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Antilles Gold reports high-grade copper intercepts at Nueva Sabana deposit in Cuba

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By Imelda Cotton - 
Antilles Gold ASX AAU Nueva Sabana Cuba
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Antilles Gold (ASX: AAU) has reported multiple 20-metre intercepts of up to 1.7% copper from in-fill diamond drilling at the Nueva Sabana gold-copper oxide deposit in central Cuba.

The results were generated from the final 17 shallow holes completed in July as part of a 2,000-metre campaign.

Best assays from the deposit’s gold domain were 2m at 25.26 grams per tonne from 38.5m including 1m at 45.39g/t and 3m at 19.51g/t from 56m including 2m at 26.78g/t, while highlights from the copper domain were 25m at 1.76% from 52m including 4m at 5.56% and 21.5m at 1.73% from 49m including 12m at 2.11%.

Maiden resource estimate

The assays continue a positive grade pattern for gold and copper at the deposit and are expected to increase the indicated component of the maiden resource estimate published in March.

That estimate sits at 3.85 million tonnes grading up to 2.83g/t gold and up to 1.36% copper for a contained 110,500 ounces of gold and 51 million pounds of copper.

An updated estimate for the proposed Nueva Sabana mine is expected to be completed next month by Brisbane-based Mining Associates, after which a revised pit design and mine schedule will be completed in preparation for a pre-feasibility study.

Copper development

The Nueva Sabana deposit is being developed as a copper project that will benefit from a high-grade gold cap during initial operations.

Metallurgical test work by Blue Coast Research Laboratories in Canada has indicated a gold recovery of 85% from a simple rougher flotation circuit and a concentrate of 70.2g/t gold.

Blue Coast said copper recovery of 84.5% yielded concentrate grades of 27% copper from a rougher and cleaner circuit to form the basis of the process design criteria for the Nueva Sabana concentrator.

Planning and permitting for the proposed mine is well advanced.

Total development costs are estimated to be US$30 million including US$5m of pre-development and concession acquisition costs and US$25m for mine construction.