Copper probe drives open pit play for American West

Multi-metal explorer American West Metals says the latest assays from a diamond probe of its West Desert project in Utah have confirmed the presence of near-surface extensions of zinc, copper, gold and indium mineralisation that has emphasised the operation’s open pit mining potential. According to the company, the results add another win to a remarkable campaign that continues to highlight the venture’s quality and scale.

Headline intersections include an 11m thick interval going 6.46 per cent zinc, 0.17 per cent copper, 0.22 grams per tonne gold and 90.73 g/t indium from 74.54m.

The strike housed a higher grade 7.17m component running 8.57 per cent zinc, 0.26 per cent copper, 0.33 g/t gold and 77.48 g/t indium from the same depth.

The results form part of a broader 35.52m interval grading 3.2 per cent zinc, 0.17 per cent copper, 0.15 g/t gold, 16.43 g/t silver and 52.66 g/t indium from 74.54m.

The results form part of the company’s third hole of its maiden campaign at West Desert that are aimed at proving material for metallurgical test work from the grounds near surface oxide and transitional zones. American West says the area struck boasts a considerable pocket of shallow mineralisation amenable to open-pit mining.

The results follow positive historical metallurgical test work on the oxide material that suggested the ore could be economically extracted using standard sulphuric acid leaching processes.

The study also indicated more research and process-optimisation work could deliver elevated zinc, copper and indium recoveries with lower quantities of acid.

The current drill program will look to deliver fresh samples for metallurgical testing that could further optimise the extraction process and build on earlier findings.

According to American West, targeting the venture’s oxide zones could also provide more development flexibility and substantially boost the project’s mine life. The company says earlier studies at West Desert did not include the additional material and instead focused solely on its sulphides and the development of magnetite iron ores.

Management believes an open-pit mine could drive down operational costs and will be evaluated once its metallurgical studies and an updated JORC-compliant mineral resource are completed.

Meanwhile, exploration at West Desert is continuing with the company part way through the drilling of another exploration target about 300m away.

The aim of the in-progress probe is to zone in on a strong magnetic anomaly that may host magnetite skarn mineralisation - the most common host of zinc and copper at West Desert. 

The West Desert Project is located about 160 kilometres south-west of Salt Lake City, Utah, in the Sevier Orogenic Belt and also includes the Tintic Mining District. West Desert is home to roughly 300 acres of private property, 336 unpatented lode mining claims and a single state mineral lease covering almost 32 square kilometres.

The project boasts a historical resource base of more than 59 million tonnes, with a 16.5 million-tonne high-grade core at 6.3 per cent zinc, 0.3 per cent copper and 33 g/t indium.

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