EAS reports positive initial results from Sangihe metallurgical tests

By Romel S. Gurky

Canadian mineral exploration firm East Asia Minerals Corporation (EAS) on Monday announced the initial results of metallurgical studies of composite samples from its drilling program at the Binebase and Bawone mineralized zones on Sangihe Island in North Sulawesi.

The test work, conducted by ALS Laboratories in Perth, Australia under the supervision of Ausenco Processing Engineers, found that over 92 percent gold recovery could be achieved from the oxide ore in the composite samples using leach technology. Ausenco also achieved over 83 percent recovery from the sulphide ore in testing using flotation practices.

"The test results further demonstrate the potential at Sangihe to advance to development and that heap leaching can be a low-cost alternative," stated Ed Rochette, CEO of East Asia Minerals. "More work is planned, including gravity recovery and downstream test work, to define a process flowsheet."

In 2013, the company carried out a 5,164-meter drilling project at Sangihe Island. The program was composed of 25 holes at Binebase for a total of 2,485 meters, six holes at Bawone for a total of 976 meters and 10 holes at another mineralized zone, called Taware, for a total of 1,703 meters.

The Sangihe Gold-Copper Project is located on the island of Sangihe off the northern coast of Sulawesi. Sangihe has an existing NI 43-101 compliant inferred mineral resource of 27.3 million tons containing 836,718 ounces of gold at an average grade of 1.1 g/t and 11,927,237 ounces of silver at an average grade of 12.2 g/t (using a 0.25 g/t gold cut-off).

Editing by Alexander Ginting