Aim-listed Xtract Resources chairperson Colin Bird says the latest assay results from drilling at the Silverking copper project, in Zambia, have doubled the strike extent of the high-grade mineralisation to more than 160 m.
Xtract is working to earn up to a 70% interest in the project from Oval Mining and has reported on the assay results for a second batch of diamond drill holes, which demonstrated continued high-grade copper and silver intercepts over significant mineralised widths.
The company noted that metallurgical testwork now extended to include upgrading and pre-concentration of lower-grade footwall and hangingwall mineralisation using gravity processes – spirals and jigs – to generate a pre-concentrate for final processing at a centralised facility.
Further, it said the amenability of lower-grade mineralisation had the potential to materially increase production tonnage and copper output subject to successful testwork.
“We will continue to step out drilling until we reach the limits of mineralisation and, at the same time, will continue to test the depth of mineralisation with selected deeper drilling to approximately 400 vertical metres,” Bird said.
He added that the scope of the metallurgical testwork had been expanded and that the company was working with metallurgical engineers that had had “very exciting” results upgrading lower-grade copper mineralisation through conventional gravity processing to produce a pre-concentrate for suitable final concentration processes.
“This could be significant as our high-grade orebody is typically associated with a lower-grade mineralised envelope that may be treatable, offering additional copper production. We will continue to update shareholders as new assay data is generated.” 