96% Gold Recovery From Heap Leach Column Tests At Flat Gold Project
VANCOUVER - Tectonic Metals Inc. reported on the first-ever scoping metallurgical heap leach column tests, which achieved impressive gold recoveries of 96% and 91%. These tests were conducted on coarse ¾-inch material comprising both oxidized and non-oxidized fresh mineralized drillcore from Tectonic's flagship Flat Gold Project in Alaska. The exceptional gold recoveries not only confirm the Project's heap leach potential but also set the stage for advancing towards run-of-mine heap leach processing.
Tony Reda, President & CEO, said, "Our initial heap leach results mark a major milestone for the Flat Gold Project, a bulk-tonnage gold system showing continued strong geological similarities to Kinross Gold's Fort Knox Mine. In just two years of exploration at Flat, we have performed an extensive range of metallurgical tests-including heap leach column, conventional bottle roll, gravity separation, combined gravity and bottle roll, and flotation. These tests are crucial for evaluating and optimizing mining processing methods and de-risking the project as we advance it towards a viable economic mining opportunity. Our results clearly demonstrate that the gold mineralization at Flat is not grind-sensitive, extremely low in sulphur, non-preg-robbing and well-suited to various gold extraction techniques. Crushing and grinding typically are the largest capital cost and significant consumers of power at an operating mine, and therefore, the most expensive operational cost significantly impacting a mine's all-in sustaining costs (AISC). With that in mind, we are now more than ever excited to explore the potential for run-of-mine heap leaching, similar to the Fort Knox Mine. These metallurgical results underscore the potential for a cost-effective, large-scale mining operation in a stable jurisdiction, further establishing the Flat Project as a key asset in Tectonic's portfolio and the broader mining industry."