Keras Resources plc / Index: AIM / Epic: KRS / Sector: Mining
14 February 2017
Keras Resources plc ('Keras' or 'the Company')
Initial High Grade Resource at Copenhagen Deposit, Warrawoona Project
Keras Resources plc is pleased to announce an initial Inferred Mineral Resource at the Copenhagen Deposit, which along with the Company's flagship Klondyke Gold Project ('Klondyke'), comprises the Warrawoona Gold Project ('Warrawoona') in the East Pilbara Gold Belt of the Pilbara Goldfield of Western Australia.
Overview
· Inferred Mineral Resource of 180,000t @ 6.1 g/t Au ('gold') for 36,000oz at the Copenhagen deposit
· Total Inferred Mineral Resource Inventory for Warrawoona now stands at 5.8Mt @ 2.2g/t Au for 410,000oz
· Resource covers 140m of strike of the area and is calculated to a maximum depth of 100m
· High-grade resource, which could potentially be exploited using open-pit mining methods, could assist in rapid payback of the development of Warrawoona
· Significant further upside - deposit remains open both down dip and along strike
· Rock chips along strike show potential for significant expansion
· Copenhagen will be a priority drill target post the proposed ASX listing
Keras Managing Director Dave Reeves said:
"In addition to adding an high-grade gold resource to our existing resource inventory at Warrawoona, today's news also confirms our belief in the prospectivity of the wider project area as we target delineating over one million ounces of gold through further drilling. With only 300m of the known 6km of strike in the Copenhagen shear drilled, including an undrilled zone of high-grade mineralisation 3km along strike at the Coronation Project, we are keen to press on with further exploration work as soon as possible.
"Being able to generate a high-grade resource so rapidly is one of the aspects that attracted us to the Warrawoona area. Having access to high-grade, open-pittable resources is a huge benefit for any potential mining development as it assists with rapid payback of the project. With this in mind, further exploration and development of Klondyke and the wider Warrawoona Project remains Keras' short term strategic focus following the proposed ASX listing. We anticipate being in a position to announce further news on the ASX process in the near future."
To view a version of the announcement with a map showing the location of Copenhagen Resource, please click here http://www.rns-pdf.londonstockexchange.com/rns/8055W_-2017-2-14.pdf
Further Details
GeoServ, an independent Perth based consultancy, was engaged by Keras in January 2017 to undertake a review of the Copenhagen gold deposit and use the recently completed drilling and historic dataset to calculate a Mineral Resource at the asset.
The Copenhagen gold deposit is situated in the East Pilbara District of the Pilbara Goldfield of Western Australia, approximately 190km southeast of Port Hedland and approximately 15km southeast of the town of Marble Bar.
Copenhagen, comprising one mining lease covering 6.0705 hectares, is located within the historic Warrawoona Mining Centre and owned by Haoma Mining NL, with Keras assuming role of operator by way of a five year right to mine, with accompanying right to purchase.
Historically gold mineralisation has been known to occur in the area in the Archaean Warrawoona Syncline in "auriferous reefs within mafic, ultramafic and sedimentary schists" (Snowden, 1997). Most historic gold production is thought to be derived from a belt of chlorite schists containing laminated banded quartz veins. The mineralisation is interpreted as shear zone controlled and related to fuchsite and sericite-chlorite-carbonate-silica-pyrite alteration along a marker black chert horizon (Snowden, 1997).
Mining development at the deposit was primarily by surficial workings and fossicking prior to the Second World War, then post war, via open cut completed in the 1980s. Pre-war, mine production is put at 260.4t @ 20.87g/t Au, with poor recoveries due to primitive metallurgical operations resulting in a recovered grade of only 4.11g/t Au for 34oz. Post-war mine production is put at 51,000t @ 4.61g/t Au and was treated via heap / vat leach. Recorded recoveries for the vat operation of 67.91%, when applied to the input material of 48,900t @ 4.49g/t Au (3,000t @ 7.4/pt Au was stockpiled), gives total post-war gold production of 4,792oz Au.
Estimation via inverse distance cubed was undertaken on two modelled domains interpreted at the deposit, utilising top cuts where necessary, to yield a Mineral Resource as shown in Table 1.
Table 1 - Copenhagen Mineral Resource Estimation Results above a 0.5 g/t Au Cut-Off
|
Tonnes |
Au (g/t) |
Ounces |
Inferred |
180,000 |
6.1 |
36,000 |
Total Resource |
180,000 |
6.1 |
36,000 |
The inability to verify various work methodologies contributing to data collection for the project, as well as some questions over assay accuracy has led to the classification of all resources as Inferred. A plausible way forward at the project is to conduct concerted drilling programmes along targeted cross sections and further comparing the results of the new drilling with those of the old. A position can then be taken as to the veracity of historic data with a view to upgrading resource classifications.
Full details of the resource estimate are contained in the JORC table 1 which is attached to this release.
Table 2 - Total Mineral Resources Warrawoona Project at a 0.5g/t cutoff
Inferred Resources |
Tonnes |
Au (g/t) |
Ounces |
Klondyke |
5,600,000 |
2.08 |
374,000 |
Copenhagen |
180,000 |
6.1 |
36,000 |
|
|
|
|
Total Resource |
5,780,000 |
2.2 |
410,000 |
Competent Persons Statement
The Information in this report that relates to Mineral Resources is based on information compiled by Mr. Daniel Saunders, a Competent Person who is a Member of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. Mr. Saunders is a director of GeoServ Pty Ltd, an independent geological consulting company. Mr. Saunders has sufficient experience that is relevant to the style of mineralisation and type of deposit under consideration and to the activity being undertaken to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the 2012 Edition of the "Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves". Mr. Saunders consents to the inclusion in the report of the matters based on his information in the form and context in which it appears.
This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of Regulation (EU) 596/2014.
**ENDS**
For further information please visit www.kerasplc.com, follow us on Twitter @kerasplc or contact the following:
Dave Reeves |
Keras Resources plc |
dave@kerasplc.com |
Nominated Adviser |
|
|
Gerry Beaney/David Hignell |
Northland Capital Partners Limited |
+44 (0) 20 3861 6625 |
Broker |
Elliot Hance/Jonathon Belliss |
Beaufort Securities Limited |
+44 (0) 20 7382 8415 |
Financial PR |
|
|
Susie Geliher/Charlotte Page |
St Brides Partners Limited |
+44 (0) 20 7236 1177 |
Notes
Keras has a portfolio of owner-operated gold interests and potentially cash generative joint venture gold projects. The Company's strategy is focussed on advancing its owner-operator gold interests towards production whilst concurrently identifying and assessing low risk, high margin joint venture operations to enable further cash flows. The Company benefits from an experienced management team, which has extensive gold experience and is based in Perth, reducing execution risk.
Gold Projects
Warrawoona Gold Project - Western Australia
· Contains the primary Klondyke Gold Project and the Copenhagen Gold Deposit
· Total Inferred Mineral Resource Inventory of 5.8Mt @ 2.2g/t Au for 410,000oz
· Active growth strategy - continue to assess additional opportunities in the project area to add contiguous lease areas to the critical mass that has been consolidated
Tribute Gold Projects
Keras has a portfolio of tribute mining agreements in the Kalgoorlie Goldfield, Australia and is targeting 20,000-30,000oz gold per annum from these assets.
Wider Portfolio
Keras is currently awaiting a mining permit for its Nayega Manganese Project in Togo. Once received it will look to develop the asset into a low-cost export mining operation.