PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Gold miner Alacer Gold has reported a maiden mineral resource of 294 000 oz of gold at an average grade of 1.32 g/t gold for its Ardich oxide gold deposit, some 6 km from its Çöpler gold mine, in Turkey.
The project also hosts an inferred mineral resource of 85 000 oz, at an average grade of 1.2 g/t gold.
“Ardich represents the next stage of our successful organic growth strategy as we work to add a fourth ore source to our portfolio,” said Alacer CEO and president Rod Antal.
“The Ardich mineral resource continues to demonstrate the oxide ore prospectivity from the Çöpler district. In parallel to continuing to define and grow Ardich, we will advance the environmental, permitting and processing options to ensure pathways for low-cost, near-term development of Ardich is achievable.”
Antal said that opportunities existed to process Ardich oxide ores at the existing and expanded Çöpler oxide plant facilities, or to construct standalone processing facilities at Ardich.
A feasibility study will be completed in 2019 for a 20-million-tonne incremental expansion of the Çöpler heap leach pad, and options for standalone facilities and heap leach pad facilities of varying sizes are also being explored, should the Ardich deposit grow to the full extent of the 2 km mineralised target.