VANCOUVER, March 5, 2019 /CNW/ - Trilogy Metals
Inc. (TSX/NYSE American: TMQ) ("Trilogy Metals",
"Trilogy" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the release of
additional copper and cobalt metallurgical results for the Bornite
Project located in the highly prospective Ambler mining district of
northwest Alaska.
Highlights of the 2018/2019 Bornite Metallurgical
Program
- Nine individual metallurgical samples have been evaluated for
the recovery of copper and cobalt and the production of saleable
copper concentrates.
- Results are consistent with previous test results and
significantly expand the metallurgical database for the
project.
- Hardness testing of the nine composites shows the materials are
of soft to moderate hardness, with an average Bond Work Index of
8.94 kWhr/tonne.
- Copper recoveries ranged from 80.2 to 94.5 percent and averaged
89.7 percent for eight of the nine composites.
- Copper concentrate grades ranged from 24.5 to 34.5 percent
copper and averaged 27.6%.
- Copper concentrate quality is shown to be very good with low
levels of penalty elements.
- Cobalt has been shown to be readily recoverable to a pyrite
concentrate with grades of this concentrate in the range of 700 to
4500g/t cobalt. Plans are being made for the next stage of work to
determine the optimal method to recover cobalt from the pyrite
concentrate.
Rick Van Nieuwenhuyse, President
and CEO of Trilogy Metals commented, "These initial metallurgical
test results continue to demonstrate that conventional processing
technology is expected to produce a clean, very high-quality,
copper concentrate over a wide range of typical open pit and
underground copper grades. Further optimization work is planned. I
also note that we are very pleased with the first pass cobalt
results which show that the Bornite Project could recover between
50% and 70% of the contained cobalt to a high-quality pyrite
concentrate. The next steps include finding out if the cobalt
concentrate can be further processed into a saleable product.
Finally, the grinding test work shows that the mineralized material
at Bornite is soft to moderate which translates to potentially
lower power requirements during the crushing and grinding stages of
the feedstock. This could have positive implications for the
operating costs at Bornite."
Nine metallurgical composite samples were prepared by Trilogy
Metals from materials obtained from drilling at the Bornite Project
during 2017 and 2018. Each of these test samples were approximately
60 to 120 kilograms in mass and represented approximately 30 to 100
meters of drill core. Test samples characteristics are summarized
in Table 1. Composite samples 1 to 6 were obtained from
a zone deemed to be within an open-pit resource, while the
composite sample from 7 to 9 were from a higher-grade underground
resource.
Table 1. Composite Metallurgical Samples from the Bornite
Project
Test
Sample
|
Drill
Hole
|
Intercept(s)
(m)
|
Cu
(%)
|
Co
(g/t)
|
S
(%)
|
Open Pit
Samples
|
|
|
|
|
|
Composite
1
|
RC12-0211
|
308-365
|
1.60
|
531
|
5.56
|
Composite
2
|
RC11-0186
|
12-47
|
1.02
|
290
|
10.4
|
Composite
3
|
RC13-0229
|
51-81
|
1.06
|
183
|
8.12
|
Composite
4
|
RC13-0218
|
282-287,
314-337
|
2.20
|
741
|
5.2
|
Composite
5
|
RC11-0182
|
165-247,
267-290
|
1.87
|
408
|
4.06
|
Composite
6
|
RC11-0186
|
145-253
|
0.82
|
170
|
4.35
|
Underground
Samples
|
|
|
|
|
|
Composite
7
|
RC13-0224
|
480-488,
630-722
|
2.06
|
306
|
7.5
|
Composite
8
|
RC12-0214
|
498-525,
543-565
|
3.12
|
651
|
6.76
|
Composite
9
|
RC12-0216
|
671-726
|
4.49
|
311
|
6.8
|
Test work has been completed under contract at ALS Metallurgy of
Kamloops, B.C., during the time
period November 2018 to January
2019. ALS Metallurgy is a ISO 9001 certified laboratory
facility. Test work at ALS Metallurgy conformed to standard testing
procedures including standard grinding characterization test work,
flotation process simulation test work, including locked cycle
tests and assaying of all metallurgical products by certified
assayers. Consistently observed results, when comparing
mineralogical analysis, direct assaying of feed samples and
detailed metallurgical accounting verify metal distributions
reported and the results contained herein.
Each of the nine composite samples were subjected to Bond Work
Index determinations. The average Bond Work index value is
8.94kWhr/tonne, which indicates the materials are soft to moderate
in terms of grindability. Bond Work Index values were shown to
be within a tight range, with the maximum value of 10.3kWhr/tonne
and a minimum value of 7.8kWhr/tonne observed in the data
set. This data is consistent with previously obtained
grindability data in other test work programs for the Bornite
Project.
Mineralogical analysis of each of the nine composites was
completed, indicating that a majority of the copper mineralization
occurred as chalcopyrite, with minor amounts of bornite and
variable pyrite levels within the test samples. Composite 2
was shown to contain a significant amount of oxide copper minerals,
likely from surface weathering, as this composite is a near surface
intercept. Mineralogical analysis also showed liberation at a
target primary grind size of approximately 100 microns which should
be suitable to support the copper recovery process. Cobalt
values in the Bornite Project materials are shown to be intimately
associated with cobaltiferous pyrite.
The flowsheet used for the recovery of copper in this test work
program is consistent with previous test work (For more information
on the previous metallurgical work at Bornite please see the press
release dated January 10, 2018 at
www.trilogymetals.com) on the project and the Bornite Project
database is consistent in terms of the metallurgical process
requirements under which all samples have been tested. Primary
grind requirements are in the range of 90-120 microns and re-grind
requirements for copper upgrading is in the range of 20-30
microns. In order to produce a cobalt-rich concentrate a
pyrite flotation stage was added to recover pyrite from the copper
flotation tailings and the pyrite concentrate was subsequently
cleaned to produce a pyrite cleaner concentrate. The flowsheet
used in the test work program, including both the copper and cobalt
flotation stages is shown in Figure 1. The Bornite
Project metallurgical flowsheet is shown in Figure 2.
Flotation test results were based on locked cycle testing which
simulates the performance of a copper recovery process and best
represents the expected metallurgical performance of the test
materials. Metallurgical performance for each of the nine
composites is shown in Table 2 and the location of the drill
holes from which the metallurgical samples were derived from is
shown in Table 3.
Table 2. Summary of Metallurgical Test Results
Sample
No.
|
Cu Concentrate
Grade (Cu %)
|
Cu Recoveries
(%)
|
Co Concentrate
Grade (g/t)
|
Co Recoveries
(%)
|
Open Pit
Samples
|
|
|
|
|
Composite
1
|
25.8
|
88.6
|
3,249
|
71.1
|
Composite
2*
|
16.7*
|
75.6
|
995
|
65.8
|
Composite
3
|
25.0
|
87.8
|
698
|
59.8
|
Composite
4
|
27.2
|
88.3
|
4,470
|
59.7
|
Composite
5
|
29.8
|
89.3
|
2,743
|
49.2
|
Composite
6
|
26.4
|
80.5
|
990
|
51.7
|
Underground
Samples
|
|
|
|
|
Composite
7
|
24.0
|
94.1
|
1286
|
49.3
|
Composite
8
|
34.2
|
94.7
|
1426
|
34.1
|
Composite
9
|
28.5
|
94.1
|
4157
|
59.0
|
*Note: Composite 2 is
shown to be a surface-weathered sample, containing significant
copper oxide products.
