Kharmagtai Resource Drilling and Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) Underway
HIGHLIGHTS
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- Dual strategy initiated:
- Prove up a significant resource upgrade, with an initial focus on a higher-grade open pit starter project to demonstrate project economics
- Continue to expand the scale of the project through continued exploration at the new Zaraa discovery and beyond
- Resource drilling for preliminary economic study underway
- Significant potential to expand the current 2015 JORC Resource
- Infill drilling programmes to be completed by mid-October
SYDNEY, Aug. 22, 2018 - Xanadu Mines Ltd. (ASX: XAM – “Xanadu” or “Company”) is pleased to announce that infill and resource definition drilling designed to significantly increase tonnes of the 2015 JORC Resource to facilitate project development has commenced at its flagship Kharmagtai copper and gold project located in the South Gobi region of Mongolia (Figure 1).
Xanadu’s Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Dr Andrew Stewart, said: “Following the very significant discovery of the fourth porphyry centre at Zaraa, we believe the Kharmagtai project is approaching a near-term development opportunity and it’s now time to take the Kharmagtai project to the next stage. Our number one objective at Kharmagtai is to fast-track resource drilling designed to significantly upgrade the Kharmagtai Mineral Resource estimate and to complete a preliminary economic assessment (PEA) of a very low strip ratio, higher-grade open pit ‘starter’ project contained within a larger resource. I am confident that Kharmagtai will further improve its status as the premier large-scale undeveloped copper-gold project in Asia”.
KHARMAGTAI RESOURCE DRILLING AND PEA PROGRAMME
Xanadu’s focus is to maximise the development potential of the Kharmagtai deposit in the shortest possible time frame.
A detailed infill and resource definition drilling program over the three main deposits (Copper Hill, White Hill and Stockwork Hill; Figure 2) is underway at Kharmagtai. Selective infill drilling comprises RC holes (100 metre by 100 metre spacing) over an approximate 150,000 square metres defining the orebodies from surface to depths of approximately 300m.
This drill programme has significant potential to expand the current resource (Figure 3), identify additional higher-grade mineralisation and join Stockwork Hill and White Hill deposits. This will allow Stockwork Hill and White Hill to be mined from one larger open pit to improve economics by minimising capital costs and reducing operating costs. The program includes clear milestones to improve economics and optimising pit designs along with a drill program to move existing Inferred Resources into Measured and Indicated (M&I) categories with minimal selective infill drilling (Figure 4).
Close spaced infill drilling will also allow Xanadu geologists to refine the geological controls on mineralisation to later target down-dip and along strike mineralisation more effectively.
A Mineral Resource update for the Kharmagtai Project will be used to complete the PEA programme. Xanadu and industry leading consultants are currently assessing various options to identify the single case optimal project size and scale to progress to final PEA.
The Mineral Resource update and PEA are due for release early in the fourth quarter.
NEXT STEPS AT ZARA DISCOVERY – MAIDEN RESOURCE
The exploration potential of the new and extensive Zaraa discovery is being assessed simultaneously with the development plan for White Hill, Stockwork Hill and Copper Hill.
Xanadu’s aggressive 2018 exploration drilling program, which was targeting the discovery of additional porphyry copper-gold centres undercover in the large underexplored Kharmagtai porphyry district, has proved to be highly successful with the discovery of the blind Zaraa porphyry copper-gold centre (Figure 5).
With five recent drill holes featuring close to 1km of continuous copper-gold mineralisation, the new discovery of Zaraa supports the definition of a fourth large-scale porphyry deposit located only 2km east-southeast of the currently defined resources.
The objective is now to demonstrate that this large-scale porphyry has both open pit and underground potential.
All drilling and study programs are fully funded from the Company’s cash reserves of circa $10 million.
The Company looks forward to providing further regular updates on its ongoing active development campaign.
FIGURE 1: Location of the Kharmagtai Project in the South Gobi porphyry copper belt.
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FIGURE 2: The Kharmagtai District showing location of the main deposits (Stockwork Hill, White Hill, Copper Hill) and the new Zaraa discovery.
