10 Jun 2019 12:00
10 June 2019
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PILOT MOUNTAIN - SUCCESSFUL METALLURGICAL PROCESSING
INITIAL FINDING OF GOLD IN THE PROCESS SAMPLE
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The Board of Thor Mining Plc ("Thor") (AIM, ASX: THR) is pleased to announce positive metallurgical testwork results from drill samples from the Desert Scheelite deposit at the 100% owned Pilot Mountain in Nevada USA.
In addition to this successful testwork, assays of both the head sample and the tailings following scheelite recovery showed potentially economic levels of gold in the sample.
Highlights
Β· Production of a scheelite concentrate assaying over 68% WOβ (tungsten trioxide);
Β· Metallurgical recovery of 73.6%;
Β· Gold assays of 0.29g/t in the initial feed, and 0.33g/t in the combined tailings.
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Mick Billing, Executive Chairman, commented:
"This is a significant step forward for our 100% owned Pilot Mountain project."
"The locked cycle testwork has demonstrated production of a high grade scheelite concentrate with good recoveries".
"We are following up the gold potential via extraction of sample pulps from previous testwork which will be re-assayed for gold".
"Significant potential exists for further enhancements to this work which may improve project economic outcomes".
" Tungsten remains classified as a critical mineral in the USA, with no domestic tungsten production".
"We continue to have a principle focus on securing off-take and finance agreements for our flagship Molyhil project, and we will keep investors appraised of progress as appropriate. However our other projects, including Pilot Mountain, have significant value and we are committed to continuing to take these forward".
Further Information
Locked cycle metallurgical testwork has been conducted on 600Kg of drill core grading 0.265% WOβ from the Desert Scheelite deposit at Pilot Mountain, by the Guangdong Institute of Resources Comprehensive Utilization in Guangzhou, PRC, under the supervision of Mr Matt Bolu of BOMENCO Inc. in Vancouver, Canada.
The material selected from 3 diamond drill holes, is considered to be representative of the potential processing feed from the first few years of open pit mining at the Desert Scheelite deposit.
The work follows earlier, open cycle, testwork by Black Fire Minerals (ASX: BFE) (reported to ASX 11 October 2013), on a more broad selection of material, including from the other deposits at Pilot Mountain, which produced a 65% WOβ concentrate at 65% recovery. This earlier work was carried out on samples averaging 0.38% WOβ, a 43% higher grade than the material selected for the testwork now reported. Assays for gold were not carried out in this 2013 work.
The major component composition of the ore tested is as follows:
Element | WO3 | Mo | Zn | Cu | S | Fe | Au* | Ag* | As |
Abundance, % | 0.265 | 0.0173 | 0.52 | 0.068 | 0.38 | 11.56 | 0.29 | 9.00 | 0.009 |
Element | CaCO3 | CaF2 | P | SiO2 | Al2O3 | MgO | K2O | Na2O | Mn |
Abundance, % | 14.63 | 2.12 | 0.048 | 41.88 | 4.43 | 1.39 | 0.044 | 0.043 | 0.94 |
Table A: Major chemical composition of ore tested.
*: grams/tonne
The material selected was sufficiently oxidised (weathered) which limited any meaningful possible flotation recovery of copper, zinc, and silver minerals. Other deeper parts of the Desert Scheelite deposit, and other deposits at Pilot Mountain, have are considered likely to exhibit less weathering , and potential therefore exists for economic recovery of portion of those minerals in other phases of mining at Pilot Mountain. Testwork for this purpose shall be scheduled during the feasibility study process.
The testwork produced a scheelite concentrate considered saleable at a recovery of 73.57% with a chemical composition as follows:
Product | Assay % | ||||||||
WO3 | CaCO3 | CaF2 | SiO2 | P2O5 | S | As | Mo | Fe | |
H. G. Conc. | 68.22 | 4.05 | 2.43 | 0.52 | 0.010 | 0.55 | 0.006 | 3.11 | 0.48 |
Table B: Major chemical composition of concentrate produced.
Further work is also scheduled with the aim of improving the quality of this concentrate.
