High gold recoveries achieved
Kootenay Silver reported that Aztec Minerals announced high gold recoveries were achieved by cyanide leach analysis of five drill holes from the California porphyry gold-copper prospect on the Cervantes property in Sonora, Mexico.
Gold recoveries by cyanide leach analysis include 87% gold and 45% silver recovery over 98 meters in hole 18CER007, 84% gold and 54% silver over 106 meters in 18CER006, and 84% gold and 49% silver over 93.5 meters in hole 17CER003. Silver recoveries around 50% are considered normal for most oxide gold deposits, as silver has slower leach kinetics compared to gold.
In conjunction with the recoveries from oxide material, significant cyanide leach results were also obtained from sulphide mineralization including 52% gold recovery in hole 18CER015 over 16 meters at 71-87 meters; and 73% gold recovery in hole 18CER010 over 40 meters at 96 to 136 meters.
Lower cyanide leach gold recoveries were recorded in material where copper sulphide enrichment is abundant; however this type of mineralization represents only around 20% of the overall California zone.
