- Lahontan has commenced column leach testing at Santa Fe, targeting more efficient cyanide leach gold recovery in the mixed oxide-sulfide transition zone
- The Santa Fe project serves as the backbone of Lahontan’s development strategy
- Beyond metallurgical testing, Lahontan is preparing for an expanded 2025 drilling campaign to resource growth and project optimization
Lahontan (TSX.V: LG) (OTCQB: LGCXF) is accelerating its mission to develop top-tier gold and silver assets in Nevada’s renowned Walker Lane, with a renewed focus on advancing the Santa Fe project toward production. In its latest strategic move to accomplish that mission, the company has initiated in-depth metallurgical testing aimed at significantly enhancing gold and silver recoveries from the transition zone of its flagship deposit (ibn.fm/N6bTh).
In June, Lahontan announced that it has commenced column leach testing at Santa Fe, targeting more efficient cyanide leach gold recovery in the mixed oxide-sulfide transition zone. During the project’s Preliminary Economic Assessment (“PEA”), this domain achieved only 49% gold recovery, a figure Lahontan aims to improve upon. Results are anticipated later this year, with the company also refining metallurgical domain boundaries across the deposit.
“We are excited to begin this new program of metallurgical testing on the Santa Fe deposit,” said CEO and executive chair Kimberly Ann. “A significant portion of the minable gold ounces at Santa Fe lie in the transition metallurgical domain, therefore improved gold and silver recoveries will have an immediate and important impact on project economics.
“New heap leaching methods, including reagents, have shown dramatic increases in recoveries from transition material,” she continued. “We intend to find out if these new processing methods can work at Santa Fe. In addition, once assay results are received from the recent drilling at Slab, we will begin additional test work on the bulk rejects, looking for ways to optimize gold and silver recoveries at Slab as well.”
The Santa Fe project serves as the backbone of Lahontan’s development strategy. Historically, the site produced approximately 359,000 ounces of gold and 702,000-plus ounces of silver between 1988 and 1995 using open-pit heap leach methods. Under current management, the resource has been independently estimated at more than 1.5 million ounces gold equivalent in the indicated category (48.4 million tonnes grading 0.92 g/t Au and 7.18 g/t Ag) and 411,000 ounces gold equivalent in the inferred category (16.8 million tonnes grading 0.74 g/t Au and 3.25 g/t Ag), all within a pit-constrained model. Improving recoveries in the transition zone, where substantial resources remain, could significantly enhance project economics and production forecasting.
Beyond metallurgical testing, Lahontan is preparing for an expanded 2025 drilling campaign to resource growth and project optimization. The company recently announced that the Bureau of Land Management (“BLM”) approved an amendment to its Notice of Intent, unlocking access to additional high-priority drill sites at Slab and York, key areas for discovering extensions of existing mineralization (ibn.fm/KLznm). The forthcoming program will continue phase one drilling, with assays expecting to be a vital step in expanding the existing resource and updating the Santa Fe PEA.
Historically, Lahontan has demonstrated strong metallurgical potential at Santa Fe. A January 2024 review led by Kappes Cassiday and Associates reported weighted heap leach recoveries of 74.4% for gold and 29% for silver in oxide zones (ibn.fm/vjJ4O). Complementary shake analyses released in September 2024 found CN-soluble gold levels reaching as high as 91.5% in deposits such as Calvada and York, reinforcing confidence in high recoveries for the oxide domain and providing a solid baseline for the transition zone work (ibn.fm/rAZI9).
The planned improvements are deeply integrated into Lahontan’s broader business objectives. The company aims to update its PEA with new metallurgical data and results from ongoing drilling. In May 2024, Lahontan engaged KCA, RESPEC and Equity Exploration to advance its PEA, encompassing flow-sheet design, mine infrastructure, and block model enhancements (ibn.fm/oS8a9). These milestones support Lahontan’s goal of repositioning Santa Fe as a near-term producer within the Walker Lane, while also evaluating satellite properties such as West Santa Fe, Moho and Redlich for future exploration and development.
Santa Fe’s historical pedigree, coupled with Lahontan’s modern technical groundwork, positions the project favorably in a highly productive and mining-friendly jurisdiction. Walker Lane has produced more than 40 million ounces of gold previously and offers multiple deposit types — epithermal, porphyry and skarn — across its 500-mile trend (ibn.fm/MTPhJ). Lahontan’s four-property portfolio spans Santa Fe, West Santa Fe, Moho and Redlich, offering a diversified outlook within this emerging mining region .
Lahontan Gold’s initiation of transition zone metallurgical testing at Santa Fe marks a pivotal step toward unlocking untapped value within its resource base. With anticipated results by year-end and additional drilling underway, the company is steadily advancing production readiness. As it enhances recoveries, updates its PEA and progresses toward project execution, Lahontan continues to reinforce its vision of becoming a leading gold and silver producer in Nevada’s Walker Lane region.
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.LahontanGoldCorp.com.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to LGCXF are available in the company’s newsroom at ibn.fm/LGCXF
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