Woodlawn prefeasibility under way

Metallurgical testing and engineering and design work for the Woodlawn base metal project in New South Wales, Australia, is under way.

Markham-based Tri Origin Exploration (TOE-V) says its 51%-owned subsidiary, Tri Origin Minerals (TRO-A), has commissioned testing by Perth consultancy Intermet Engineering. A 550-tonne sample suite has been sent to Intermet.

Woodlawn previously produced 13.8 million tonnes of ore during production from 1978 to 1998, from a large open pit and a smaller underground mine. While the metallurgical characteristics of Woodlawn mineralization are well established from that period, initial testing showed a finer grind may improve recoveries and the larger sample is intended to provide material for optimization studies.

The remaining measured and indicated resource at Woodlawn is 8.6 million tonnes grading 10.3% zinc, 1.8% copper, 4% lead, 84 grams silver and 0.5 gram gold per tonne. Another 1.5 million tonnes is classified as inferred, at an average grade of 9.6% zinc, 1.7% copper, 4.1% lead, 87 grams silver and 0.6 gram gold per tonne.

Underground mine planning and costing, and a geotechnical study are also under way as part of a pre-feasibility study. Tri Origin expects to see something on paper this February.