Turkey-focused Ariana Resources has launched a revised economic study to consider the viability of mining and trucking the ore from its Kizilcukur project to the Kiziltepe mine for processing.
The 100%-owned Kizilcukur project falls outside the Red Rabbit Joint Venture with Proccea Construction, which owns the Kiziltepe mine.
Ariana MD Kerin Sener said that the Kizilcukur has the potential to be a satellite source of ore for the Kiziltepe mine.
“Recent metallurgical tests demonstrate that the Kizilcukur ore responds well to the leach conditions utilised within the Kiziltepe processing plant, with very high gold recovery. Further work will be conducted on the ore to determine the variability of recovery over a greater range of grade and other characteristics,” he stated.
Metallurgical testwork derived from a bulk sample of 7.4 t demonstrates high gold recoveries ranging from 83% to 92%. Precious metal content of the samples ranged up to 7.7 g/t gold and 160 g/t silver, with coincident base metals.