For immediate release
19 April
2022
Serabi Gold
plc(“Serabi” or
the “Company”)
First
quarter operational
review
Serabi Gold plc (AIM:SRB, TSX:SBI), the Brazilian-focused gold
mining and development company, is pleased to provide the results
and a review of its 2022 first quarter operational, development and
exploration activities.
A PDF version of this announcement,
including all images, can be accessed using the following
link -
https://bit.ly/3Mg9CC7
OPERATIONAL
RESULTS
Palito Operations
- First quarter
gold production of 7,062 ounces, a 13% reduction compared to the
same period of 2021 (Q1 2021: 8,087 ounces).
- Total ore mined
during the quarter of 40,606 tonnes at 5.95 grammes per tonne
(“g/t”) of gold, compared with 40,371 tonnes at 6.27g/t for the
same period in 2021.
- Production was
impacted by continued supply chain issues and greater than expected
dilution from the Julia Vein of the São Chico orebody. Shrinkage
stoping has been adopted to address this but will result in delayed
production and guidance for 2022 is therefore reduced to 30,000
ounces from 36,000 to 39,000 ounces previously.
- 41,357 tonnes of
run of mine (“ROM”) ore were processed through the plant from the
combined Palito and São Chico orebodies, with an average grade of
5.72 g/t of gold, compared with 41,462 tonnes at 6.27 g/t for the
same period in 2021.
- 2,938 metres of
horizontal development completed during the quarter
DEVELOPMENT HIGHLIGHTS
Coringa Project
- Underground
development of the ramp has now intersected all three veins (V1, V2
and V3) on at least one level. The V3 and V1 veins of the Serra
Zone were intersected on the 320m and 340m levels (see news
releases dated 28 January and 11 March 2022) with channel samples
recording better than expected results including:
- SRR-320-019 - 1.25 metres @
7.84 g/t Au
- SRR-320-012 - 0.86 metres @
12.44 g/t Au
- SRR-340-004 - 0.40 metres @
14.61 g/t Au
- Additional
results since 11 March 2022 from the V3 development delivered high
grade results including:
- SRR-340-006 - 0.40 metres@
30.28 g/t Au
- SRR-340-010 - 0.52
metres @ 21.25 g/t Au
- SRR-340-015 – 0.34 metres @
70.06g/t Au
EXPLORATION
HIGHLIGHTS
- Palito: Drilling
within the Chica da Santa (CDS) sector, currently the eastern limit
of the Palito mining operation, continued to generate positive
results from the Ipe and Mogno veins and additional drilling from
both underground and on surface further to the north east has
delineated a further sector containing the Pele, Romario and Bebeto
veins (see news release dated 5 January 2022).
- High grade
underground intercepts include:
- 0.50m @
22.56g/t Au (Ipe) from 39.30 metres to 39.80 metres
(PUD0709)
- 1.05m @
68.09g/t Au (Ipe) from 41.25 metres to 42.30 metres
(PUD0726)
- 1.50m @
76.09g/t Au (Ipe) from 61.70 metres to 63.20 metres
(PUD0727)
- High grade
surface intercepts include:
- 1.40m @
14.39g/t Au (Pele) from 106.40 metres to 107.80 metres
(PDD0607)
- 0.82m @
24.70g/t Au (Jatoba) from 57.38 metres to 58.20 metres
(PDD0415)
- 2.00m @
33.76g/t Au (Jatoba) from 76.75 metres to 78.75 metres
(PDD0558)
- Palito: Shallow
drilling at the Piaui prospect confirmed the continuity of three
major parallel mineralised structures and identifies further
smaller parallel zones, 500 metres from the current underground
mine infrastructure.
- Visible gold
encountered in PDD0619 within a zone grading 2.6m @
13.37g/t Au including 0.75m @ 33.74g/t Au
from 28.55m.
- High grade
intercepts include:
- 0.41m @
16.89g/t Au from 26.40m, 1.94m @ 11.86g/t
Au including 0.70m @ 19.15g/t Au from
35.30m (PDD0618)
- 0.65m @
14.28g/t Au from 43.1m, 5.90m @ 4.11g/t Au including
1.00m @ 17.56g/t Au from 69.75m (PDD0617)
- São Domingos
Regional: Results from 1,929 line kilometres of airborne magnetic
survey over the highly prospective São Domingos property, to the
west of the São Chico operation, extends the Mata Cobra magnetic
trend into the São Domingos property and extends the strike length
of the corridor from 25km to over 40km. Mata Cobra is a magnetic
trend that dominates the central part of the tenement and which has
a coincident copper and gold soil geochemical anomaly.