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FIGURE 3: 2015 JORC Resources at the Kharmagtai deposit (showing measured and indicated – red blocks). Additional resources (inferred and geological – green and dark blue respectively to increase tonnes in-pit and further reduce strip ratio. Mineralisation remains open at depth and in all directions at White Hill and Stockwork Hill deposits. Further extensions are also possible by adding the White Hill West deposit and extending the pit by approximately 500m further towards the west. Red arrows indicate potential extensions undercover.
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FIGURE 4: Indicative project development timeline. All drilling and study programs are fully funded from the Company’s cash reserves of circa $10 million.
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FIGURE 5: Plan view of the Zaraa discovery with 3D Induced polarisation, showing location of gold-expected surface expression of this large discovery.
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COMPETENT-QUALIFIED PERSON STATEMENT
The information in this announcement that relates to exploration results is based on information compiled by Dr Andrew Stewart who is responsible for the exploration data, comments on exploration target sizes, QA/QC and geological interpretation and information. Dr Stewart, who is an employee of Xanadu and is a Member of the Australasian Institute of Geoscientists, has sufficient experience relevant to the style of mineralisation and type of deposit under consideration and to the activity he is undertaking to qualify as the “Competent Person” as defined in the 2012 Edition of the “Australasian Code for Reporting Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves” and the National Instrument 43-101. Dr Stewart consents to the inclusion in the report of the matters based on this information in the form and context in which it appears.
COPPER EQUIVALENT CALCULATIONS
The copper equivalent (CuEq) calculation represents the total metal value for each metal, multiplied by the conversion factor, summed and expressed in equivalent copper percentage. Grades have not been adjusted for metallurgical or refining recoveries and the copper equivalent grades are of an exploration nature only and intended for summarising grade. The copper equivalent calculation is intended as an indicative value only. The following copper equivalent conversion factors and long-term price assumptions have been adopted: Copper Equivalent Formula (CuEq) = Cu% + (Au (ppm) x 0.6378). Based on a copper price of $2.60/lb and a gold price of $1,300/oz.
For further information, please contact:
Andrew Stewart
Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer
T: +612 8280 7497
M: +976 9999 9211
Andrew.stewart@xanadumines.com
www.xanadumines.com
APPENDIX 1: KHARMAGTAI TABLE 1 (JORC 2012)
Set out below is Section 1 and Section 2 of Table 1 under the JORC Code, 2012 Edition for the Kharmagtai project. Data provided by Xanadu. This Table 1 updates the JORC Table 1 disclosure dated 31 July 2018.
1.1 JORC TABLE 1 - SECTION 1 - SAMPLING TECHNIQUES AND DATA
Criteria | JORC Code (Section 1) Explanation | Commentary |
Sampling techniques |
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Drilling techniques |
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Drill sample recovery |
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Logging |
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Sub-sampling techniques and sample preparation |
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Quality of assay data and laboratory tests |
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Verification of sampling and assaying |
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Location of data points |
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Data spacing and distribution |
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Orientation of data in relation to geological structure |
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Sample security |
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Audits or reviews |
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1.2 JORC TABLE 1 - SECTION 2 - REPORTING OF EXPLORATION RESULTS
(Criteria in this section apply to all succeeding sections).
Criteria | JORC Code (Section 2) Explanation | Commentary |
Mineral tenement and land tenure status |
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Exploration done by other parties |
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Geology |
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Drill hole Information |
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Data Aggregation methods |
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Relationship between mineralisation on widths and intercept lengths |
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Diagrams |
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Balanced reporting |
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Other substantive exploration data |
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Further work |
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1.3 JORC TABLE 1 – SECTION 3 ESTIMATION AND REPORTING OF MINERAL RESOURCES
(Criteria listed in section 1, and where relevant in section 2, also apply to this section.)
Criteria | JORC Code (Section 3) Explanation | Commentary |
Database integrity |
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Site visits |
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Geological interpretation |
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Dimensions |
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Estimation and modelling techniques |
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Moisture |
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Cut-off parameters |
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Mining factors or assumptions |
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Metallurgical factors or assumptions |
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Environmental factors or assumptions |
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Bulk density |
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Classification |
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Audits or reviews |
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Discussion of relative accuracy/ confidence |
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1.4 JORC TABLE 1 – SECTION 4 ESTIMATION AND REPORTING OF ORE RESERVES
Ore Reserves are not reported so this is not applicable to this report.