant

- Trail of 90 tonnes of development material with some reef quartz through the gravity plant

- Throughput exceeding expectation and beyond the nameplate plant flow sheet value.

- Pulse Mining System Installed and Implemented

- INX Software Installed and Implemented

- INX Software and site access kiosks to go live at mine site in June.

- INX will improve overall safety framework with real time risk mitigation focus.

- INX strengthens site access controls for employees, contractors and visitors.

- Sand Stack facility fully operational

- Facility fully functioning with return water pump station installed and operational (water recycling)

- 57 Megalitre Turon River water licence purchased for back up water supply

- Environmental & Compliance Implementation

- Multiple monitoring systems installed, and real time monitored (Dust, noise, vibration).

- Underground diamond drilling site ("drill cuddy") being established

- This location will be used for Reward Gold Mine resource development as well as mine corridor exploration diamond drilling

A batch of hard rock material, taken from the Reward Gold Mine - Amalgamated Vein, was trial processed through the Gravity Gold Plant and TOMRA sorter. Vertex engineers and operators were extremely pleased with the throughput rate and its sorting amenability.

As previously announced the new mine schedule for the Reward underground mine proposes mining two stope blocks consisting of 2,075 tonnes at 17.8 g/t Au and 700 tonnes at 42.5 g/t Au. The planned stope width is the same as the interpretation of the mineralisation. (Refer to Table 1 in Appendices 1) (VTX ASX announcement 26/06/23).

This stope can be exploited as soon as services have been established. Vertex mining crews are actively developing the adit to make room for the 11kva cable, water and air lines ("services").

Drill Cuddy (location for underground diamond drill rig)

A drill cuddy is being developed by Vertex airleg miners and will be completed mid-June. The drill cuddy will be mined up to 6m in height and 7m depth to cater for the Vertex LM90 drill rig. The rig will drill circa 7 holes in this location designed by the Vertex geologists, targeting the stacked veins below and above the Amalgamated adit. The LM 90 will be operated by Vertex drillers and will drill continuously going forward. The aim is to build gold inventory, convert inferred resource to indicated and to help with stope design.

Vertex have now fully installed and implemented a closed water system at the Reward Gold Mine. The water from the gravity process plant mixed with the waste sand material is decanted at the sand stack area. The decanted water is then pumped back to the process plant for re-use. Make-up water is sourced from the Reward Gold Mine where mine water is used to meet the water requirements for the gravity plant. Water use is minimised in the process because the ore is mostly processed by ore sorting which doesn't use water. Further the water is not polluted because the Reward Ore and country rock has no sulphide minerals and the plant process does not use chemicals (Cyanide or reagents).
*To view tables and figures, please visit:
https://abnnewswire.net/lnk/8HMS51NW

About Vertex Minerals Limited:  

Vertex Minerals Limited (ASX:VTX) is an Australian based gold exploration company developing its advanced Hargraves and Hill End gold projects located in the highly prospective Eastern Lachlan Fold Belt of Central West NSW. Other Company assets include the Pride of Elvire gold project and Taylors Rock gold/nickel/lithium project both located in the Eastern Goldfields of WA. The focus of Vertex Minerals is to advance the commercial production of gold from its NSW projects embracing an ethical and environmentally sustainable approach.

Source:
Vertex Minerals Limited

Perth, Australia (ABN Newswire) - Vertex Minerals Limited (ASX:VTX) (OTCMKTS:VTXXF) is pleased to announce that the Company's engineering and geology team at the Reward Mine have identified an additional two stope block that have not been previously reported. These stopes will be incorporated into the overall mine schedule, but provide an early source of mill feed.

HIGHLIGHTS:

- VTX's Technical Services team has identified a fully developed stope block to include in the mine production start-up.

- Stopes are suitable for airleg mining which will augment jumbo production.

- Stope blocks contains an Inferred Resource of 2,075 tonnes at 17.8 g/t Au and forms part of the 2023 Mineral Resource Estimate. With the lower block having over 700 tonnes at 42.5 g/t. The planned stope width is the same as the interpretation of the mineralisation.

- Stopes are additional to the PFS mine schedule which is illustrated in Figure 2* showing the location of the additional stope.

- Stope blocks are fully developed and have been sampled from development.

- This stope can be exploited as soon as services have been established.

The stopes were developed by a previous operator and are accessible from existing development. The additional stope blocks contain an Inferred Resource of 2,075 tonnes at 17.8 g/t Au containing 1,189 ounces of gold with the lower block having over 700 tonnes at 42.5 g/t. The planned stope width is the same as the interpretation of the mineralisation. These stopes forms part of the Mineral Resource Estimate reported in VTX Announcement 22 June 2023. They were not included in the production forecast detailed in the 2024 Pre-Feasibility Study (Announcement 3 January 2024). This was due to the complexity of existing airleg workings and uncertainty around access and ground conditions and wide spaced drilling which established these areas into an Inferred Resource Category.

Note: 'The Mineral Resources are additional to the Ore Reserves.'

Subsequent investigations, which included physical inspection of the levels and completing a geotechnical assessment, have concluded that the stopes are fully developed and accessible.

The quartz veins are exposed in the existing development and have been sampled. In total ninety-seven (97) face samples were taken along the stope and assayed for gold. Figure 3* illustrates the sample grades diluted to 1.5m width, which represents a minimum mining width, and the locations along the stope.

The density of sampling around the stope locations, along with accessibility adds to the confidence that the Company can successfully mine this area very early in the start-up of underground production. The Company believes the inclusion of these stopes is significant to early production, and that the stopes will be mined before the Company updates the Resource and Reserve Estimates for the Project. These samples were not used in the Resource.

The Company plans to exploit this stope once the mine services have been established and bring this stope into the initial stages of the production schedule.

Vertex's Executive Chairman, Roger Jackson commented: "Our new technical team has been established, and it is great to see them looking for the opportunities to add value to the high-grade underground production start-up.

This really does show the potential this mine has for high grade expansion. We are in the process of re-opening the underground mine with the establishment of mine services. Dewatering of the declines has commenced and is progressing to schedule."

*To view tables and figures, please visit:
https://abnnewswire.net/lnk/0C116659

About Vertex Minerals Limited:  

Vertex Minerals Limited (ASX:VTX) is an Australian based gold exploration company developing its advanced Hargraves and Hill End gold projects located in the highly prospective Eastern Lachlan Fold Belt of Central West NSW. Other Company assets include the Pride of Elvire gold project and Taylors Rock gold/nickel/lithium project both located in the Eastern Goldfields of WA. The focus of Vertex Minerals is to advance the commercial production of gold from its NSW projects embracing an ethical and environmentally sustainable approach.

Source:
Vertex Minerals Limited