ASX-listed Classic Minerals has wheeled in its heavy machinery, recommencing trial mining as it edges towards production at the Kat Gap gold project in WA. The explorer’s bulk sample mining efforts were put on hold due to wet weather in spring last year.
Bulk sampling or trial mining is a common procedure for the exploration and evaluation of a mineral deposit. The gold-focused Classic says, the trial pit will further de-risk the project and give the company and its investors increased confidence in executing a greater mining operation.
The trial is also an important step it allows the company to test and refine the operation of its low-cost and mobile plant before diving into production.
The trial mining began in August of last year and was stopped shortly thereafter due to unseasonal weather conditions that made operations unsafe. After waiting weeks for the ground to dry out, the area was pelted with rain again in November and a decision was made to delay any further mining operations until warmer weather arrived.
If management had prayed for warmer weather, its prayers were answered with Western Australia’s record-breaking summer sufficiently drying the ground. The trial mining has since resumed and the main ore zone will be exposed for the first time in approximately two weeks with the sample pit finished by the end of the month, according to Classic.
The bulk sample ore material is a very small portion of the mineral resource standing at 975 thousand tones of ore grading 2.96 grams per tonne gold containing about 93 thousand ounces of gold.
The trial will process between 5,000 and 7,000 tonnes of ore grading between 4 and 6 grams per tonne of gold totalling around 645 to 1,100 ounces of the yellow metal.
Approvals have been obtained from the state regulators to excavate up to 49,000t from Kat Gap.
Back in May of last year, Classic had a moment explorer’s dream of when it drilled half a metre going a head-turning 592 g/t gold within a larger intercept of 10m running 40.54 g/t gold from a shallow 26.5m downhole.
With Classic recently shedding 80 per cent of its lithium interests the gold-focused venture is trimmed down to be focused on its yellow metal play. To move from explorer to producer is a feat few can accomplish, so many eyes will be on Classic it attempts the transformational leap.
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By Matt Birney
