WOODLAWN ZINC-COPPER PROJECT
Heron holds a direct 100% ownership of the mineral rights at the
Over the past five years Heron has developed the
January saw the highest monthly throughput to date with 109kt of tails reclaim feed processed and 4,300 tonnes of combined concentrate produced. Planned underground ore processing in February was adversely impacted by a significant and prolonged wet weather event that significantly reduced crusher throughput, with maintenance on tails reclaim equipment impacting the option of postponing the crushing campaign. During March, reasonable tails reclaim feed throughput rates were being achieved, averaging 166tph, until the suspension of operations on
Suspension of Operations: Heron announced on
Safety: Safety performance improved significantly relative to the previous quarter with zero Lost Time Injuries (LTIs) incurred. No known cases of COVID-19 were recorded in the Woodlawn workforce, and protocols aligned with the
Hydraulic Mining: Hydraulic mining continued in the main production area of Tailings Dam South (TDS). Performance was impacted by poor hydraulic mining and pumping equipment reliability. The improvements required to achieve the required reliability have been identified and included in re-start plans for the operation.
Tailings Reclaim Processing: A total of 204kt of tails reclaim feed was processed during the quarter with a number of positive indicators achieved with respect to throughput and flotation performance, however feed stability issues impacted overall production performance.
Underground Ore Processing: A total of 28.5kt of underground ore was processed during the quarter, all in February. The campaign was significantly impacted by an unusually heavy and persistent wet weather sequence which caused material handling issues throughout the crushing and screening circuit. These issues have been clearly identified and included in the re-start plans for the operation.
Concentrate Production/Sales: A total of 5,368 dry metric tonnes (dmt) of zinc concentrate and 1,796 dmt of copper concentrate were shipped during the quarter. Concentrate grade and metal recoveries continued to improve during the quarter, particularly during periods of stable operation.
Woodlawn North Targets: Heron's current exploration focus is on the discovery and delineation of additional mineralised VMS lenses directly north of the Woodlawn mine's known ore resources. Prospects targeted are within a 2.5km arc to the NW and NE of Woodlawn. A down-hole electromagnetic (EM) survey was completed in the quarter on the four diamond core holes drilled in 2019 (CHDD0002, CHDD0003, WNDD0152, WNDD0153), which intersected a number of zones of significant indicative alteration. Two strong EM conductors were identified and coincided with graphitic shales which is sufficient to explain these anomalies. A number of weak, late time conductors were also identified and current work is focussed on constraining the extent of these anomalies. A further down-hole EM survey was completed at the Montrose prospect, 6.5km NW of Woodlawn, and returned a complex array of highly conductive EM anomalies. Further work is planned to constrain these anomalies and establish a drill target.
New Frontiers Cooperative Drilling Grant Awarded: During the quarter Heron was awarded a New Frontiers Cooperative Drilling grant from the NSW government for its Peelwood project, 100 km north of Woodlawn. This grant will subsidise 50% of the direct drilling costs of the planned exploration drilling program at Peelwood.
Woodlawn Regional Prospects: Heron continues to hold a strategic 1,372 km2 tenement package covering the prospective Silurian volcanic rocks, which hosts the Woodlawn VMS base metal deposit. Heron's exploration focus is on historically known mineralisation zones with prospective geology and comparable grade and metallurgy to Woodlawn, and within potential trucking distance of the Woodlawn mine and processing facility.
Exploration Joint Venture Projects
Heron retains interests in tenement holdings within the Lachlan Fold Belt of NSW and the
As announced on the
Sky has raised an additional
Alchemy Farm-In and Joint Venture (Overflow, Girilambone,
Heron entered into a Farm-In Agreement with
Contact:
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