logo-loader

Scorpio Gold aims to recover more gold at Mineral Ridge as it kicks off drilling

Last updated: 14:46 30 Mar 2017 EDT, First published: 04:46 30 Mar 2017 EDT

sciorpio_gold__-_march_30_58dd0ce4b8ad1
The Mineral Ridge gold mine (pictured) is in Nevada

Canadian gold producer Scorpio Gold Corp (CVE:SGN) has kicked off a drilling programme on a heap leach pad at its Mineral Ridge project in Nevada in a bid to potentially recover up to  130,000 ounces of gold.

The work consists of 34 holes to provide sampling of around 6.3mln tonnes of mineralized material contained within the pad

The samples will then be analysed to decide if the material is amenable for further gold recovery using milling processes.

Earlier this month, Scorpio received approval from the relevant Nevada agency for its previously submitted engineering design change to potentially exploit material from this heap leach pad using a new processing mill.

Based on its own estimates, the miner reckons that the  pad contains around 6.3 million tonnes of material grading 0.61 gram per tonne, for an estimated remaining gold inventory of between around 120,000 and  130,000 ounces of gold.

Scorpio's chief executive Brian Lock added : "This program will provide Scorpio Gold with confirmation of the pad resource and the feasibility of constructing a milling facility for the mine site, providing the avenue to potentially recover an estimated 120,000 to 130,000 ounces thought to be remaining on the pad as well as the potential for up to 95-per-cent recovery of future mineralization mined at Mineral Ridge."

Scorpio Gold holds a 70% interest in the producing Mineral Ridge gold mine in Esmeralda county, Nevada, with joint venture partner Elevon having 30%.

It is a conventional open-pit mining and heap-leach operation, and it is host to multiple gold-bearing structures, veins and lenses at various stages.

Scorpio also has 100% of the advanced exploration-stage Goldwedge property in Manhattan, Nevada, with a fully permitted underground mine and 400-tonne-per-day mill facility

BenevolentAI advances novel ulcerative colitis treatment through Phase 1a trial

BenevolentAI (OTC:BAIVF) chief scientific officer Dr Anne Phelan joins Proactive's Stephen Gunnion with positive safety data from the Phase 1a, first-in-human, clinical study of BEN-8744 in healthy volunteers. Phelan explained that BEN-8744 is a potent, selective PD10 inhibitor, uniquely...

1 hour, 54 minutes ago