Gordex expansion nears completion

After ironing out some wrinkles in the system, Gordex Minerals says it is close to completing an expansion program at Canada’s first primary heap leach project.

Located at Cape Spencer northeast of Saint John, N.B., the project was expected to produce around 11,000 oz gold this year. In a bid to limit dilution of cyanide solutions used in the leaching process in damp weather conditions, Gordex decided to convert the operation from a heap leach to a vat leach mode.

The process involves dumping ore into huge polyurethane-lined depressions capable of holding 53,000 tons of ore, then flood- leaching it with dilute cyanide solutions.

However, Gordex says weather conditions have slowed progess at Cape Spencer and modification of the original test heap won’t be completed until this spring. But a production shortfall will be made up this year, the company says.

Meanwhile, with a newly installed treatment and recovery system operating satisfactorily, Gordex has been able to quadruple its throughput without any increase in operating personnel.

Gold leachant has been successfully applied to ore “at temperatures well below freezing since the startup of the first outdoor vat Oct 29,” says President Harold Pawson. Gold pours

“With 68,000 tons in place, the vat is operating successfully and management is pleased with operating results and several gold pours so far,” he said.

In other news, Gordex has received some assay results from a Cape Spencer exploration program which got under way in mid- October. According to Gordex, the program consisted of stripping, trenching and sampling of outstanding anomalies discovered by 1986-87 surveys.

Channel sampling of one anomaly ranged to a high of 0.10 oz gold per ton with one significant grab result of 0.40 oz, the company reports.

As part of the program, Gordex drilled five holes which intersected a previously undiscovered mineralized horizon. “The fifth hole has intersected a zone of 260 core ft bearing mineralization similar to the zone currently being mined,” said Pawson.

Hole 4 has returned a mineralized core length of 215 ft. The first 75 ft of mineralized core averages 0.053 oz with higher intersections of 0.30 oz, 0.23 oz, 0.17 oz, 0.13 oz over 1 1/2/ ft intersections.

Exploration is also continuing at Gordex’s Molega Lake gold property 60 miles southwest of Halifax, N.S., where high values have encouraged the company to increase its exploration budget to $1.5 million. Land position

Gordex has also increased its land position in the immediate area from 1,720 to nearly 17,000 acres.

According to Gordex, gold was visibly confirmed over 50% of the core from the FH zone. The highest uncut assay from core was 6.03 oz, the company says. Previous drilling in this zone uncovered 22 ft of 0.34 oz.

Gordex says a second zone appears to be developing 1/2 km away. A 100-m strike length has been drill- tested with all gold bearing veins still open to east, west and depth, the company says.

Drill core assays, subject to analyses, are indicating excellent results of 0.50 oz to 8.00 oz over short intersections.