Queensland explorer Consolidated Tin Mines has announced a significant increase in ore tonnage at four tin deposits comprising its Mt Garnet project. The new total resource estimate is 10.57 million tonnes of ore at 0.44% tin (46,500 tonnes contained tin) and is based on the results of the 2012 drilling programme at the three main deposits: Gillian, Pinnacles and Windermere. This meets the company’s previously stated target of identifying a sufficiently large resource to maintain a 10 year mining operation.
The updated resource estimate will form the basis of the Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS) currently underway at the Mt Garnet Project. The PFS is based on a treatment rate of 1Mtpa through the existing Mt Garnet Concentrator recently acquired by partner company Snow Peak. Further details on the PFS will be released in the near future.
Consolidated Tin Managing Director Ralph De Lacey said: “This updated independent resource estimate is a significant achievement for the company and clearly indicates that there is sufficient feedstock to establish a major hard rock tin mining operation at Mt Garnet. This now enables us to move into the next phase of project development and production. A close spaced infill drilling program is currently planned for the Gillian deposit to start in early July. The objective of the program, based on the recent resource review, is to provide increased confidence in resource classification and potentially an improvement in the average tin grade for the deposit”.
