TVI Pacific (TVI-T) has completed an in-house resource evaluation of the Ungay Malobago gold-bearing massive sulphide deposit on its Rapu Rapu property in the Philippines.
According to TVI’s resource calculation, Ungay Malobago contains 3.5 million tonnes grading 1.76% copper and 2.76% zinc, plus 3.42 grams gold and 43.4 grams silver per tonne. Also, the company notes that there is potential for increasing the resource value “substantially. “
Tonnages were calculated for the 800 metres of known strike length.
Mineralization in the eastern section of the deposit has been well-defined by drilling and underground exploration, and is described as a drill-indicated, in situ resource. Mineralization in the western section, which is less defined, is described as an inferred in situ resource.
TVI has also calculated a preliminary resource for the auriferous gossan at the eastern up-plunge end of the Ungay Malobago deposit, based on 26 diamond drill holes. The oxide resource remains open along strike to the east and downdip and consists of 129,596 tonnes grading 3.81 grams gold and 41.2 grams silver per tonne.
During a preliminary planning review to investigate possible approaches to mining the Ungay Malobago deposit, TVI found that underground methods would likely be warranted.
Initial metallurgy carried out on the Ungay Malobago deposit indicates that there is potential for various saleable concentrates to be produced from the differing ore types seen on the property. Further work is required to verify the results to date and improve metal recoveries.
The western extent of the Ungay Malobago sulphide deposit is still open, and a time-domain electromagnetic geophysical survey has indicated that it may be extended for at least another 200 to 300 metres. There is also untested potential to expand the Ungay Malobago resource along a favorable stratigraphic contact at depth.
TVI believes there is excellent potential for the Ungay Malobago resource to reach 5 to 8 million tonnes, at grades similar to those defined thus far.
Elsewhere on the Rapu Rapu block of claims, the Hixbar deposit, which had hosted a past-producing copper-gold mine, holds an additional in situ resource. Rough calculations made to date suggest a resource of 1.3 million tonnes yielding 1.25% zinc, 1.25% copper, 2.96 grams gold and 15.5 grams silver.
Two anomalies
The prospective stratigraphy at Rapu Rapu has a strike length of 9 km and a width of up to 2.5 km, less than a third of which has been explored in any detail. As has been announced previously, two strong stream-sediment anomalies have been defined in areas that have never been explored. In addition, strong geophysical anomalies found to the north of the Hixbar and Ungay Malobago deposits require further investigation.
Meanwhile, TVI management has re-examined the company’s exploration strategy in the Philippines. As a result, it has initiated an aggressive effort to farm out several of its properties, including the Rapu Rapu project. Several interested companies have begun reviewing the data, and the company expects to sign an agreement with a joint-venture partner during the fourth quarter of 1997.
At the Canatuan project on Mindanao Island, TVI’s efforts are focused on finding additional feed for the project’s planned 1,850-tonne-per-day Merrill-Crowe carbon-in-leach plant. A program is under way to investigate the potential for increasing the average grade of the gossan reserve in the main Canatuan body through a check assay program. According to an independent mining consultant hired by TVI to do the check assays, the original assays are approximately 7.5% lower than those of the re-checked samples.
The potential for additional gossan resources immediately surrounding the main body is also being examined.
Be the first to comment on "TVI advances Philippine projects"