The Dec 2022 photo of GAMs ROM looks pretty clean - be hard to mess up ROM management imo. However…
Wallace was Gold with a little copper - hence why ROM put a CIP plant in. The amount of Cu available at Wallace should not have any impact of the current Mt Freda processing - Round Oak would have surely processed the majority of the Au bearing material before putting the plant into C&M. If any higher grade Cu material was produced from Wallace - a) the BM/GC drilling would have identified these areas and they will be sitting at GAM’s WRD (or still at Wallace’s WRD) b) would not be on the ROM for the above reasons. ROM would not truck waste to GAM.
Mt Colin was briefly processed at GAM whilst it was an open pit before the decision was made to send Ore off to a 3rd party. This was many moons ago; i ‘assume’ that TBA should have easily been able to manage the ROM well enough to discriminate between ore that is clearly primary/transition sulphide and Mt Freda ore (if any remained). Aside from the mineralogy, Mt Colin is a different system to Freda - they look nothing alike. But again, this was a while ago; any remnant of this ore at GAM would be buried, overgrown or now at the WRD.
One potential; granted I haven’t gone too deep into TBAs announcements, is that there there is more Cu present in their ore than anticipated. Assays from Shamrock, Commstock don’t include much info on deleterious metals. From my experience, it’s extremely rare for shallow mineral systems in that area to not have some Cu present. Even Mt Freda reports (in places) Cu > 0.1% at depth. I’d assume Commstock/Sham would have higher Cu grades in the oxide portions. Again, I assume that TBA would have assessed this in the PFS and thus made the decision not to assay/report any multi-element suites.
I don’t know the ins and outs of recommissioning a plant etc, but surely it would make sense to flush/refresh the vats etc prior to processing ore from a different source otherwise the results would be highly variable and contrary to test work completed on TBA’s assets.
as a disclosure, I worked in that area for many years ago as an exploration geo. and have an interest in observing what current companies are doing/finding.
TBA Price at posting:
2.6¢ Sentiment: None Disclosure: Not Held
