OzAurum records 95% heap leach recovery at Mulgabbie North

Mulgabbie North column test reaches 95% recovery

OzAurum Resources Ltd (ASX:OZM) has produced a strong metallurgical result from its Mulgabbie North Gold Project in Western Australia, with an independent column test recovering 95% of the gold from paleochannel material. The sample, taken from diamond hole MNODH 022, had a head grade of 2.58 g/t gold and was crushed to a relatively coarse -12mm size.

“Paleochannel MNODH 022 diamond hole location plan.”

“MNODH 022 Gold recovered in solution (g/t Au) vs time, in days.”

Caption and image © Ozaurum Resources Limited. From “95% Gold Recovery from Heap Leach Column Testwork”, 28 Oct 2026.

The leach was also fast. More than 60% of the gold was recovered within 15 days, more than 80% within 35 days and more than 90% within 65 days. Cyanide consumption was approximately 0.26 kg per tonne, which OzAurum described as potentially below the roughly 0.5 kg/t level it regards as normal. The testing was completed by ALS Balcatta under the supervision of Kappes Cassiday & Associates Australia.

Low-capital heap leach case gains technical support

The result adds weight to OzAurum’s proposed heap leach route, which the company says could require less capital than a conventional carbon-in-leach plant. It also builds on the earlier 82% recovery tests reported at Mulgabbie North, although the results come from laboratory conditions and should not be treated as a forecast of commercial-scale recovery.

“James cross section 10350N”

The latest test covers paleochannel material from a high-grade interval of 6 metres at 11.64 g/t gold, including 1 metre at 61.10 g/t from 22 metres downhole. OzAurum said column work across three ore types had returned excellent heap leach recoveries, supporting its Stage 1 development concept and potential later expansion along the 8km Relief Shear corridor.

Fresh rock remains the decisive development test

The strongest qualification sits in the resource mix. Fresh material accounts for 184,000 ounces of Mulgabbie North’s 260,000-ounce Mineral Resource Estimate, or 71% of contained ounces. OzAurum now plans to test that material, with successful results potentially allowing fresh rock to be included in later development stages.

That work matters because the current 95% result applies to paleochannel material, not the bulk of the stated resource. The company points to the Binduli heap leach operation near Kalgoorlie and Saturn Metals’ Apollo Hill project as examples of fresh-rock heap leaching, while acknowledging that those operations do not establish what Mulgabbie North will achieve.

Laboratory recovery still needs to become an operating case

For now, the announcement improves the technical evidence behind OzAurum’s processing strategy rather than establishing a production outcome. The next meaningful datapoint is fresh-material metallurgy, followed by the capital, operating-cost, mine-plan and permitting work needed to determine whether the laboratory performance can support a viable open-pit heap leach operation.