ECR Minerals PLC has released fire assay results from the Duke of Cornwall Mine, Swifts Creek (Tambo), Victoria, Australia, confirming high-grade gold findings. The fire assay of 37 rock chips at the Duke of Cornwall Lode improved the earlier best result from photon analysis from 51.5 g/t Au to 52.2 g/t Au, with 10 samples returning results above 5 g/t Au. The results fall within the 95% confidence interval, indicating that photon analysis offers a reliable indication of fire assay results.
The company undertook an exploration campaign at its Eastern Victorian exploration tenement, which included detailed mapping of historical gold workings and the collection of rock chips and soil samples. The comparison between the 37 Photon Assays and the Fire Assays showed that all samples are within a 95% confidence level. The largest variance observed between assay methods was 2.05 g/t Au in rock chip BTR054. Additionally, all rock chip samples underwent multi-element analysis to determine levels of Silver, Arsenic, Bismuth, Copper, Lead, and Zinc.
Mike Whitlow, Chief Operating Officer, expressed satisfaction with the high-grade gold results and the statistically significant correlation to the fire assay data, validating the decision to implement photon assaying at Tambo. He also mentioned the recovery of visible gold through the washplant at Blue Mountain in Queensland, which has exceeded expectations. Adam Jones, Chief Geologist, noted the close correlation of the Photon Assay method with reported Fire Assays and highlighted the plan for a short drill program to confirm the consistency of gold hits within the vein structure.
The PhotonAssay, developed by Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, is described as a technique that can deliver faster, safer, and more accurate gold analysis. It is positioned as an environmentally-friendly replacement for fire assay, providing rapid turnaround on high sample volumes. The method is considered most suitable for coarse gold mineralization where analysis of large samples is required.