Aim-listed gold miner Xtract Resources reports substantial improvements in alluvial mining contractor gold production at its Manica alluvial operations, in Mozambique.
Xtract is reviewing further contractors’ proposals for the western half of the concession.
Xtract executive chairperson Colin Bird on Thursday said the continued overall improvement in alluvial gold production in the prior quarter shows pleasing progress and the company hopes to build on this, while looking forward to the second quarter production results in mid-July.
“We are considering dividing the concession into north-south halves as opposed to east-west since the river beds and terraces require different processing plant configuration.”
“We are currently in the process of identifying more hard rock mining positions, irrespective of whether the crop is oxide transition or sulphide, and concurrently evaluating the cost and time of operating the plant to treat all gold mineralisation types. The co-ownership of an all-purpose plant will position the collaboration agreement very strongly in the Manica area," he commented.
Xtract, which has a hard rock collaboration agreement with Omnia Mining for the exploitation of hard rock deposits at the Manica concession, has uncovered concealed extensions to hard rock exposure. Exposures have been channel sampled and rock chips have been sent for assay sampling.
The parties are investigating the cost of upgrading the current plant to feed all types of oxidation from oxides to sulphides.
“We continue to address key areas of performance in respect of alluvial production based on the experience built up over the last eight months, since the mining contractors commenced alluvial production in October 2017, reflecting the random nature of alluvial gold distribution.”
“The Manica alluvials are typical in that the presence of gold is often random, supporting our assessment that volume is the key to a successful alluvial operation,” concluded Bird.