Global projects and exploration
Australia Palmer eyes cobalt
Australian businessman Clive Palmer says that tailings owned by his companies in Queensland contain cobalt worth AUD6- billion . According to the publication Australian Mining , Palmer believes that QNI Resources and other companies had mined nickel ore at Greenvale that was high in cobalt for more than 40 years and then deposited the tailings without extracting the increasingly valuable technology metal .
Cobalt prices have surged in recent years , reaching record highs of more than USD90 000 / t in 2018 , due to the metal ’ s expected demand for batteries and electric vehicles ( EVs ). According to Palmer , a survey confirmed that the tailings had more than 69 000t of contained metal . “ The inventory owned by QNI and located on their freehold property at Townsville is a major asset of the QNI group , worth billions of dollars ,’’ Palmer said .
QNI has installed a cobalt refinery at Yabulu and plans to process the tailings at the site for the first seven years of operation following the restart . The company would ship the cobalt through the Port of Brisbane in containers . It also intends to extract nickel from the Greenvale ore at the refinery as part of the processing .
Source : Australian Mining
Colombia Untested target scout drilled
Orosur Mining has confirmed consistent gold mineralisation at one portion of its Anzá project in Colombia . The company completed its initial exploration drilling campaign on 18 holes , while the final five holes of the programme were focused on maiden scout drilling of the untested Charrascala target . Drilling detected the presence of strong gold anomalies , with four of the five holes drilled intersecting gold mineralisation , and a priority follow-up zone has been identified .
According to Ignacio Salazar , CEO of Orosur , drill results at the Aragon- Pastorera Trend Area ( APTA ) have extended the mineralised area at depth and along strike , while still remaining open . APTA represents only 10 % of the land base of the Anzá project , which covers over 200km ². During the last phase of the exploration campaign , Orosur successfully tested the Charrascala target , discovering the presence of gold anomalies along an
800m north-south corridor , including an intersect of 3.43 grams per tonne gold ( g / t Au ) and 30.60g / t Ag over 1.5m , as well as identifying a specific target for future drilling . “ The company ’ s future in Colombia is looking to be off to a promising start ,” says Salazar .
In addition to the APTA discovery , the Anzá project contains four additional untested high-priority targets with coincident geochemical and geophysical anomalies . One of them , Charrascala , is located about 1.5km to the west of APTA . Charrascala is defined by an extensive coincident gold-in-soil anomaly and a geophysical anomaly that is approximately 3km north-south by 1km east-west and localised along a likely north-south structure . Surface mapping and sampling , combined with interrogation of geophysical data sets , share similar attributes to APTA , which have been validated by recent drilling .
Ecuador Outcrops look promising
TSX-listed SolGold ’ s first stream sediment survey at its Cisne Project in Loja , Southern Ecuador , has identified several areas of strong gold mineralisation . The prospect is owned by SolGold ’ s subsidiary , Green Rock Resources . Follow-up of gold anomalies has led to the discovery of outcropping epithermalstyle alteration and mineralisation , with multiple episodes of quartz veining . Numerous rock chip samples returned gold and silver greater than 1g / t Au , with a best rock sample result of 15.25g / t Au and 23.6g / t Ag , while areas of epithermal quartz veins with alteration exhibiting silica-kaolinitequartz clay assemblages , together with vuggy quartz , indicate an intermediate sulphidation epithermal environment .
SolGold operates multiple regional field teams , rapidly exploring 10 selected major mineralisation centres over 73 regional concessions held in four wholly owned Ecuadorian subsidiary companies . With this new discovery at Cisne Loja , SolGold ’ s exploration teams , led by experienced geologists , have now successfully defined targets indicative of large mineralised porphyry Cu systems and / or epithermal gold systems in 10 regional projects .
Côte d ’ Ivoire Focus on structural targets
Africa-focused exploration company Altus Strategies has commenced exploration at its 100 % owned 369.5km ² Prikro gold project in eastern Côte d ’ Ivoire . According to Steven Poulton , CEO of Altus Strategies , the licence hosts prospective Birimian-age metasedimentary greenstone belts . Poulton adds that exploration will initially prioritise a number of key structural targets .
“ The licence targets Birimian-age metasedimentary belts that are renowned for their prospectivity to host economic gold deposits in Côte d ’ Ivoire and elsewhere across West Africa . The Prikro licence hosts a number of large-scale mapped targets , including a 10km-long fold hinge with axial planer structures and an associated intrusive ,” says Poulton . “ Our first-phase reconnaissance programme will initially focus on areas of historically reported gold occurrences and the strike extension of structures , which are the focus of small-scale mining permits that are contiguous with Prikro ,” he says .
Alaska Gilmore remains on track
Canadian company Kinross Gold announced that it is proceeding with the Gilmore expansion project at its Fort Knox mine in Alaska .
The initial Gilmore project is expected to extend mining at Fort Knox by six years to 2027 , and leaching to 2030 , at a low initial capital cost of approximately USD100-million , and increase life-ofmine production by about 1.5 million ounces ( oz ) of gold . The project is expected to generate an internal rate of return ( IRR ) of 17 % and net present value ( NPV ) of USD130-million , based on a USD1 200 / oz gold price , and an IRR of 26 % and NPV of USD239-million based on a USD1 300 / oz gold price .
“ We are pleased to proceed with the initial Fort Knox Gilmore Project ; a lowrisk , low-cost brownfield expansion that is expected to extend mine life to 2030 at one of our top-performing operations and contribute 1.5 million gold equivalent ounces to strengthen our long-term US production profile ,” says J . Paul Rollinson , president and CEO at Kinross .
The Gilmore feasibility study contemplates the first two phases of a potential multi-phase layback of the existing Fort Knox pit and construction of a new heap leach pad . Rollinson says that the company expects to continue leveraging its extensive experience and knowledge of operating cold weather , subarctic heap leaching , having
[ 8 ] MINING MIRROR AUGUST 2018