Mid way through their Great Western project Scoping Study, Terrain Minerals have made the call to upgrade their project analysis to Pre-Feasibility quality in order to fast track it and to comply with new ASIC rules that prevent listed companies from releasing certain results from scoping studies.
The company has been working with mining consultants CSA Global to complete the scoping study at the Great Western project, which sits just off the main highway about 68km north of Leonora in Western Australia.
About 42% of the Jorc 2012 compliant mineral resource at Great Western is currently classified as “Inferred” and Terrain are now designing a 700m RC drill program to upgrade it to “Indicated” status before they release any results.
They have also committed to an onsite process study to ensure that all results released are backed by rigorous data.
Work is now underway to better define mining, transport and toll treating costs and a metallurgist is currently designing a ~250 000 ton per annum onsite crushing and gravity circuit.
The company says that previous Abdel metallurgical test work indicated that a high gravity recovery was achieved and there is an expectation that Great Western will develop as a stand alone single pit operation.
Importantly, quotes are now being sought to build the plant from good condition used components, which will no doubt greatly enhance the business case for the project.
The current resource at Great Western which is still open down plunge and along strike sits at 322,500 tonnes @ 5.14 grams per tonne gold.
Interestingly, Terrain recently discovered that the historic underground mine at Great Western was mined years ago using a process that back filled the old stopes with processed battery sands to gain access to the ore above.
Samples of these battery sands were tested by the previous owner of the project at the Kalgoorlie school of mines and they returned an average grade of 4.0g/t gold.
Don’t be surprised if this one throws up a few more surprises along the way.
By Matt Birney
