St. Jude fast-tracks Benso

Vancouver — St. Jude Resources (SJD-V) plans to carry out a feasibility study of the Benso and Hwini Butre properties in Ghana, in light of a resource estimate by Watts Griffis & McOuat.

The estimate covers five of 15 mineralized zones on the Subriso block, one of three areas that constitute the Benso concession. At a cutoff of 0.5 gram gold per tonne, these five deposits contain 3.8 million tonnes grading 3.28 grams gold per tonne in the measured category, and just shy of 1.5 million tonnes grading 2.4 grams gold in the indicated category. There is also an inferred resource of 126,400 tonnes grading 2.68 grams gold.

These estimates suggest a total of 487,000 contained ounces gold, with another 11,000 oz. inferred.

Next door at the Hwini Butre project, estimates confirm the presence of 5.9 million tonnes grading 3.46 grams gold (660,000 oz. in situ) in the measured and indicated categories, plus 237,000 tonnes grading 1.82 grams (14,000 oz. in situ).

St. Jude also reports an eluvial resource of 3.9 million tonnes grading 1.36 grams gold, or 169,000 oz. gold.

The Benso and Hwini Butre properties are believed to contain more than 1.3 million oz. gold, based on 37,653 metres of drilling in 428 holes. Recovery rates exceeding 95% were indicated in metallurgical tests of the non-refractory deposits.

Preliminary plans call for these near-surface deposits to be mined as open pits. Environmental studies and mine design work are in progress.