- Matilda: The
Matilda prospect shows a subtle but distinct magnetic signature
coincident with the extensive soil geochemical anomaly, interpreted
to reflect a magnetite alteration halo.
Mike Hodgson, CEO of Serabi,
commented:
“The first quarter results for 2022 have been
somewhat mixed. We have had some excellent, and better than
anticipated results from the underground development at Coringa,
most specifically on the first of the five ore zones, the Serra
Zone. We have progressed development of V3 to the north and south
of the ramp on both levels and these early results have been
extremely promising. As we advance to the north, we also expect to
see improved widths.
“At Palito, the first quarter production results
have been disappointing with 7,062 ounces produced, and while March
was a significantly better month with improved grades and
production, it was not possible to recover earlier shortfalls in
planned production due to delays in receiving new mining fleet
which while ordered in mid-2021 are only now built and becoming
available for delivery. As a consequence, by having to rely on
older machinery we have, in the short term, mined and processed the
ore in immediately accessible blocks, including those with lower
grades, which contributed to lower than anticipated gold production
over the last six months. However, all new items of fleet have been
delivered or are expected to be delivered during the second quarter
of 2022 and we are confident that we can increase production from
the already identified new vein structures during the remainder of
2022 and in 2023.”
“At São Chico, dilution in the Julia Vein from
mechanised long hole open stoping was also higher than expected as
a consequence of the presence of parallel and cross cutting faults
and intrusive dykes which post-date the ore. This level of faulting
appears to be unique to the Julia Vein. We have therefore decided
to change the mining method on the Julia Vein and introduce
selective open stoping, the method used successfully on the Palito
orebody, and which will over time be expected to improve grades by
minimising dilution through greater selectivity in the mining.
1,000 ounces of production which had been scheduled from São Chico
in February by long hole, will now be mined selectively during the
second quarter and over the rest of the year.
“The decision to mine selectively on the Julia
Vein means the reliance on production ounces will, in the near
term, focus on the Palito orebody, with operations at São Chico
focusing more on mine development with a view to a return to
planned production levels later in the year and into 2023. In the
short term we will be focusing on producing profitable ounces and
maximising operational cashflow rather than production growth for
the rest of the year, and we are therefore revising our production
guidance to be in the region of 30,000 ounces for 2022.
“The real scale change on production ounces will
be driven by the successful start-up of Coringa where we have
enjoyed a very encouraging initial mine development. During the
quarter, we intersected the three veins of the Serra Zone on the
340m and 320m levels. The results to date have been excellent, and
as we develop the two principal veins, V1 and V3 to the north we
are recording far better grades than forecast. As a result, we have
introduced ‘resue’ development mining, where the ore and waste can
be blasted separately. The advantage of this is that dilution of
the ore coming out of the mine is minimised. The intention is to
build a high-grade stockpile over the coming months.
“On the permitting side, matters continue to
progress well. We have had positive meetings with SEMAS, the State
Environmental Agency. We continue to expect this will result in
Serabi receiving the LI in the coming few months.
“Exploration results from the Palito Mine have
been very encouraging. The Ipe and Mogno veins in the Chica da
Santa sector, have demonstrated the depth potential and continued
high grades of the sector. The Piaui sector hosts two veins, which
have now been drilled over a strike length of 500m and 200m
vertical depth. Plans are now being finalised to crosscut to this
sector from the Senna vein later this year.
“The potential of Palito both along strike, at
depth and now laterally is clear to see. From Pele in the east and
Piaui in the west, the deposit now comprises a series of veins
within a 1,000m wide corridor . Over the next 12 months, we will be
expanding the Palito orebody considerably as we access these new
sectors.
“Whilst the last two years have been tough
operationally due to global supply chain issues and impacts of
Covid, we are confident in Serabi’s future. The Palito orebody
remains the engine room to our production base but with a
turnaround expected at São Chico this year and the material growth
from Coringa, our strategy remains to turn Serabi into a
multi-asset gold miner with production approaching 100koz within
the next few years.”
To access the image of a Plan of Palito Mine
please use the following link -
https://bit.ly/3xyZkce
Figure 1: Plan of
Palito Mine showing
developed veins and mine development,
geophysics and lateral
extensions of the Pele
and Piaui sectors
To access the image of Geological Map of the Main
Ramp of 320 please use the following link -
https://bit.ly/3MuETBN
Figure 2: Geological Map
of the Main Ramp of 320 showing the position of V3 in relation to
the opening of the sill drives 320_V3N and 320_V3S and the
geological model.
To access the image of Geological Map of the Main
Ramp of 340 please use the following link -
https://bit.ly/3jQBAbu
Figure
3: Geological Map of the
Main Ramp of 340 showing the
position of V3 in relation to the opening of the sill drives
340_V3N and
340_V3S and the geological
model.
FINANCE
UPDATE
Cash balances at the end of March 20212 were US$6.9 million with
a further receipt of US$1.6 million for a sale of copper/gold
concentrate due to be received in early April. This receipt was
delayed from March following late changes in sailing schedules. The
reduction in cash holdings since 31 December 2021, reflects the
continued development expenditure of Coringa during the quarter,
and the reduced level of sales revenue generated in the period as a
result of lower production.
The Company anticipates that the audited
financial results for the Company for the year ended 31 December
2021 will be released in the middle of May.
2022 PRODUCTION GUIDANCE
In light of the issues identified during the
first quarter of 2022 and the measures that the Company is putting
in place, production guidance for 2022 has been reduced to
approximately 30,000 ounces from 36,000-39,000 as previously for
the full year.
|
|
SUMMARY PRODUCTION STATISTICS FOR 2022 AND
2021 |
|
|
Qtr 1 |
YTD |
Qtr 1 |
Qtr 2 |
Qtr 3 |
Qtr 4 |
Full Yr |
2022 |
2021 |
2021 |
2021 |
2021 |
2021 |
2021 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gold production (1)(2) |
Ounces |
7,062 |
7,062 |
8,087 |
9,048 |
9,035 |
7,678 |
33,848 |
Mined ore – Total |
Tonnes |
40,606 |
40,606 |
40,371 |
43,051 |
42,240 |
44,599 |
170,261 |
|
Gold grade (g/t) |
5.95 |
5.95 |
6.27 |
7.12 |
7.18 |
5.81 |
6.59 |
Milled ore |
Tonnes |
41,357 |
41,357 |
41,462 |
43,679 |
41,995 |
43,663 |
170,799 |
|
Gold grade (g/t) |
5.72 |
5.72 |
6.27 |
7.09 |
7.20 |
5.90 |
6.61 |
Horizontal development – Total |
Metres |
2,938 |
2,938 |
3,573 |
2,961 |
2,842 |
3,318 |
12,694 |
- The table may not sum due to
rounding.
- Production numbers are subject to
change pending final assay analysis from refineries.
The information contained within this
announcement is deemed by the Company to constitute inside
information as stipulated under the Market Abuse Regulations (EU)
No. 596/2014 as it forms part of UK Domestic Law by virtue of the
European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018.
The person who arranged for the release of this
announcement on behalf of the Company was Clive Line, Director.
Enquiries:
Serabi Gold plc |
|
Michael Hodgson |
Tel: +44 (0)20 7246 6830 |
Chief Executive |
Mobile: +44 (0)7799 473621 |
|
|
Clive Line |
Tel: +44 (0)20 7246 6830 |
Finance Director |
Mobile: +44 (0)7710 151692 |
|
|
Email: contact@serabigold.com |
|
Website: www.serabigold.com |
|
|
|
Beaumont Cornish LimitedNominated Adviser and Financial
Adviser |
|
Roland Cornish / Michael Cornish |
Tel: +44 (0)20 7628 3396 |
|
|
Peel Hunt LLPJoint UK Broker |
|
Ross Allister / Alexander Allen |
Tel: +44 (0)20 7418 9000 |
|
|
Tamesis Partners LLPJoint UK Broker |
|
Charlie Bendon / Richard Greenfield |
Tel: +44 (0)20 3882 2868 |
|
|
Camarco Financial
PR |
|
Gordon Poole / Emily Hall |
Tel: +44(0) 20 3757 4980 |
Copies of this announcement are available from
the Company's website at www.serabigold.com.
Neither the Toronto Stock Exchange, nor any
other securities regulatory authority, has approved or disapproved
of the contents of this announcement.