The tailings produced from the testwork contained potentially economic levels of gold assayed at 0.33 g/t along with other tungsten minerals which are not normally recovered using flotation, including wolframite. These may have potential for subsequent recovery, and this will be investigated.
Table C: Pilot Mountain Resource Summary 2018 - Announced 13 December 2018
Β | Resource | WO3 | Ag | Cu | Zn | ||||||
Β | Β | MT | Grade % | Contained metal (t) | Grade g/t | Contained metal (t) | Grade % | Contained metal (t) | Grade % | Contained metal (t) | |
Garnet | Indicated | Β | - | - | Β | Β | Β | Β | Β | Β | |
Inferred | 1.83 | 0.36 | 6,590 | Β | Β | Β | Β | Β | Β | ||
Β | Sub Total | 1.83 | 0.36 | 6,590 | Β | Β | Β | Β | Β | Β | |
Desert Scheelite | Indicated | 9.01 | 0.26 | 23,400 | 20.73 | 187 | 0.15 | 13,200 | 0.41 | 37,100 | |
Inferred | 1.69 | 0.25 | 4,300 | 12.24 | 21 | 0.16 | 2,800 | 0.19 | 3,200 | ||
Β | Sub Total | 10.70 | 0.26 | 27,700 | 19.38 | 207 | 0.15 | 16,000 | 0.38 | 40,300 | |
Summary | Indicated | 9.01 | 0.26 | 23,400 | Β | Β | Β | Β | Β | Β | |
Inferred | 3.53 | 0.31 | 10,890 | Β | Β | Β | Β | Β | Β | ||
Pilot Mountain Total | 12.53 | 0.27 | 34,290 | Β | Β | Β | Β | Β | Β | ||
| Β | Β | Β | Β | Β | Β | Β | Β | Β | Β | Β | Β |
Note:
Β· 100% owned by Thor Mining PLC
Β· All figures are rounded to reflect appropriate levels of confidence. Apparent differences may occur due to rounding
Β· Cut-off grade 1,500ppm WOβ
Β· The Company is not aware of any information or data which would materially affect this previously announced resource estimate, and all assumptions and technical parameters relevant to the estimate remain unchanged.
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Gold has not been routinely assayed at Pilot Mountain, either historically or by Thor. Until further follow-up work on the gold found in this test sample is done, it remains unknown at this stage whether gold will have an economic impact or not on the project.
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The information contained within this announcement is deemed to constitute inside information as stipulated under the Market Abuse Regulations (EU) No. 596/2014. Upon the publication of this announcement, this inside information is now considered to be in the public domain.
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Enquiries:
Mick Billing | +61 (8) 7324 1935 | Thor Mining PLC | ExecutiveΒ Chairman |
Ray Ridge | +61 (8) 7324 1935 | Thor Mining PLC | CFO/Company Secretary |
Colin Aaronson/ Richard Tonthat/ Ben Roberts | +44 (0) 207 383 5100 Β | Grant Thornton UK LLP Β | Nominated Adviser |
Nick Emerson | +44 (0) 1483 413 500 | SI Capital Ltd | Joint Broker |
David Hignell / Rob ReesΒ | +44Β (0) 20 3470 0470 | SP Angel Corporate Finance LLP | Joint Broker |
Tim Blythe/ Camilla Horsfall | +44 (0) 207 138 3222 | Blytheweigh | Financial PR |
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CompetentΒ Person'sΒ Report
The information in this report that relates to exploration results is based on information compiled by Richard Bradey, who holds a BSc in applied geology and an MSc in natural resource management and who is a Member of The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. Mr Bradey is an employee of Thor Mining PLC. He has sufficient experience which is relevant to the style of mineralisation and type of deposit under consideration and to the activity which he is undertaking to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the 2012 Edition of the 'Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves'. Richard Bradey consents to the inclusion in the report of the matters based on his information in the form and context in which it appears.
