Minera Alamos Inc. announced it is fast-tracking development activities at the Cerro de Oro gold project in Zacatecas, Mexico. It has completed its internal evaluation of historical information and is in the process of finalizing an inaugural resource estimate for the project in the coming weeks. An updated geological model for the project is being prepared, which will act as the basis for a drill program focused on zones of potential resource expansion and to confirm the suitability of proposed locations for heap leach pads and ponds.
Metallurgical testwork demonstrated the amenability of oxide mineralization to gold recovery via cyanidation and that potential also exists for recovery from transition/sulphide mineralization.
The company said basic engineering for the permitting of a heap-leach gold recovery facility is under way with a target to submit permit applications for the project in early 2021.
A new detailed topographic survey has been completed that covers the core claims as well as significant areas of surrounding land that are under consideration for both resource expansion activities and the construction of heap- leach gold recovery facilities.
Plans are under way for a hydrogeological survey of the concession to prioritize locations for process water access.
“In just a few short months since the Cerro de Oro acquisition, we have rapidly advanced the project on a number of parallel fronts,” CEO Darren Koningen said. “All indications to date support our belief that the deposit is an ideal project for the design and development of another low-capital intensity heap-leach operation to expand the company’s future growth potential.”
The majority of the metallurgical testwork completed on samples from the Cerro de Oro project was performed during 2017 to 2019. Data from this preliminary work is being utilized as a starting basis for engineering designs that are currently under way, according to the company. It has initiated a new program of metallurgical studies to provide additional details prior to the completion of final engineering designs.
Although the majority of the metallurgical work completed to date has focused on the oxide mineralization in the Cerro de Oro deposit, the results from a limited number of mixed oxide/sulphide transition samples did not appear significantly different than what was observed with the oxide material, the company said.
The company said upcoming metallurgical program planned for the project aims to confirm the results from previous studies and to further optimize the parameters to be utilized for construction of a heap-leach gold facility at the project.
This will include coarse bottle leach optimization studies to evaluate crush size/gold recovery relationships; leach studies to specifically examine areas of mineralization associated with reduced host rock permeability and elevated copper contents; sulphide mineralization leach studies; hardness/abrasivity studies for major rock lithologies; and rock density determinations for different lithologies within the deposit.
