ECR Minerals PLC has released the fire assay gold results from the Duke of Cornwall Mine, Swifts Creek (Tambo), Victoria, Australia. The fire assay of 37 rock chips at the Duke of Cornwall Lode has improved earlier best results from photon analysis from 5 g/t Au to 52.2 g/t Au. Ten samples returned results above 5 g/t Au, with additional gold results for 19 rock chips including best results of 79 g/t Au, 8.55 g/t Au, and 5.31 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 Board has received the gold and multi-element results for all 56 rock chip samples, analyzed using both traditional Fire Assay and ME-ICPMS methods. The largest variance observed between assay methods was 2.05 g/t Au in rock chip BTR054. All rock chip samples also underwent ME-ICP 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 technique, developed by Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, is described as a faster, safer, and more accurate gold analysis method. It is positioned as an environmentally-friendly replacement for fire assay, providing rapid turnaround on high sample volumes. PhotonAssay is considered most suitable for coarse gold mineralization where analysis of large sample sizes is advantageous.
In conclusion, ECR Minerals PLC's fire assay results confirm high-grade gold at Tambo, Victoria, with the PhotonAssay method showing a close correlation with reported Fire Assays. The company is looking forward to resuming work at the project and is eagerly awaiting the results of laboratory analysis at Blue Mountain in Queensland.