- NI43-101 compliant technical report by Scott Wilson Roscoe Postle Associates (“RPA Report”) – click here to view
- RPA Report estimates that Zonia contains an inferred resources of 63 million tons averaging 0.37% TCu (total copper) at a cut-off grade of 0.25% (460 million pounds of copper)
- Feasibility Study for putting Zonia back into production targeted for completion in 2009
- production start-up objective to produce 20 million pounds of copper/year using SXEW processing technology
- Map
Map
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Site of the former McAlester Fuels Zonia cement copper pad and power source. View looking southeasterly. |
The Zonia Mine property consists of 144 patented and unpatented mineral claims, including mill site and lode mining claims, comprising about 3,322 acres of land. The claims are located approximately 140 km (88 mi) from Phoenix and 42 km (26 mi) from Prescott in the Walnut Grove Mining District.
In June 2008, Copper Mesa retained Tetra Tech Inc., an international provider of technical and engineering services, to coordinate and assemble all information needed for a definitive feasibility study on the Zonia, as chief engineering advisor on the project. Components of the Tetra Tech program include studies relative to ground water quality and protection, geo-technical studies, drilling as needed to produce an updated resource estimate and mine plan, comprehensive metallurgical analyses, and infrastructure and final site layout. The target for completion of this work and the resulting feasibility study is second quarter of 2009.
Also in June 2008, we acquired a comprehensive metallurgical data package and descriptive report, generated by Metcon Research, Inc. (“Metcon”) of Tucson, Arizona in 2007-2008, consisting of information developed in column tests performed on several tons of material collected from four trenches cut within the existing Zonia open pit, and bottle roll tests on both the same material and numerous samples of previously collected drill cuttings from lower depths within the Zonia deposit. All tests were directed at determining the mineralized material’s response to treatment by heap leaching and SXEW recovery of copper. Indicated recoveries, based on various material sizes and leach times, were between 71% and 81%.
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Close-up of leached capping and abundant iron oxides in Yavapai Schist, west wall, Zonia Main open pit. Late Tertiary age gravels and basalt flows cover the premineral units in the upper left of the photo. Looking northerly. |
“Metallurgy, and correct metallurgical testing are paramount to the success of any SXEW operation,” said Gary E. Davis, CEO and President. “While much metallurgical data already exists on the Zonia project as developed for an existing feasibility study prepared in 1995, this Metcon data, coupled with proposed additional testing of deeper material within the existing mine pit boundaries and in areas of probable pit expansion, will solidify this important technical component for advancing the project feasibility study.”
The Company embarked on two separate drill programs, both designed in consultation with Tetra Tech, in August 2008. The first drill program consists of sonic drilling of 17 holes (approximately 1,800 ft) to produce material both for subsequent assaying as well as for the testing of geotechnical characteristics of areas being considered as sites for construction of facilities for the proposed mining operation.
The second drill program, comprised of diamond drilling of 15 holes (approximately 3,000 ft) which includes the twinning of several existing holes, will provide confirmation of historical tonnage and grade estimates through check assays to facilitate the re-estimation and reclassification of the copper resource to be compliant with current NI 43-101 standards by no later than December 2008.
A pre-feasibility study was also begun, which is targeted for completion during the first half of 2009. We expect to have all permit applications submitted for construction of an open pit mine and a solvent extraction/electrowinning (“SXEW”) processing complex, averaging 20 million pounds of copper per year, by the end of the second quarter of 2009.
The Zonia copper deposit is hosted by Precambrian schists and by quartz monzonite intrusive rocks. The Zonia deposit is open to the northeast and the southwest and more drilling is needed to test for extensions to the mineral resources.
