Basil Botha, President and CEO of the Company stated �The Company has a long list of targets ready for drilling, which have been identified though surface sampling and geophysical methods. This initial area is located within the permitted mining concession. Each drill hole, while not necessarily conclusive in itself, gives us more information on the very complex geological structure at Paso Yobai and once all the data from the rest of the program is combined, we will have greater clarity for future definition of the multiple ore shoots on this project.�
Results for diamond drilling:
Assays of Coarse Visible Gold: Coarse gold samples often exhibit a pronounced nugget effect due to the presence of discrete particulate gold. This may generate a pronounced scatter in the gold analytical results making it difficult to assess the true gold concentration. To improve the analytical reproducibility of samples identified with visible gold, an accelerated cyanide leach assay was performed by ALS utilizing LeachWELL
TM tabs. Approximately 500 gr of material is split from the crushed, milled and homogenized sample prior to a 4 hour accelerated leach and atomic absorption assay.
In several instances of visible gold in samples, duplicate assays were completed using screen fire assay methods. Approximately 1000 gr of prepared pulp is sieved and the plus 75 micron (200 mesh) portion of the sample is screened out and assayed in its entirety. The minus 75 micron portion of the sample is homogenized and a 30 gram fusion is used to determine its grade. The final reported assay value is the weighted average of both fractions, coarse and fine.
Completion of Plant Reconfiguration
Independencia Mine update the reconfiguration of the gold processing plant is in the final stages of the build out with the lining of the three 7,500 tonne VAT leach pads completed prior to the end of 2016.
The carbon columns for the capture of the gold solution will be completed this week and the final few weeks will be to connect all the pumps and pipes.
This is a fully integrated gravity gold processing system designed by JT Boyd & company, Pittsburg, U.S.A. Key process modifications proposed by BOYD include de-sliming ahead of the process plant, reconfiguration of the existing gravity circuit, modification of existing heap leach pads to a vat leach system, and various upgrades and modifications to the carbon loading and stripping circuits.
With these modifications, it is expected that total gold recovery will be approximately 90%, with approximately 55% of total recovered gold reporting to the gravity circuit and 45% to the leach circuit. It should be noted that these recoveries are based on empirical data from LAT�s past operations, and on BOYD�s.
Sampling and Analytical Protocols
The sampling and analytical protocols were established, implemented and supervised by or under the direction of Paul Sarjeant, P. Geo., the Company's internal Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.
At the drill site, the core was placed in core boxes and delivered to a secure field core processing centre. The core was split by trained technicians using a diamond saw by and logged by professional geologists. The nominal sample interval was approximately 1m, though locally the interval might be increased to 2m or decreased to 0.5m, the interval being determined by the logging geologists based on geologic indicators.
Half of the core was stored in the core box as a permanent reference of the interval sampled and half of the designated sample set was cataloged and sealed in plastic sample bags for delivery to the certified ALS Global laboratory in Mendoza, Argentina, part of the ALS Laboratory Group.
The core samples are crushed, dried and samples are split. Nominally, 1000gr of each sample is ground to minus 200 mesh, split and the assay portion shipped by bonded courier to the ALS laboratory in Lima Peru. In the general case, gold was analyzed by fire assay with atomic absorption finish using a 50 gram sample.
Accuracy of results is tested through the systematic inclusion of blanks, duplicates and certified reference standards.
About the Company
Latin American Minerals Inc. is a mineral exploration and gold mining company which holds its core gold and diamond projects in Paraguay. The Company is currently expanding its Independencia Mine gold processing plant to encompass vat-leach gold recovery from mineralization extracted in open pit bulk mining activities at its fully permitted mining concession.
Management has identified exploration targets at Independencia Mine, and six new gold zones on the Company�s adjacent exploration claims, for drill testing. This property package comprises the Company�s 15,020 hectare Paso Yobai gold project.
The scientific and technical information in this news release has been approved by Paul Sarjeant, P.Geo., a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101.
For more information, please contact:
Basil Botha, CEO & Chairman
Vancouver: (1-604) 418-3856