Mount Hope Mining achieves 98% gold recovery in Mt Solitary phase one metallurgy

• Positive metallurgical confirm exploration indications
• Testwork confirmed gold a is coarse, free-milling and highly amenable to a simple CIL processing
• Intends to fast-track multi-stage work program
• Advancing toward maiden mineral resource estimate

Mount Hope Mining (ASX:MHM) is planning to ramp-up exploration activities at the Mt Solitary gold prospect in the Cobar Basin of NSW after achieving promising results from a maiden phase one metallurgical testwork program.

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The testwork confirmed that gold at Mt Solitary is coarse, free-milling and highly amenable to a simple, conventional gravity and cyanidation (CIL) processing route.

Due to the positive outcome the company told shareholders it now intends to fast-track its work program as the project advances toward a maiden mineral resource estimate (MRE).

The company also plans to collection additional drill core to undertake further comminution characterisation, including abrasion, crushing and grinding testwork, to support process plant design and engineering studies.

Earlier this week Mount Hope finalised a drilling contract for the Mt Solitary phase three program.

The phase three program is set commence in mid-August with the 3000m RC program expected to run for approximately six weeks.

The program has been designed to target the southern and western extensions of the Mt Solitary gold prospect, beyond the limits of the current drilling, testing up to 200m south of the current mineralised envelope. 

Phase three drilling will also support geological interpretation and provide sufficient data for the preparation of a maiden JORC-compliant MRE.

MD and CEO, Fergus Kiley, said the outstanding phase one metallurgical results confirm what the visible gold observed in drill chips and earlier cyanide-solubility testwork indicated, that Mt Solitary hosts a clean, coarse-grained, free-milling gold system that responds exceptionally well to conventional gravity and cyanidation processing.

“The results are highly encouraging at this critical value-accretive stage of the project. Testwork has demonstrated favourable metallurgical characteristics, delivering an indicative combined gold recovery of +98% using a conventional gravity & cyanidation flowsheet.

“Approximately three-quarters of the contained gold is recoverable through gravity concentration alone, while around 95% of the remaining gold is readily cyanide-soluble.

“These results confirm the free-milling nature of the mineralisation, with no evidence of significant refractory behaviour, supporting a technically straightforward, low-complexity processing route and materially reducing metallurgical risk as the project advances.”

He told shareholders that importantly, these results build directly on the cyanide-solubility testwork announced in May, which demonstrated consistently high gold solubility in fresh mineralisation at depth.”

MHM was steady at 14.0¢ with a Mkt cap of $6.636M prior to markets opening.

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