See
www.serabigold.com for more information
and follow us on twitter @Serabi_Gold
GLOSSARY OF TERMS
“Ag” |
means silver. |
“Au” |
means gold. |
“assay” |
in economic geology, means to analyse the proportions of metal in a
rock or overburden sample; to test an ore or mineral for
composition, purity, weight or other properties of commercial
interest. |
“CIM” |
means the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and
Petroleum. |
“chalcopyrite” |
is a sulphide of copper and iron. |
“Cu” |
means copper. |
“cut-off grade” |
the lowest grade of mineralised material that qualifies as ore in a
given deposit; rock of the lowest assay included in an ore
estimate. |
“dacite porphyry intrusive” |
a silica-rich igneous rock with larger phenocrysts (crystals)
within a fine-grained matrix |
“deposit” |
is a mineralised body which has been physically delineated by
sufficient drilling, trenching, and/or underground work, and found
to contain a sufficient average grade of metal or metals to warrant
further exploration and/or development expenditures; such a deposit
does not qualify as a commercially mineable ore body or as
containing ore reserves, until final legal, technical, and economic
factors have been resolved. |
“electromagnetics” |
is a geophysical technique tool measuring the magnetic field
generated by subjecting the sub-surface to electrical
currents. |
“garimpo” |
is a local artisanal mining operation |
“garimpeiro” |
is a local artisanal miner. |
“geochemical” |
refers to geological information using measurements derived from
chemical analysis. |
“geophysical” |
refers to geological information using measurements derived from
the use of magnetic and electrical readings. |
“geophysical techniques” |
include the exploration of an area by exploiting differences in
physical properties of different rock types. Geophysical methods
include seismic, magnetic, gravity, induced polarisation and other
techniques; geophysical surveys can be undertaken from the ground
or from the air. |
“gossan” |
is an iron-bearing weathered product that overlies a sulphide
deposit. |
“grade” |
is the concentration of mineral within the host rock typically
quoted as grams per tonne (g/t), parts per million (ppm) or parts
per billion (ppb). |
“g/t” |
means grams per tonne. |
“granodiorite” |
is an igneous intrusive rock similar to granite. |
“hectare” or a “ha” |
is a unit of measurement equal to 10,000 square metres. |
“igneous” |
is a rock that has solidified from molten material or magma. |
“IP” |
refers to induced polarisation, a geophysical technique whereby an
electric current is induced into the sub-surface and the
conductivity of the sub-surface is recorded. |
“intrusive” |
is a body of rock that invades older rocks. |
"Indicated Mineral Resource |
is that part of a Mineral Resource for which quantity, grade or
quality, densities, shape and physical characteristics can be
estimated with a level of confidence sufficient to allow the
appropriate application of technical and economic parameters, to
support mine planning and evaluation of the economic viability of
the deposit. The estimate is based on detailed and reliable
exploration and testing information gathered through appropriate
techniques from locations such as outcrops, trenches, pits,
workings and drill holes that are spaced closely enough for
geological and grade continuity to be reasonably assumed. |
"Inferred Mineral Resource” |
is that part of a Mineral Resource for which quantity and grade or
quality can be estimated on the basis of geological evidence and
limited sampling and reasonably assumed, but not verified,
geological and grade continuity. The estimate is based on limited
information and sampling gathered through appropriate techniques
from locations such as outcrops, trenches, pits, workings and drill
holes. |
“Inferred Mineral Resource” |
‟ is that part of a Mineral Resource for which quantity and grade
or quality can be estimated on the basis of geological evidence and
limited sampling and reasonably assumed, but not verified,
geological and grade continuity. The estimate is based on limited
information and sampling gathered through appropriate techniques
from locations such as outcrops, trenches, pits, workings and drill
holes. |
“mineralisation” |
the concentration of metals and their chemical compounds within a
body of rock. |
“mineralised” |
refers to rock which contains minerals e.g. iron, copper,
gold. |
"Mineral Resource” |
is a concentration or occurrence of diamonds, natural solid
inorganic material, or natural solid fossilized organic material
including base and precious metals, coal, and industrial minerals
in or on the Earth's crust in such form and quantity and of such a
grade or quality that it has reasonable prospects for economic
extraction. The location, quantity, grade, geological
characteristics and continuity of a Mineral Resource are known,
estimated or interpreted from specific geological evidence and
knowledge. |
“Mineral Reserve” |
is the economically mineable part of a Measured or Indicated
Mineral Resource demonstrated by at least a Preliminary Feasibility
Study. This Study must include adequate information on mining,
processing, metallurgical, economic and other relevant factors that
demonstrate, at the time of reporting, that economic extraction can
be justified. A Mineral Reserve includes diluting materials and
