Avalon Rare Metals Inc.announced the start of a $1.3 million work program on the East Kemptville Tin-Indium Project in southwestern Nova Scotia. The program involves 2,000 metres of diamond drilling, metallurgical process testwork and preliminary environmental studies. This work will generate the data required to complete a Preliminary Economic Assessment by November, 2015. Drilling is scheduled to commence in early July and be completed in September with initial results expected in late August.
The drilling program will increase confidence in mineral resources in both the Main and Baby Zones, collect fresh sample material for bench-scale metallurgical process testwork and test two exploration targets (Duck Pond and South Grid) where there are encouraging results from historical drilling.
Bench-scale metallurgical test work has been initiated at a laboratory in the UK with expertise in processing similar tin ores. This program is designed to evaluate the metallurgical process flowsheet from grinding through to copper and zinc sulfide flotation to tin recovery by both gravity and flotation methods. It is anticipated that advances in process technology achieved since the 1980s will result in improved recoveries to all three concentrates and also confirm the presence of significant indium in the zinc concentrate. This work is targeted for completion in September, 2015 and is required to better define expected metal recoveries and concentrate grades for the PEA.
Initial environmental field work will also begin this summer with the objective of determining the scope of environmental management work that will be required going forward for inclusion in the PEA, and to define the requirements for the environmental assessment and permitting process to be carried out in conjunction with a feasibility study, which is expected to begin in early 2016.
Resource Portal for I2M Clients, Associates, and Geoscientists
Managed & Built by I2M Consulting, LLC | © 2010-
Managed & Built by I2M Consulting, LLC | © 2010-