TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Feb. 24, 2011) - Northern Gold Mining Inc. (News - Market indicators) ("Northern Gold" or "the Company") is pleased to announce completion of a Scoping Level metallurgical test program conducted by SGS Minerals Services ("SGS") at their Laboratory in Lakefield, Ontario on two composite samples of drill core supplied from the Company's drilling in the Garrcon Deposit. Based on this testwork, SGS confirmed the free milling nature of the mineralization and determined that a combination of gravity concentration and cyanidation or simply cyanidation of the whole ore produced the best overall gold recoveries. Figures 1 & 2 graphically illustrate the recoveries obtained using the various mill process flowsheets which tested combinations of gravity separation, gravity tailing flotation, flotation concentrate cyanidation, whole ore cyanidation and whole ore flotation.
To view Figure 1 – Sample A – Comparison of overall flowsheet recoveries please click on the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/ngm224a.jpg
To view Figure 2 – Sample B – Comparison of overall flowsheet recoveries please click on the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/ngm224b.jpg
Northern Gold commissioned SGS to complete Scoping Level metallurgical testwork to look at several flowsheet options for the recovery of gold. Two samples were submitted to SGS. Sample A consisted of 60 kilograms of 1 meter long, ½ core samples from five (5) different holes in the Shaft Zone area of the deposit and the average assayed head grade was 1.17 g/t. Sample B consisted of 60 kilograms of 1 meter long, ½ core samples from five (5) different holes in the North Zone mineralization and the average assayed head grade was 2.52 g/t. The test program included a number of standard gold processing options including gravity separation, cyanidation, and flotation, separately and in various combinations. Figures 1 & 2 indicate that a combination of gravity recovery plus cyanidation of the gravity tails and cyanidation of the whole ore achieved the best recoveries, exceeding 97% for all four tests. There are no other metals with a concentration high enough to be significant.
"This metallurgical testwork demonstrates excellent gold recoveries and the free milling nature of the Garrcon gold mineralization and continues to confirm our belief that the Garrcon Gold Deposit has the potential to become a large open pit bulk mineable operation," said Martin Shefsky, President and CEO of Northern Gold Mining Inc. "This testwork will be incorporated into the Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) being completed in conjunction with the updated resource calculation expected to be completed by the end of this quarter. We believe the combination of the resource calculation and the PEA will clearly demonstrate the significant potential we see for the Garrcon Gold Deposit."
The testwork also indicates that the mineralization does not present environmental problems as no deleterious elements were present. Silver, lead, and zinc are all reported to be less than 55 ppm.
Quality Assurance/Quality Control
Northern Gold Mining Inc. has implemented a QA/QC protocol for its exploration work. Northern is currently Diamond drilling the Garrison Gold Property and the drilling contractor is Major Drilling Group International Inc. Core size is NQ, to give good sample sizes and enabling the possibility for at least two step-downs if ground conditions should require it. Core is delivered to the secure Core Shack facility by the driller or picked up by one of Northern Gold's designated personnel and transported to the Core Shack facility. In addition to recovery and RQD (Rock Quality Designation) data geologic parameters including lithology, alteration, quartz veining, presence and identification of sulfide mineralization along with other geologic parameters are noted and recorded. Core is marked in one meter intervals for splitting, sampling and assaying, unless geologic data indicate a shorter sample interval. Prior to splitting, all core is photographed. Core splitting is done with a Diamond core saw and ½ of the drill core is submitted to Expert Laboratories, an accredited laboratory (PTP-MAL – Accredited by Standards Council of Canada – In full accord with ISO/IEC Guide 43-1 "Proficiency Testing by Interlaboratory Comparison") in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec for assaying. The remainder of the core is stored at the Garrison Gold Property. All sample intervals where visible gold is observed to be present are automatically submitted for analysis using the metallic screen procedure where the entire half core is crushed, pulped and screened at 100 mesh. The screen oversize is assayed in total and the screen undersize is fire assayed in triplicate using a gravimetric finish. All other samples are analyzed by conventional fire assay using a 30 gram sample with geochemical finish. All samples that assay greater than one gram are re-assayed with conventional fire assay using a gravimetric finish. Conventional fire assay sample prep consists of crushing to 90% passing 10 mesh from which a 300 gram sample is split and pulped to 90% passing 200 mesh and from which a 30 gram sample is taken for fire assaying. Following completion of fire assaying at Expert Laboratories, pulp samples are forwarded by Expert to SGS' certified laboratory (ISO/IEC 17025), in Toronto, Ontario for CN solubility assaying and for multi-element analyses of select samples. CN solubility test uses a 1% CN solution added to 30 grams of sample and shaken for an hour prior to settling and decanting for geochemical analysis. Multi-element analysis is conducted using 4-acid digestion followed by ICP analysis with OES finish (Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy). Northern inserts a mixture of gold standard samples, blank samples and duplicate samples into the sample stream at a rate approximating 10% of total original samples. Samples are normally transported in a Company truck from the Property to Expert Labs in Rouyn-Noranda. Chain of Custody protocols require the signing and maintenance of logs and receipts each time the samples are picked up from or delivered to a new location. When utilizing commercial transportation, all shipping sacks are sealed with a numbered tag, the removal of which is recorded upon receipt by Expert Laboratories. Check analyses are conducted on a regular basis utilizing SGS' laboratory, in Toronto, Ontario.
About Northern Gold Mining
Northern Gold Mining Inc. is a TSX-V listed, publicly traded junior resource company based in Toronto, Ontario, dedicated to the discovery and development of high value mineral deposits in the proven mining camps of Kirkland Lake and Timmins in North Eastern Ontario. Northern Gold is focused on developing two advanced stage gold deposits on the Garrison Gold Property. The Property is located within the Abitibi greenstone belt along the Porcupine-Destor and the Munro Fault systems. The Property hosts several gold mineralized showings in addition to the two advanced stage exploration targets, the Jonpol and Garrcon Deposits, for each of which NI 43-101 compliant mineral resources have been calculated, and the less advanced 903 gold mineralized area. Historic Diamond drilling by previous operators was completed in all three referenced areas. The Jonpol Technical Report was posted on SEDAR October 21, 2009 and the Garrcon Technical Report was posted on SEDAR November 5, 2010. The Garrison Gold Property has historic mining infrastructure at both the Jonpol and Garrcon Deposits and producing mines are located in close proximity to the property. The Company is in the second year of an option agreement under which it may earn up to an 80% interest in the Garrison Gold Property from ValGold Resources Ltd. ("ValGold") (TSX VENTURE:VAL). For more information on the option agreement, please see the Company's news release dated 14 September 2009.
The technical aspects of this press release have been reviewed by Michael Gross M.S., P.Geol., Vice President Exploration for Northern Gold, who is the "Qualified Person" as defined by NI 43-101 for this project.
CAUTIONARY STATEMENT: This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements". All statements other than statements of historical fact, included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding potential mineralization and reserves, exploration results, future plans and objectives of Northern Gold Mining Inc., are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from Northern Gold Mining Inc.'s expectations are the risks detailed herein and from time to time in the filings made by Northern Gold Mining Inc. with securities regulators.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein.