Extractive Industries

Alba to start phase II sampling at Clogau waste dump

Alba Mineral Resources plc is due to start follow-up pitting and sampling in the historic waste rock dump at Clogau-St David’s gold mine, North Wales.

Potential: pitting and sampling should give a more accurate assessment of one section of the waste rock dump (stock photo)

ASSAYS

Following an initial sampling exercise in 2021, which returned gold grades of up to 9.89 g/t, the company will focus on higher grade zones.

Alba has received clearance for the exercise from the mineral planning authority and Natural Resources Wales (NRW).

The company said that five pits would be dug within 400m² and 60kg samples of fines material from each pit submitted for independent assaying.

If the assay values are in line with initial sampling, Alba intends to process a larger volume of the excavated fines through its existing gravity plant to extract the gold content.

It will then submit a plan to mine and process the higher grade section of the dump.

Alba estimates the entire waste dump to hold up to 5,000 tonnes of fines material which it could potentially mine at low cost.

Chief operating officer Mark Austin said that the second pitting and sampling phase should give the company a more accurate assessment of the economic potential of one section of the waste rock dump.  

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