|
Table 3. Drill Hole Information for Metallurgical Test
Work
Drill
Hole
|
Length
(m)
|
UTM
Grid
|
East
(m)
|
North
(m)
|
Elevation
(m)
|
Azimuth
|
Dip
|
RC11-0182
|
454.0
|
NAD83_04N
|
589565
|
7440228
|
228.3
|
277
|
-62
|
RC11-0186
|
474.8
|
NAD83_04N
|
589113
|
7439746
|
260.4
|
86
|
-60
|
RC12-0211
|
696.5
|
NAD83_04N
|
590463
|
7440392
|
265.5
|
325
|
-80
|
RC12-0214
|
742.5
|
NAD83_04N
|
590122
|
7439957
|
281.5
|
0
|
-90
|
RC12-0216
|
801.5
|
NAD83_04N
|
590585
|
7440462
|
291.5
|
0
|
-90
|
RC13-0218
|
365.8
|
NAD83_04N
|
589251
|
7439968
|
216.6
|
78
|
-73
|
RC13-0224
|
880.4
|
NAD83_04N
|
589966
|
7440766
|
237.2
|
0
|
-90
|
RC13-0229
|
164.6
|
NAD83_04N
|
589086
|
7439418
|
279.0
|
0
|
-90
|
Concentrates from the locked cycle testing were analyzed for
minor elements and average values for key minor elements are
summarized in Table 4 below.
Table 4. Summary of Copper Concentrate Quality
|
Cu
(%)
|
As
(%)
|
Sb
(%)
|
Zn
(%)
|
Hg
(g/t)
|
Cd
(g/t)
|
Average Bornite
Cu
Concentrate
|
27.6
|
0.07
|
0.03
|
1.4
|
9.0
|
54.0
|
Qualified Persons
The scientific and technical information in this news release
has been prepared in accordance with Canadian regulatory
requirements set out in National Instrument 43-101 Standards of
Disclosure for Mineral Projects of the Canadian Securities
Administrators ("NI 43-101") and supervised, reviewed and verified
by Jeffrey B. Austin, P.Eng.,
President, of International Metallurgical and Environmental
Inc., a "Qualified Person" as defined in National Instrument 43-101
and the person who oversees metallurgical developments for Trilogy
Metals. Mr. Austin is independent of Trilogy Metals Inc, and
has been involved in the planning, observation and reporting all
test work.
About Trilogy Metals
Trilogy Metals Inc. is a metals exploration and development
company focused on exploring and developing the Ambler mining
district located in northwestern Alaska. It is one of the richest and
most-prospective known copper-dominant districts located in one of
the safest geopolitical jurisdictions in the world. It hosts
world-class polymetallic volcanogenic massive sulphide ("VMS")
deposits that contain copper, zinc, lead, gold and silver, and
carbonate replacement deposits which have been found to host
high-grade copper and cobalt mineralization. Exploration efforts
have been focused on two deposits in the Ambler mining district -
the Arctic VMS deposit and the Bornite carbonate replacement
deposit. Both deposits are located within the Company's land
package that spans approximately 143,000 hectares. The Company has
an agreement with NANA Regional Corporation, Inc., a Regional
Alaska Native Corporation that provides a framework for the
exploration and potential development of the Ambler mining district
in cooperation with local communities. Our vision is to develop the
Ambler mining district into a premier North American copper
producer.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking
Statements
This press release includes certain "forward-looking
information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively
"forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable
Canadian and United States
securities legislation including the United States Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other
than statements of historical fact, included herein, including,
without limitation, the prospectivity of the Ambler mining
district, the Company's plans for additional optimization work, the
production results of conventional copper processing technology,
recovery rates, the potential for lower power requirements and the
associated impact on operating costs at the Bornite Project and the
Company's expectations based on the results of metallurgical
testing , are forward-looking statements. The metallurgical results
from the drill holes discussed in this press release should not be
considered representative of other drilling results for the 2019
drilling campaign. Forward-looking statements are frequently, but
not always, identified by words such as "expects", "anticipates",
"believes", "intends", "estimates", "potential", "possible", and
similar expressions, or statements that events, conditions, or
results "will", "may", "could", or "should" occur or be achieved.