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UpdatesΒ onΒ theΒ Company'sΒ activitiesΒ areΒ regularlyΒ postedΒ onΒ Thor'sΒ website Β www.thormining.com,Β which includesΒ aΒ facilityΒ toΒ registerΒ toΒ receiveΒ theseΒ updatesΒ byΒ email,Β andΒ onΒ theΒ Company'sΒ twitterΒ page @ThorMining.
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AboutΒ ThorΒ MiningΒ PLC
ThorΒ MiningΒ PLCΒ (AIM,Β ASX:Β THR)Β isΒ aΒ resourcesΒ companyΒ quotedΒ onΒ theΒ AIMΒ MarketΒ ofΒ theΒ LondonΒ Stock Exchange andΒ onΒ ASXΒ in Australia.
ThorΒ holdsΒ 100%Β ofΒ the advancedΒ Molyhil tungsten project in the NorthernΒ Territory of Australia, forΒ which anΒ updated feasibility study inΒ August 2018ΒΉΒ suggestedΒ attractive returns.
Adjacent Molyhil, at Bonya, Thor holds a 40% interest in deposits of tungsten, copper, and vanadium, including an Inferred resource for the Bonya copper depositΒ².
ThorΒ alsoΒ holdsΒ 100%Β ofΒ theΒ PilotΒ MountainΒ tungstenΒ projectΒ inΒ NevadaΒ USAΒ whichΒ hasΒ aΒ JORCΒ 2012 Indicated andΒ InferredΒ Resources EstimateΒ³Β onΒ 2Β ofΒ theΒ 4 knownΒ deposits. The US Department of the Interior has confirmed that tungsten, the primary resource mineral at Pilot Mountain, has been included in the final list of Critical Minerals 2018.
ThorΒ isΒ alsoΒ acquiringΒ upΒ toΒ aΒ 60%Β interestΒ AustralianΒ copper developmentΒ companyΒ EnvironmentalΒ Copper RecoveryΒ SAΒ Pty Ltd,Β whichΒ inΒ turnΒ holdsΒ rightsΒ toΒ earnΒ upΒ toΒ aΒ 75%Β interestΒ inΒ theΒ mineralΒ rights andΒ claims overΒ the resourceβ΄ on the portionΒ of the historic KapundaΒ copperΒ mineΒ inΒ SouthΒ Australia recoverableΒ by way ofΒ in situ recovery.
ThorΒ hasΒ anΒ interestΒ inΒ Hawkstone MiningΒ Limited,Β anΒ AustralianΒ ASX listed company withΒ aΒ 100%Β Interest inΒ a LithiumΒ projectΒ in Arizona, USA.
Finally,Β ThorΒ also holdsΒ a productionΒ royalty entitlementΒ fromΒ theΒ SpringΒ HillΒ GoldΒ projectβ΅Β of:
β’ Β A$6Β perΒ ounceΒ ofΒ goldΒ producedΒ fromΒ theΒ SpringΒ HillΒ tenementsΒ whereΒ theΒ goldΒ producedΒ isΒ soldΒ forΒ up to A$1,500Β perΒ ounce;Β and
β’ Β A$14Β perΒ ounceΒ ofΒ goldΒ producedΒ fromΒ theΒ SpringΒ HillΒ tenementsΒ whereΒ theΒ goldΒ producedΒ isΒ soldΒ for amountsΒ overΒ A$1,500Β perΒ ounce.
Notes
ΒΉΒ ReferΒ ASXΒ andΒ AIMΒ announcementΒ ofΒ 23Β AugustΒ 2018
Β² ReferΒ ASXΒ andΒ AIMΒ announcementΒ ofΒ 26Β NovemberΒ 2018
Β³Β ReferΒ AIMΒ announcementΒ ofΒ 13 December 2018Β andΒ ASXΒ announcementΒ ofΒ 14 December 2018
β΄Β ReferΒ AIMΒ announcementΒ ofΒ 10Β FebruaryΒ 2016Β andΒ ASXΒ announcementΒ ofΒ 12Β FebruaryΒ 2018
β΅Β ReferΒ AIMΒ announcementΒ ofΒ 26Β FebruaryΒ 2016Β andΒ ASXΒ announcementΒ ofΒ 29Β FebruaryΒ 2016
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