Heron ups resources as atmospheric investigations continue Kate...

Heron ups resources as atmospheric investigations continue

Kate Hayc/ock
Wednesday, 16 April 2008

HERON Resources has upgraded measured and indicated resources at its Jump-Up Dam nickel project to 47 million tonnes grading 0.8% nickel as the company investigates atmospheric leaching potential at the project.



The nickel hopeful is now sitting on a 27% larger laterite resource, but the company’s main problem is figuring out the best way to process that resource.

Originally Heron was looking at acid heap leaching, but with the spiralling costs of acid the company’s attention has turned to atmospheric leaching instead.

Jump-Up Dam, 150km from Kalgoorlie, now has total resource of 67Mt at 0.75% nickel.

The company said today the new resource is based on drilling but also a new resource model, which provides a more accurate representation of the local variability of grades in the deposit. In turn, this should help with the company’s investigations into atmospheric leaching.

The company today also said there was potential to process lower-grade material at the project via the new method, material which could have been discarded as waste if heap leaching had gone ahead.

Perth-based Heron is part of two joint ventures with majors BHP Billiton and Brazilian company Vale over its nickel prospects in Western Australia.

Shares in the company gained 1c to 53.5c this morning.