West Red Lake Gold Reports Positive Bulk Sample Reconciliation Results
"Delivering tonnes and grade from the mine that align almost exactly with expectation validates all the work we have done to unlock the tremendous value in the Madsen Mine," said President and CEO Shane Williams.
West Red Lake Gold has completed a 14,490‑tonne bulk sample that averaged 5.72 g/t gold, practically mirroring the predicted 5.68 g/t for six stopes across three resource zones on its 100 %‑owned Madsen property south‑west of the town of Red Lake, Ontario.
The test run yielded 2,498 oz of gold at 95 % recovery, providing a real‑world snapshot of the mine’s future performance ahead of the planned restart in 2025.
Bulk sample at a glance
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Tonnage processed: 14,490 t
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Head grade: 5.72 g/t Au (0.7 % above model)
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Gold produced: 2,498 oz
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Recovery: 95 %
Close reconciliation between model and reality underscores the impact of more than 90,000 m of definition drilling completed since October 2023. Those high‑confidence metres now underpin roughly 90 % of the mine’s 18‑month production plan.
Williams said the company designed the stopes using a gold price just below the long‑term consensus of US $2,350/oz rather than the lower price used in the 2024 prefeasibility study. "In many areas a halo of lower‑grade material becomes profitable to mine when it surrounds high‑grade tonnes," he noted. Larger stopes, mined with long‑hole methods, can also trim costs versus cut‑and‑fill techniques.
Three zones, one methodology
Material came from the Austin, South Austin and McVeigh zones, following the same workflow that will be used in regular operations:
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Mining – Two development sills were driven 20 m apart, face‑sampled, and linked by a slot raise. Long‑hole retreat slices were mucked remotely by LHDs and trucked to surface stockpiles kept separate for reconciliation. Each completed stope void was scanned by cavity monitoring survey.
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Processing – The mill flowsheet includes primary crushing, SAG and ball milling to 80 % passing 75 µm, gravity concentration, 24‑h cyanide leach, and six‑tank CIP with on‑site doré refining.
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Reconciliation – Independent consultant Soutex oversaw sampling, with composites assayed by SGS and reconciled using BILMAT software.
Geological snapshot
Gold sits within kilometre‑scale planar alteration corridors. High‑grade zones display pervasive silicification, quartz‑carbonate veining and sub‑millimetre free gold, often alongside arsenopyrite, pyrrhotite and pyrite. Sulphide content ranges 1‑5 %. The geological similarities of the McVeigh, Austin and South Austin domains allowed the bulk sample to stand in as a representative slice of the orebody.
What’s next
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Ramp‑up: Long‑hole stoping will dominate the early mine plan, with scope to enlarge stopes and include economic halo material.
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Drilling: Definition and exploration drilling continue to refine the model and chase extensions.
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Restart timeline: Commercial mining remains on track for 2025, with detailed engineering and disciplined practices expected to maintain the tight grade control demonstrated by the bulk sample.
Williams called the results "a clear green light" for the restart: "We are excited by the opportunity to mine additional tonnes and ounces at Madsen, potentially lowering operational costs, increasing production, and enhancing overall economics."
By Kevin Vincent, Senior Contributing Editor to Mining Life Online and Mining Life & Exploration News.
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