Pacific Sentinel sizes up Casino

Junior Pacific Sentinel Gold (VSE) has released a reserve figure for its Casino gold-copper deposit in south-central Yukon.

The potentially open-pit deposit hosts 119.3 million minable tonnes containing 1.84 million oz. gold and 712 million lb. copper. Plans call for 36.5 million tonnes to be mined from the high-grade oxide gold zone (which averages 0.6 grams gold per tonne) and 58.5 million tonnes to be extracted from the supergene zone (which grades 0.44 grams gold and 0.43% copper).

Of the underlying, lower-grade hypogene zone, only a small portion (roughly 24.3 million tonnes grading 0.41 grams gold and 0.31% copper) will be mined. A stripping ratio of 0.9-to-1 is envisaged.

Metallurgical tests on oxide samples indicate an 84% gold recovery by means of leaching, with cyanide consumption projected to be less than 1 kg per tonne. Flotation testing of hypogene samples returned recoveries of 90% copper and 75% gold. Tests on the supergene zone are continuing. Annual production of 10 million tonnes is projected, which would yield 120,000 oz. gold and 50 million lb. copper per year over a 12-year life. Prefeasibility studies will follow the metallurgical testing. Robert Hunter is chairman of Pacific Sentinel, and also of Taseko Mines (VSE), which owns the Fish Lake copper-gold deposit near Williams Lake in south-central B.C. An application for a mine development certificate for Fish Lake is in an advanced state of preparation.

The deposit is currently reported to host 675 million tonnes grading an average of 0.014 oz. gold per tonne and 0.246% copper. These grades are slightly higher than previously reported, based on a recent angle drill program which re-tested the uppermost 120 million tonnes of the deposit.