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November 2016
MODERN MINING
5
MINING News
Galane Gold, listed on the TSX-V, has
announced that prospect drives at its Tau
underground mine, part of its Mupane
operation near Francistown in Botswana,
have led to the discovery of the potential
extension of the Tau orebody at depth.
As part of the company’s recent review
of historical exploration data, anomalous
mineral intersections were observed as
they were structurally displaced from the
main Tau orebody and sub-outcropping
beyond the interpreted Western dyke
limit of the orebody. A prospect drive was
mined at the 820RL level (170 m below
surface) to investigate the anomalous min-
eral intersection, and a mineralised zone
(C Reef) was intersected.
Since the first intersection of the C Reef,
a total 265 m of on-reef development has
been completed on three consecutive lev-
els to determine the strike extent of the reef.
At 820RL, the strike extent was found to be
60 m; at 800RL, the strike extent increased
significantly to 135m; and, at 780RL, Galane
is currently mining along strike and a total
of 70 m of strike has been exposed.
On the 820 and 800 levels, the C Reef
widths varied along strike from a minimum
of approximately 2 m up to a maximum of
7 m; from the development channel sam-
pling, the intersected grade on the 820
level was 4,78 g/t and on the 800RL level
2,51 g/t. At 780RL, the intersected grade
is 3,66 g/t for the 70 m of exposed strike
length. Further to this, at 780RL the C Reef
has also widened significantly to a width of
approximately 15 m.
To date, a total of 19 380 tonnes of ore
has been extracted from the C Reef hori-
zon at an average mined grade of 3,44 g/t.
The ore mineralisation characteristics of
the C Reef are similar to those of the main
Tau orebody, being a ‘disseminated style’
of mineralisation in well-bedded, silici-
fied quartz-rich parts of the graphitic iron
formation.
An exploration programme is being
planned to start in 2017 to investigate
if there is a down dip and the possible
extent of the C Reef strike beyond the
current mined area within the active
underground working areas. There has yet
to be sufficient exploration on the C Reef
to extrapolate that the C Reef extends
beyond the current mined area.
Galane identifies potential extension of Tau orebody
Galane has discovered a potential extension
of the Tau orebody at depth.
Galane Gold CEO Nick Brodie com-
mented: “ This could prove to be a
significant discovery and of potential
importance for the long term future of
Mupane once more studies and economic
analysis can occur and be reported on. We
had planned to start looking for the poten-
tial extension of Tau at depth in 2017 and
so this was a positive surprise to intersect
the potential extension so early and there-
fore be in a position to incorporate it into
our current mining plan.
“If through further exploration and
analysis we confirm that this is the exten-
sion of the Tau orebody at depth, it will
be a further vindication of management’s
decision over two years ago to commence
the underground operation.”
Final stage of Ngualla project flowsheet confirmed
Australia’s Peak Resources Limited has
announced the successful completion of
the leach recovery pilot plant, a key mile-
stone in enabling its Ngualla project to
become a low operating and capital cost
mine, capable of producing high value, high
demand rare earths for use in the magnet
metal market.
Ngualla is located in southern Tanzania,
147 km from the city of Mbeya on the edge
of the East African Rift Valley. The project is
centered on the Ngualla Carbonatite. Peak
announced a maiden mineral resource for
Ngualla in February 2012, which ranked it
as the fifth largest rare earth deposit in the
western world.
Testing of the leach recovery process,
developed by Peak’s metallurgical team
specifically for the low carbonate and low
phosphate bastnaesite mineralisation pres-
ent at Ngualla, was completed at ANSTO
Minerals’dedicated piloting facility at Lucas
Heights, New South Wales, Australia.
The pilot plant delivered high recoveries
(greater than 90 %) of the target magnet
metals neodymium and praseodymium.
The validation of the leach recovery
process follows the earlier validation of
the beneficiation and separation processes
(both of which were operated to pilot plant
phase) and allows Peak to demonstrate a
clear and viable processing pathway from
Run-of-Mine ore to the production of sale-
able rare earth products.
Peak’s Managing Director, Darren
Townsend, commented that the company
was pleased to have completed this final
milestone before completion of the proj-
ect Bankable Feasibility Study, which is
expected in early 2017.
“The completion of the leach recovery
pilot plant unequivocally demonstrates
Peak’s enviable advantage of having favour-
able mineralogy at Ngualla which is capable
of delivering a product suite that is aligned
to the high demand and value magnet
metal market,” he said.
“We are confident that – with our pro-
cessing flowsheet confirmed as both
technically feasible and deliverable at low
operating and capital costs compared to
our industry peers – the Ngualla project is
on track for near-term development.”