Ann: Exploration Update, page-44

@plough

“There is bound to be silver and copper in the buttons the buttons are dore not "gold"”

Below is the description of the methodology as explained in the JORC Appendix to the exploration update.

“The extraction methodology used comprised: fusion with a copper collector, dissolution of the collector in nitric acid, precipitation of a silver-rich precipitate from the solution, fusion of the precipitate and the undissolved residue into a metallic button, assaying of the button by dissolution with nitric acid to form an AgCl precipitate which is fused into a silver button and weighed, and cupellation of the undissolved residue with lead to form a gold button which is weighed, and the grade back calculated to the original sample weight of 5kg. This process is regarded as appropriate for metallurgical extraction tests. In addition, results are reported for tests using electrolysis instead of nitric acid dissolution of the copper bar.”

If you are trying to establish an assay scheme and or a reliable estimate of the grade of gold why wouldn’t you take the “gold” button, get it tested to to determine the proportion of gold in the button and then use that amount to back calculate the grade of gold against the original sample weight? They have spent a long time refining the process but appear to be still using a metal button of unknown total gold content to calculate grade.

Can you also explain why the slag results are producing the gold grades via a second melt and why would melting a rock twice make it any easier to liberate the gold? I would have thought it would just depend on the melt time, the size (surface area) of the copper collector and the amount of flux introduced into the melt.Esh