Terrain Minerals (ASX:TMX) reports metallurgical testwork has confirmed its Lightning Gold Project can be processed using conventional gravity and cyanide leach methods.
The program, completed by Independent Metallurgical Operations in Perth, achieved overall gold recoveries of 87.0%, 92.1%, and 93.7% across three composites using standard Western Australian gold plant flowsheets.
Recoveries were achieved at a conventional grind size of P80 at 75 microns, with gravity circuits capturing between 30.6% and 50.8% of gold before leaching.
At the 24-hour mark, composites returned 82.1%, 91.7%, and 95.3% recovery respectively under optimised conditions. Terrain says total carbon content remained at or below 0.03% across all composites, with organic carbon at or below 0.02% and sulphide sulphur ranging from 0.74% to 1.35%.
Executive Director Justin Virgin says this is the result the company was looking for.
“The testwork shows that Lightning gold can be treated through a conventional gold processing plant, with recoveries in the high eighties to low nineties, a straightforward grind size and a meaningful proportion of the gold recoverable by gravity,” Virgin says.
“Whilst it is still too early to make any statement on the potential economic viability of the project, these results do provide more than sufficient confidence for the company to continue advancing towards a future Scoping Study at the Lightning Gold Project.”
The Lightning Project sits within mining lease M59/796, part of Terrain’s Smokebush Project 350km north of Perth. The deposit hosts a maiden inferred mineral resource estimate of 677,000 tonnes at 2.5 grams per tonne gold for 54,000 ounces.
Confirmatory testwork on diamond core samples is planned for 2027 alongside reagent dosage optimisation.
Terrain Minerals is an explorer with a portfolio of projects across WA and Queensland.
Write to Paula Fabe at Mining.com.au
Images: Terrain Minerals