These forward-looking statements may include statements regarding
perceived merit of properties; exploration plans and budgets;
mineral reserves and resource estimates; work programs; capital
expenditures; timelines; strategic plans; market prices for
precious and base metals; or other statements that are not
statements of fact. Forward-looking statements involve various
risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such
statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future
events could differ materially from those anticipated in such
statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to
differ materially from the Company's expectations include the
uncertainties involving success of exploration, development and
mining activities, permitting timelines, requirements for
additional capital, government regulation of mining operations,
environmental risks, unanticipated reclamation expenses; mineral
reserve and resource estimates and the assumptions upon which they
are based; assumptions and discount rates being appropriately
applied to the pre-feasibility study; our assumptions with respect
to the likelihood and timing of the Ambler Mining District
Industrial Access Project ("AMDIAP"); capital estimates; prices for
energy inputs, labour, materials, supplies and services the
interpretation of drill results, the need for additional financing
to explore and develop properties and availability of financing in
the debt and capital markets; uncertainties involved in the
interpretation of drilling results and geological tests and the
estimation of reserves and resources; the need for cooperation of
government agencies and native groups in the development and
operation of properties as well as the construction of the access
road; the need to obtain permits and governmental approvals; risks
of construction and mining projects such as accidents, equipment
breakdowns, bad weather, non-compliance with environmental and
permit requirements, unanticipated variation in geological
structures, metal grades or recovery rates; unexpected cost
increases, which could include significant increases in estimated
capital and operating costs; fluctuations in metal prices and
currency exchange rates; and other risks and uncertainties
disclosed in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year
ended November 30, 2018 filed with
Canadian securities regulatory authorities and with the United
States Securities and Exchange Commission and in other Company
reports and documents filed with applicable securities regulatory
authorities from time to time. The Company's forward-looking
statements reflect the beliefs, opinions and projections on the
date the statements are made. The Company assumes no obligation to
update the forward-looking statements or beliefs, opinions,
projections, or other factors, should they change, except as
required by law.
Cautionary Note to United States Investors
This press release has been prepared in accordance with the
requirements of the securities laws in effect in Canada, which differ from the requirements of
U.S. securities laws. Unless otherwise indicated, all resource and
reserve estimates included in this press release have been prepared
in accordance with Canadian National Instrument 43-101 Standards of
Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") and the Canadian
Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM)—CIM Definition
Standards on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves, adopted by the
CIM Council, as amended ("CIM Definition Standards"). NI 43-101 is
a rule developed by the Canadian Securities Administrators which
establishes standards for all public disclosure an issuer makes of
scientific and technical information concerning mineral projects.
Canadian standards, including NI 43-101, differ significantly from
the requirements of the United States Securities and Exchange
Commission (SEC), and resource and reserve information contained
herein may not be comparable to similar information disclosed by
U.S. companies. In particular, and without limiting the generality
of the foregoing, the term "resource" does not equate to the term
"reserves". Under U.S. standards, mineralization may not be
classified as a "reserve" unless the determination has been made
that the mineralization could be economically and legally produced
or extracted at the time the reserve determination is made. The
SEC's disclosure standards normally do not permit the inclusion of
information concerning "measured mineral resources", "indicated
mineral resources" or "inferred mineral resources" or other
descriptions of the amount of mineralization in mineral deposits
that do not constitute "reserves" by U.S. standards in documents
filed with the SEC. Investors are cautioned not to assume that all
or any part of "measured" or "indicated resources" will ever be
converted into "reserves". Investors should also understand that
"inferred mineral resources" have a great amount of uncertainty as
to their existence and great uncertainty as to their economic and
legal feasibility. Under Canadian rules, estimated "inferred
mineral resources" may not form the basis of feasibility or
pre-feasibility studies except in rare cases. Disclosure of
"contained ounces" in a resource is permitted disclosure under
Canadian regulations; however, the SEC normally only permits
issuers to report mineralization that does not constitute
"reserves" by SEC standards as in-place tonnage and grade without
reference to unit measures. The requirements of NI 43-101 for
identification of "reserves" are also not the same as those of the
SEC, and reserves reported by Trilogy Metals in compliance with NI
43-101 may not qualify as "reserves" under SEC standards. Arctic
does not have known reserves, as defined under SEC Industry Guide
7. Accordingly, information concerning mineral deposits set
forth herein may not be comparable with information made public by
companies that report in accordance with U.S. standards.
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SOURCE Trilogy Metals Inc.