These advances encourage TOR that a quality mineral resource estimate can be delineated in H1 2024. Pic via Getty Images
‘A first-class, emerging gold project’: Torque’s Paris project recovers 96.79pc gold through metallurgical testwork
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- Metallurgical testwork at the Paris project exceeds expectations
- 40% of gold is recovered through gravity concentration, cyanide leach testing produced overall gold recoveries of 96.7% in Paris and 99.7% in observation at low cyanide consumption
- Paris resource expected H1 2024
- Drilling continues at the New Dawn lithium project, less than 1km from the Bald Hill mine
The quality of Torque’s Paris project is on full display after metallurgical test work demonstrated 40% of the gold is amenable to low cost gravity recovery, with overall gold recoveries of 96.7% achieved with low cyanide consumption.
Torque Metals’ (ASX:TOR) Bald-Hill-adjacent New Dawn lithium project is stealing all the headlines, but the Paris gold project near Kalgoorlie in WA’s goldfields also has the makings of a first class project.
A potential neighbour to Gold Fields’ St Ives gold mine and Karora Resources’ Higginsville gold operation, Paris is on the Boulder-Lefroy Fault, host to over 70Moz of gold production.
The project features 57km of largely unexplored strike extensions, adding massive opportunities for the explorer to grow Paris into a major gold mining camp, like that of the majors next door.
Right now, there’s a 2.5km-long gold zone at Paris spanning the Paris, HHH, Eva and Observation prospects, where Torque has been hitting numerous thick, shallow and high grades in drilling including a highlight 35m at 14.12g/t from 158m.
The gold zone remains open all over the place. There are also additional potential mineralised structures to be tested in the next drilling campaign.
The company says a maiden resource could be delineated in Q1 next year.
Metallurgical testwork on Paris and Observation deposits
Metallurgical testing is important because it shows how much metal can be economically extracted via processing, and how much will go to waste.
Gold recovery results have now been received from independent sigher metallurgical testing conducted on each of the Paris and Observation deposits within the project.
Gravity tests, prior to cyanide leaching, confirmed the presence of coarse gravity recoverable gold, accounting for 40.7% of the gold within the Paris composite and 39.9% of the gold within the Observation composite.
Cyanide leach testing produced overall gold recoveries of 96.7% from the composite calculated head grade of 5.57 g/t for Paris at a grind size of P80 106 µm and 99.7% from composite calculated head grade of 2.35 g/t for Observation at a grind size of P80 150 µm.
On the road to a resource in 2024
Torque believes this metallurgical characterisation of both the Paris and Observation prospects is vindication of the company’s view that it holds a first-class, emerging gold project.
“Benefits from the inaugural diamond drill campaign, as initially revealed by assays and now reinforced by IMO’s metallurgical analysis, are being realised,” Torque MD Cristian Moreno says.
“Very high gold recoveries through standard cyanide leaching show the benign, free milling mineralogy.
“That 40% of the gold is amenable to gravity recovery further exposes the quality of the deposits.
“These advances encourage the company that a quality resource can be delineated in H1 2024.”
A second-round diamond drill program is now planned will provide new material for the next round of metallurgical test work.
What is happening at new Dawn?
The explorers immediate focus remains on testing the lithium potential of the recently acquired New Dawn lithium project where it has recently started drilling.
New Dawn is an untapped lithium and tantalum occurrence just 600m along strike of the established 26.5 Mt at 1% Li2O spodumene Bald Hill lithium and tantalum mine.
The company has an option to acquire 100% of the project, which occupies two pre-native title and granted mining licences, providing ability to fast-track any potential discovery into development.
The news lit a rocket under the $42m capped stock, which has 2,700m for 22 holes planned across this maiden campaign. Highly anticipated assays will follow.
This article was developed in collaboration with Torque Metals , a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing.
This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions.
