Benz Mining reports strong metallurgical test results from the Icon deposit, showing up to 95.5% gold extraction within 24 hours and potential for broader mineralised halo to contribute to mill feed.
- 95.5% gold extraction from higher-grade core within 24 hours
- Strong recovery maintained down to 0.10 g/t gold in mineralised halo
- Low cyanide consumption and rapid leach kinetics confirmed
- Mineralised halo may reduce future strip ratios in open-pit mining
- Drilling ramp-up to 12 RC shifts underway across Glenburgh camps
High Gold Recoveries Confirm Free Milling at Icon Deposit
Benz Mining Corp (ASX:BNZ) has delivered a promising metallurgical update from its Glenburgh Gold Project in Western Australia, confirming that gold at the Icon deposit is free milling with excellent recovery rates. The company reported approximately 95.5% gold extraction within 24 hours from composite samples representative of the higher-grade core, alongside strong recoveries maintained throughout the broader mineralised halo down to grades as low as 0.10 g/t.
This rapid leach kinetics and low reagent consumption profile, with cyanide usage averaging just 0.18 to 0.22 kg/t NaCN, supports a conventional cyanide-leach processing route. Benz’s CEO Mark Lynch-Staunton highlighted the significance of these results, noting that the consistent extraction across a wide grade range differentiates Glenburgh and opens up an incremental recoverable gold opportunity beyond the core high-grade zones.
Mineralised Halo Could Shift Open-Pit Economics
The testwork demonstrated that the mineralised halo, grading between 0.1 and 0.3 g/t gold, achieved gold extraction rates of up to 93.3%. This is particularly important for future open-pit development scenarios where material within the pit shell must be mined. Benz suggests this lower-grade halo material could be treated as mill feed rather than waste, potentially reducing strip ratios and improving operational metrics.
While these are preliminary laboratory-scale results and not representative of plant-scale recoveries, they provide a strong baseline for further optimisation. Benz plans to undertake additional metallurgical testwork focused on grind size sensitivity, leach kinetics, and gravity recovery to refine processing parameters.
Drilling Scale-Up Reflects Growing Confidence in Glenburgh
In parallel with metallurgical advancements, Benz is ramping up its drilling program across the Glenburgh Gold System to 12 reverse circulation (RC) shifts spanning the Hurricane, Icon, and Thunderbolt camps. This aggressive exploration push underscores management’s increasing confidence in Glenburgh as a large-scale multi-million-ounce gold system with significant growth potential.
A diamond drill rig has also been mobilised to support metallurgical, geotechnical, and orebody knowledge programs, advancing multiple pre-development workstreams simultaneously with ongoing exploration. The Glenburgh project hosts a mineral resource estimate of 16.3 million tonnes at 1.0 g/t gold for approximately 510,100 ounces, combining thick bulk-style mineralisation with high-grade underground lenses.
Next Steps in Metallurgical and Development Work
Benz’s planned metallurgical work includes confirmatory cyanidation tests, expanded sampling across the mineralised halo and core, and integration of metallurgical data with geological and mining studies. These efforts aim to support future resource updates, mining studies, and processing plant design, critical steps as Glenburgh advances toward development.
With gold prices at record highs, the combination of robust metallurgical characteristics and a growing resource base positions Glenburgh as a compelling project in the Australian gold sector. Benz’s ongoing drilling and testwork will be crucial to validating the deposit’s scale and economic potential.
Bottom Line?
Benz’s metallurgical results at Icon reinforce Glenburgh’s potential as a large-scale, open-pit gold project, but further testwork and drilling will be key to confirming economic viability.
Questions in the middle?
- Will further metallurgical optimisation improve recoveries or reduce reagent costs materially?
- How will the mineralised halo’s contribution affect future mine planning and strip ratios?
- Can ongoing drilling confirm resource growth to underpin a robust development case?