Taruga Minerals Confirms High Gold And Silver Recoveries At Weioko Ahead Of Maiden Drilling

Metallurgical Testwork Validates Simple Processing Route

Taruga Minerals Limited (ASX:TAR) has delivered encouraging metallurgical results from its Weioko Gold Deposit on Normanby Island, Papua New Guinea, confirming the gold is free-milling with excellent recoveries. The preliminary testwork, conducted on near-surface oxide composites, returned gold extraction rates of 96.3% from a high-grade sample averaging 14.15 g/t Au, and 92.6% from a low-grade composite at 0.59 g/t Au. These figures suggest a straightforward gravity separation followed by conventional cyanide leaching can effectively recover the gold.

The high-grade composite notably includes a rock chip sample assaying 99.45 g/t Au, one of the highest grades recorded at Weioko, which still achieved a 96.3% recovery rate. While rock chip samples are selective and not representative of average deposit grade, this result underscores the robustness of the processing approach for coarse free gold.

Silver Recovery Adds Value To The Deposit

Silver is emerging as a meaningful co-product at Weioko, with recoveries of 92.2% in the low-grade composite and 87.4% in the high-grade composite. Historical drilling has reported significant silver intercepts, including intervals of over 100 g/t Ag, often correlated with gold mineralisation. Taruga’s testwork confirms silver responds well to the same gravity plus cyanidation flowsheet as gold, with no added processing complexity, potentially enhancing project economics.

Consistent Recoveries Across Grade Spectrum

The metallurgical program tested composites spanning a broad grade range, and the consistent recoveries above 90% at both ends suggest the Weioko system should behave predictably under a single processing flowsheet. This uniformity reduces technical risk, implying that the deposit’s variability in grade will not require multiple or complex processing methods.

Multi-element assays confirm low levels of deleterious elements such as arsenic, sulphide sulphur, and copper, typical of a near-surface low-sulphidation epithermal system, indicating manageable processing conditions. Sodium cyanide consumption was low, and the grind size used (75µm) aligns with standard gold plant operations.

Strategic Positioning Ahead Of Maiden Drilling

These metallurgical insights materially de-risk the processing pathway at Weioko as Taruga prepares for its maiden drilling campaign, contracted to begin in Q3 2026. The company plans to incorporate these findings into the assessment of drill core samples and conduct further metallurgical tests on deeper mineralisation zones. This step is crucial given the deposit’s low-sulphidation epithermal nature and the potential for varied mineralisation at depth.

Weioko anchors an 8km mineralised corridor within a 40km epithermal belt on Normanby Island, with historical drilling between 1987 and 2009 returning intercepts such as 64.6m at 2.2 g/t Au from surface. Taruga’s recent exploration licence grants and drill contract finalisation have set the stage for an active field season, including mapping and trenching across the broader district.

Non-Executive Chairman Paul Cronin highlighted the significance of achieving high recoveries across the grade range, stating this consistency provides confidence that the deposit will respond well to a conventional processing flowsheet, simplifying future project development.