Gold Ridge tests unique gold recovery method

Using technology developed in the oil fields, Gold Ridge Resources is testing a new way of recovering gold at its Wingdam deep channel placer gold deposits located near Cottonwood in north-central British Columbia.

The in-situ recovery of gold using cyanide solution will be tested on a small scale in a 24-hour test this spring, President Syd Fulljames told The Northern Miner.

Approval for the test was granted by the B.C. Ministry of Environment after reviewing a preliminary test. The program involved the injection of salt solution in a single push-pull well and a series of control and monitoring wells to prove capacity to control solutions in the deep gravels. Planned in co-operation with engineers from the provincial and federal governments, it demonstrated that cyanide test work could be carried out safely. Virtually all cyanide used in the test will be recovered and destroyed.

“To our knowledge, no one has tried this before,” Fulljames says, “although the technology has been used successfully to extract uranium in the U.S.”

The unique geology of the Wingdam deposit makes it well suited for in-situ leaching. The deposit is in a channel surrounded by bedrock on either side and at the bottom. Probable and possible reserves are estimated at 80,308 cu yd grading 0.872 oz gold per cu yd.

If the test is successful, the company anticipates applying for permits to build a pilot “cell.” About 15 to 20 “cells” would be needed to mine the property, Fulljames says. He estimates capital costs using in-situ methods would be about half traditional mining costs.