Canyon Resources upgrades Minim Martap bauxite project resources to measured category

The African focussed minerals exploration company Canyon Resources has upgraded the bauxite resources of its Minim Martap project in Cameroon following a grade definition drilling effort.

Canyon confirmed the resource remains high in alumina and low in silica, containing 1.03 billion tonnes at 45.30% aluminium oxide, 2.70% silicon dioxide at a cut-off grade of 35% aluminium oxide.

As per Canyon, out of the total resources, the said 500 million tonnes contained a high-grade resource of 49% aluminium oxide and 2.6% silicon dioxide and included an upgraded measured resource of 268 million tonnes at 49.7% aluminium oxide and 2.6% silicon oxide at a cut-off grade of 45% aluminium oxide.

More predominantly, the bauxite explorer said: “This brings one-third of the total resource into the measured category.”

Besides, this resource is said to represent only 17 bauxite plateaux within Minim Martap, while 62 plateaux prevailing for test drilling.

Phillip Gallagher, Managing Director, Canyon Resources said: “This upgrade of the Minim Martap Mineral Resource to include 382Mt in the Measured category is particularly significant for the Project.”

“Canyon has now defined many operational decades of Measured Resources that are all very high grade and with very low silica. As the global bauxite market has a lot of new lower quality bauxite projects commence production in the past few years, such a potentially consistent long-term supply of such high-quality bauxite is unique.”

According to Canyon, metallurgical test work is an ongoing process and pursues to exhibit high availability of alumina content at over 90.30%, a sharp betterment for all Minim Martap bauxite.

Metallurgical test work is ongoing, according to Canyon, and continues to show high availability of contained alumina at over 90.3 per cent high recoveries for all Minim Martap bauxite.

James Durrant, Canyons of Director of Project, said: “This Resource upgrade brings over one-third of the total Minim Martap resource into the Measured category. A significant milestone for the Company, made possible by the hard work of our Cameroonian Team during some challenging times. A measured resource of 382Mt provides significant confidence in our resource definition, further de-risking an already robust project, and underpinning the production profile for the first 20 years of operation.”