- In an effort to expedite development work, Sonoro Gold (SGO) has begun metallurgical testing at its Cerro Caliche Project in Mexico
- McClelland Laboratories has been contracted to carry out the work, which will use more than 5,500 kilograms of mineralised material
- The program will determine the heap leach characteristics of the mineralisation at the project and will provide quantified estimates of gold and silver recovery
- Previous testing suggested that the material would be amendable to cyanide leaching, which will now be confirmed by the independent laboratory
- The accelerated work is part of a broader aim to commence gold production by the end of 2021
- Sonoro Gold is currently down 5.45 per cent to C$0.26 per share
In an effort to expedite development work, Sonoro Gold (SGO) has begun metallurgical testing at its Cerro Caliche Project in Mexico.
The Vancouver-based exploration has contracted McClelland Laboratories to carry out the work, using 5,500 kilograms of mineralised material from 10 core holes which has now been shipped to a laboratory in Sparks, Nevada.
In an attempt to fast-track the development of a Heap Leach Mining Operation at Cerro Caliche, the test work will determine the heap leach characteristics of the mineralisation at the project and will provide estimates of gold and silver recovery from the various mineralised zones near surface and at depth.
Previous test work carried out by Sonoro in 2019 using at-surface material from the Japoneses Zone suggested that the mineralised material may be amendable to cyanide leaching, which will now be verified.
“Launching the metallurgical testing program represents an important advancement in the development of Cerro Caliche,” said Kenneth MacLeod, CEO of Sonoro Gold.
“We are also pleased to have engaged the services of McClelland Laboratories, a widely respected metallurgical testing firm with significant expertise in the successful planning of similar open-pit heap leach mining operations in Sonora State,” he added.
Sonoro Gold said it hopes to begin gold production by the end of 2021. However, this target remains subject to several conditions, including the completion of the metallurgical testing, the receipt of necessary environmental permits, a favourable preliminary economic assessment and the availability of project financing.
Sonoro Gold is currently down 5.45 per cent to C$0.26 per share at 3:04pm EST.