Lode Gold Launches Metallurgical Drilling at Fremont Gold Mine in California, USA

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On August 17, Lode Gold Resources has initiated metallurgical drilling at the Fremont Gold Mine in the USA to collect beneficiation, geotechnical, and resource verification data for the pre-feasibility study planned for completion in 2027. The project had previously obtained a three-year valid permit for surface mineral exploration and comprehensive drilling.

Lode Gold has engaged specialized engineering firms for this phase of work, responsible for overseeing large-diameter PQ core sampling and quality control, designing a multi-stage metallurgical testing program, and evaluating process routes such as gravity separation, flotation, and coarse particle sorting. Test results will also be used to optimize grinding particle size, future plant design, and project capital and operating expenditures.

Under the 2026 drilling plan, the Fremont project is slated to implement 3,500 to 4,500 meters of drilling. Phase one includes approximately 1,400 meters of metallurgical and geotechnical drilling in the Pine Tree–Josephine area, 600 meters of hydrogeological and infill drilling, and 1,500 meters of peripheral exploration drilling in the Chicken Gulch area.

The metallurgical testing completed at the Fremont project in 2014 achieved a gold recovery rate of 91%, and this round of testing will re-validate that parameter. The project's current resources include 19 million tonnes of indicated resources with an average gold grade of 1.90 g/t, containing 1.16 million ounces of gold; plus 28 million tonnes of inferred resources with an average gold grade of 2.22 g/t, containing 2.02 million ounces of gold.