allowances for losses that may occur when the material is mine |
“Mo-Bi-As-Te-W-Sn” |
Molybdenum-Bismuth-Arsenic-Tellurium-Tungsten-Tin |
“monzogranite” |
a biotite rich granite, often part of the later-stage emplacement
of a larger granite body. |
“mt” |
means million tonnes. |
“ore” |
means a metal or mineral or a combination of these of sufficient
value as to quality and quantity to enable it to be mined at a
profit. |
“oxides” |
are near surface bed-rock which has been weathered and oxidised by
long term exposure to the effects of water and air. |
“ppm” |
means parts per million. |
“Probable Mineral Reserve” |
is the economically mineable part of an Indicated and, in some
circumstances, a Measured Mineral Resource demonstrated by at least
a Preliminary Feasibility Study. This Study must include adequate
information on mining, processing, metallurgical, economic, and
other relevant factors that demonstrate, at the time of reporting,
that economic extraction can be justified. |
“Proven Mineral Reserve” |
is the economically mineable part of a Measured Mineral Resource. A
Proven Mineral Reserve implies a high degree of confidence in the
Modifying Factors |
“saprolite” |
is a weathered or decomposed clay-rich rock. |
“sulphide” |
refers to minerals consisting of a chemical combination of sulphur
with a metal. |
“vein” |
is a generic term to describe an occurrence of mineralised rock
within an area of non-mineralised rock. |
“VTEM” |
refers to versa time domain electromagnetic, a particular variant
of time-domain electromagnetic geophysical survey to prospect for
conductive bodies below surface. |
Assay ResultsAssay results
reported within this release include those provided by the
Company's own on-site laboratory facilities at Palito and these
will not have been independently verified. Serabi closely monitors
the performance of its own facility against results from
independent laboratory analysis for quality control purpose. As a
matter of normal practice, the Company sends duplicate samples
derived from a variety of the Company's activities to accredited
laboratory facilities for independent verification. Since mid-2019,
over 10,000 exploration drill core samples have been assayed at
both the Palito laboratory and certified external laboratory, in
most cases the ALS laboratory in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. When
comparing significant assays with grades exceeding 1 g/t gold,
comparison between Palito versus external results record an average
over-estimation by the Palito laboratory of 6.7% over this period.
Based on the results of this work, the Company's management are
satisfied that the Company's own facility shows sufficiently good
correlation with independent laboratory facilities for exploration
drill samples. The Company would expect that in the preparation of
any future independent Reserve/Resource statement undertaken in
compliance with a recognised standard, the independent authors of
such a statement would not use Palito assay
Qualified Persons StatementThe
scientific and technical information contained within this
announcement has been reviewed and approved by Michael Hodgson, a
Director of the Company. Mr Hodgson is an Economic Geologist by
training with over 26 years' experience in the mining industry. He
holds a BSc (Hons) Geology, University of London, a MSc Mining
Geology, University of Leicester and is a Fellow of the Institute
of Materials, Minerals and Mining and a Chartered Engineer of the
Engineering Council of UK, recognising him as both a Qualified
Person for the purposes of Canadian National Instrument 43-101 and
by the AIM Guidance Note on Mining and Oil & Gas Companies
dated June 2009.
Forward Looking
StatementsCertain statements in this announcement are, or
may be deemed to be, forward looking statements. Forward looking
statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as
‘‘believe’’, ‘‘could’’, “should” ‘‘envisage’’, ‘‘estimate’’,
‘‘intend’’, ‘‘may’’, ‘‘plan’’, ‘‘will’’ or the negative of those,
variations, or comparable expressions, including references to
assumptions. These forward-looking statements are not based on
historical facts but rather on the Directors’ current expectations
and assumptions regarding the Company’s future growth, results of
operations, performance, future capital and other expenditures
(including the amount, nature and sources of funding thereof),
competitive advantages, business prospects and opportunities. Such
forward looking statements reflect the Directors’ current beliefs
and assumptions and are based on information currently available to
the Directors. A number of factors could cause actual results to
differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking
statements including risks associated with vulnerability to general
economic and business conditions, competition, environmental and
other regulatory changes, actions by governmental authorities, the
availability of capital markets, reliance on key personnel,
uninsured and underinsured losses and other factors, many of which
are beyond the control of the Company. Although any forward-looking
statements contained in this announcement are based upon what the
Directors believe to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot
assure investors that actual results will be consistent with such
forward looking statements.
ENDS
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