No previous metallurgical testwork has been completed on the skarn mineralisation at the project where a recent inferred resource of 984,412oz gold at 6.67g/t was estimated.
A near-surface, epithermal indicated resource of 294,395oz at 0.40g/t was also established, comprising oxide, transition and sulphide zones, and positioning James Bay Minerals (ASX:JBY) as a significant high-grade gold explorer.
Given the high-grade nature of the skarn-hosted resource, the company believes there could be significant potential to optimise recoveries using conventional processing methods such as flotation, pressure oxidation (POX) or other sulphide-specific techniques.
The upcoming testwork will provide valuable insights into the most efficient processing route and will inform future development plans.
JBY executive director Matthew Hayes said the metallurgical program was a key step in clarifying the recovery potential of the high-grade skarn resource.
“While previous testwork focused solely on near-surface oxide material suitable for heap leaching, no metallurgical studies have been conducted to optimise gold recovery for the sulphide or transition material,” he said.
“This program will address that gap, ensuring a clear understanding of the project’s full potential and identifying the most effective processing methods.”
The neighbouring Fortitude Mine, which historically produced 2.1Moz of gold from 1984 to 1993 at an average grade of 6.68g/t with recoveries of more than 90%, is in the same Battle Formation geological unit as JBY’s Independence skarn resource.
Junior exploration companies are continuing to leverage the rising gold price, which touched a record high of US $3000/oz last week.
This high price environment creates more opportunities for companies to attract investment and generally leads to a healthy wave of market activity including M&A deals and strategic partnerships/joint ventures.
Through the engagement of external metallurgical consultants, the selection and preparation of drill core will begin from existing project drill holes.
JBY plans to evaluate recoveries from the untested skarn resource and enhance the epithermal transitional and sulphide recoveries through optimised metallurgical testing.
Results from the metallurgical testwork will be incorporated into the future stages of project development.
