Nine Mile Metals (CSE:NINE) is conducting bulk sample metallurgical analysis on the Nine Mile Brook Volcanic Massive Sulphide (VMS) Project in Canada.
SGS Canada and Glencore (LSE:GLEN) will be conducting their own collaborative scope of work, including sample preparation, assaying, mineralogical studies and metallurgical testing.
SGS will provide two specific samples to Glencore, which will be conducting their own metallurgical-mineralogical analysis for the Horne Smelter in Rouyn-Noranda, Québec.
Nine Mile will also deliver drill core representative of the entire copper intersection to SGS to crush to the same specifications requested by Glencore and deliver the sample accordingly. Glencore will have a large sample and an entire drill intersect sample for IsaMILL process and metallurgical analysis.
Glencore’s IsaMILL technology is considered the world’s only horizontal high-speed stirred media mill designed for energy efficient ultrafine grinding in mining of base metals in a reliable compact scalable footprint.
Vice President of Exploration Gary Lohman says this is a “critical phase” for the bulk sample program.
“This is an extremely high-grade lens (13.71% copper-equivalent over 15.10m) and we will test the direct to smelter option through Glencore’s analysis and metallurgical testing,” Lohman says.
“This is a key milestone for us and look forward to announcing the results and our path forward to completion.”
CEO Patrick Cruickshank says this is the culmination of over one year of discussions, analysis and design creating a path forward for the “high-grade” lens bulk sample project.
“Endless months of defining this stage and now we are moving forward to execute on it,” Cruickshank says.
Nine Mile Metals is a Canadian explorer focused on VMS exploration in the renowned Bathurst Mining Camp located in New Brunswick, Canada.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: Nine Mile Metals