Surefire Resources has achieved excellent gold recoveries of between 97.6 per cent and 99.5 per cent from gravity and cyanide leach tests on samples from the company’s Yidby gold project in the Murchison district of WA’s Mid West. The metallurgical test work was designed to provide greater insights into Surefire’s potential overall gold recovery and processing options for the project.
The testing was conducted by distinguished laboratory services provider ASX-listed ALS in Perth on samples collected from a variety of previously completed RC exploration drill programs. The majority of gold was extracted in between two and four hours with high recoveries in the gravity component followed by a low reagent consumption when leaching the remaining available gold.
Gold recovered by gravity-based processing was high, between the ranges of 43.2 per cent and 67 per cent.
Surefire Resources Managing Director, Vladimir Nikolaenko said: “The sighter-level metallurgical testwork shows Yidby is not refractory and is highly amenable to processing through industry-standard gravity and cyanide leaching.”
“It’s early days as we continue to explore the emerging Yidby discovery. Results of the current diamond core program will be evaluated in coming weeks with a view to guiding further extensional drilling.”
The Yidby gold deposit is considered a ‘blind discovery’ as the area is covered by up to 20m of barren transported overburden that overlies and masks the gold mineralisation. So far Surefire has drilled 81 RC and diamond drill holes at the project for nearly 10,000m of drilling.
Yidby’s mineralised footprint has increased significantly since the project’s acquisition in mid-2020, particularly with the discovery of two new prospects announced by Surefire in late September. The project’s mineralisation zone once spanned across a distance of 300m but has now been pushed to a distance over 1.2km.
Any extra ounces Surefire can uncover from beneath the barren overburden will surely be welcome as the price of the precious metal appears to have reclaimed significant territory since the start of the month. Gold dipped below US$1620 per ounce on November 03 and is now hovering above US$1770 today.
The Yidby gold project, south-west of Mount Magnet, is considered Surefire’s flagship.
Several gold deposits surround Yidby, including the 1.1-million-ounce Minjar project to the north-west, the one-million-ounce Kirklocka project 70km to the north-east and the 2.1-million-ounce Mount Gibson gold project 30km to the south.
Surefire also has the exciting potential of vanadium at its Victory Bore/Unaly Hill project, 48km south of Sandstone in WA’s Mid West region.
The project comprises one of WA’s largest contained vanadium pentoxide resources, with an inferred mineral resource of 237 million tonnes grading 0.43 per cent vanadium pentoxide, 24.9 per cent iron and 5.9 per cent titanium oxide.
Vanadium pentoxide is used as a catalyst in the manufacture of dyes, printing fabrics and also among other things in ceramics and superconductive magnets.
Vanadium pentoxide flake currently fetches about US$7.50 per pound and Surefire Resources has an impressive 2.263 billion pounds at Victory Bore/Unaly Hill
Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: matt.birney@businessnews.com.au
By Matt Birney
