Tempus Resources continues to kick goals as it enhances Blackdome-Elizabeth Gold Project in Canada

Tempus Resources Ltd (ASX:TMR) is confident of returning further high-grade results at its Blackdome-Elizabeth Gold Project in British Columbia, Canada, as it strides towards completing a maiden resource estimate by the end of the year. The 2021 drilling campaign kicked off on June 5 with five diamond drill holes completed to date for a total of 774 metres. Fresh news this week is its confirmation from a consolidated metallurgical review conducted by JDS Energy & Mining Inc that gold recoveries can be produced on two processing routes of ore at the Elizabeth section of the Blackdome-Elizabeth Gold Project. Two processing routes have been tested and confirmed recoveries of up to around 95%: 94.7% recovery into gold doré bars via crushing, grinding, gravity separation and leaching; or 92.5-95.1% recovery into high-grade gold concentrate utilising the same processing route employed by the Blackdome Gold Mine plant (ie, crushing, grinding, gravity separation and flotation). Another step in development  In a recent interview with Proactive, president and CEO Jason Bahnsen said: “This really demonstrates that it's non-refectory ore, which is key and gives us several options going forward utilising our existing Blackdome mill. “One of the key findings from the consultants was that the Blackdome mill will process the Elizabeth ore and get us 95% recoveries. “It’s another step in the process for us in terms of developing the project while we continue to drill the resource.” He said the company was working towards a maiden resource by the end of the year while looking at ways it could potentially fast-track towards the production route. Review objectives  The review focused on the options for processing Elizabeth ore based on the results of a metallurgical test-work program completed by G&T Metallurgical Services Ltd in 2009-2010 at their laboratories in Kamloops, British Columbia. The objective of the G&T test-work was to conduct a preliminary metallurgical assessment of a sample from the Elizabeth Gold Project and determine the suitability of two main processing options, which were: Utilisation of the testing process flow sheet with the same process steps as the existing Blackdome Gold Mine plant (ie, a simulation of utilisation of the Blackdome plant to produce high-grade gold concentrate); and Looking at the results of standalone processing steps and carrying those through crushing, grinding, gravity separation and then into cyanide leaching to produce gold doré bars (ie, a simulation of a typical carbon-in-leach / carbon-in-pulp circuit). Composite samples received by G&T Met for their test-work program were around 21 kilograms from drill core from the South Vein (assaying at 3.95 g/t gold and 2.1 g/t silver) and approximately 37 kilograms from chip samples from the West Vein (assaying 0.49 g/t gold and 1.0 g/t silver). However, it was determined that the assays received from the West Vein were too low grade and that was excluded from the test program and only used for calibrations when preparing tests for the South Vein composite. Recommendations JDS Mining has recommended some further metallurgical and engineering study work to be completed as part of a forthcoming Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) on the project. The recommended study work includes: A cost review of restarting the Blackdome mill; A trade-off study between producing a flotation concentrate versus leaching and producing a dore at the Blackdome mill or at the Elizabeth site; Completion of optical ore sorting test work of Elizabeth; A trade-off study between refurbishing the Blackdome Mill vs building a new facility at Elizabeth; and Follow up metallurgical test work to refine the optimal process flowsheet for Elizabeth. 2021 drilling Back in April, the gold explorer raised A$1.9 million to extend its drilling program and drill 7,500 metres of known high-grade mineralisation by testing the down-plunge and along strike extensions of the delineated vein zones. The campaign started on June 5 and has since intersected a wide zone of quartz veining from 121.8–126 metres in hole EZ-21-04, with visible gold evident of more than 1 metre. Additional quartz veining with visible gold has also been identified in diamond drill hole EZ-21-02. Tempus technical staff are in the process of logging and sampling the core in preparation for analysis at SGS laboratories in Vancouver, BC and assay results will be reported as they are made available.