VANCOUVER, April 17 /CNW/ - Gitennes Exploration Inc. (TSX-GIT) is pleased to update shareholders on the result of mineral processing tests from the Urumalqui gold - silver project in Peru.
A 50 kilogram sample was collected in December 2008 from the vein on underground level 28, and sent to C.H. Plenge & Compania S.A. in Lima for gravity, flotation and cyanide test work. Results are encouraging:
1) The head grade of the sample was 4.45 g/t gold and 9.45 oz/ton
silver, with a sulphur content of 0.19%.
2) Using a Falcon SB40 concentrator and a crush to -65 mesh, a
gravimetric concentrate grading 91 oz/ton silver and 63.6 g/t gold
was obtained, for recoveries of 16% of the silver and 20% of the
gold.
3) The left-over material ("tails") from the gravity test represented
98.5% of the original weight, and had a head grade of 7.57 oz/ton
silver (84%) and 3.35 g/t gold (80%). This material was crushed to -
200 mesh and then subjected to both flotation and cyanide-leach
tests.
4) Floating the tails recovered 49% of the remaining silver and 39% of
the gold to produce a concentrate that graded 131 oz/ton silver and
45.8 g/t gold.
5) Leaching the tails with cyanide achieved 65% recovery of the
remaining silver and 93% of the gold.
Plenge suggests that the preferred process, based on this sample, is to treat the Urumalqui Vein mineralization with a gravimetric circuit followed by treating the tails with cyanide.
- Target recoveries of 70% of the silver and 94.5% of the gold might be
achieved by a simple combination of gravity separation followed by
cyanide treatment of the tails.
This series of tests differs from those previously reported (December 11, 2008) which were based upon conventional flotation followed by cyanide leaching of a concentrate. The earlier tests were done using quarter-core samples obtained by drilling.
Gold and silver mineralization at Urumalqui is hosted within a simple quartz vein surrounded by a much lower grade but broad envelope of disseminated mineralization. Most of the silver is contained in the mineral argentite, the remainder with gold in electrum. Pyrite is also present.
The sample tested should not be considered to be representative of the entire deposit as it was collected underground from a single, abandoned working face. Also the assay value of 325 g/t (9.49 oz/Ton) silver and 4.45 g/t gold across 2 metres is relatively high for this portion of the vein, and much higher than the values of a surface outcrop 28 metres above (54.6 g/t silver and 860 ppb gold).
Nevertheless these gravity-cyanide tests are very encouraging and point the direction for future investigations. More tests will be required to determine the ultimate method for recovering gold and silver at Urumalqui. The technical information in this release has been reviewed by J. Blackwell (P.Geo.), a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. On March 31, 2009 Gitennes filed a technical report on the Urumalqui Project, which may be found on SEDAR. For further information please contact:
Jerry Blackwell, President The Toronto Stock Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved the information herein.