Aton Announces the Results of Coarse Bottle Roll Leach Testing of Hamama WEST Oxide and Transitional Samples with Average Oxide GOLD Recoveries of 73. 6%
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
ATON ANNOUNCES THE RESULTS OF COARSE BOTTLE ROLL LEACH TESTING OF HAMAMA WEST
OXIDE AND TRANSITIONAL SAMPLES WITH AVERAGE OXIDE GOLD RECOVERIES OF 73. 6%
Vancouver, December 6, 2017: Aton Resources Inc. (AAN: TSX-V) (“Aton” or the “Company") is pleased
to provide investors with an update on the progress of metallurgical testwork currently underway on
bulk composite samples from the “gold oxide cap” portion of the Hamama West deposit, located in
the Company’s 100% owned Abu Marawat Concession, located in the Eastern Desert of Egypt.
Highlights:
• At the optimum crush size of 100% passing -12.5mm, average gold and silver leach recoveries
of 73.6% and 39.8% were obtained from the o xide zone samples in bottle roll tests;
• At the optimum crush size of 100% passing -12.5mm, average gold and silver leach recoveries
of 66.2% and 32.5% were obtained from the transitional zone samples in bottle roll tests;
• Percolation tests, a precursor to the column leach testwork program, indicated that the oxide
zone material potentially requires agglomeration with cement , but that the transitional zone
material does not;
• Column leach tests were started on November 27, 2017. Preliminary leach tests indicate fast
initial leach kinetics for gold and silver .
Commenting on these latest results, Mark Campbell, President and CEO of Aton stated, "We are
extremely pleased with the results of the metallurgical testing to date, and to be able to communicate
continued positive progress with the development of our Hamama project. The preliminary results of
metallurgical test work programme demonstrate that we can expect the mineralization from the
Hamama West “gold oxide cap” to be amenable to processing via a heap leach route, and to be
relatively straightforward to process . The positive initial results from the coarse bottle roll leach tests
were used to determine the optimal test parameters for the column leach tests, which will determine
the gold and silver recoveries which will ultimately be achievable. The metallurgical testwork will
constitute an essential element of the study to support the dec laration of commerciality at Hamama,
which remains on track for completion by May of 2018."
Metallurgical testwork programme
Metallurgical sa mples from the oxide and transitional zones, representing material from the Hamama
West “gold oxide cap” were sent to W ardell Armstrong International (UK) to undertake scoping
metallurgical testing at their Truro laboratory . Two (2) representative 120kg bulk composites ,
consisting of HQ or PQ sized half core drill samples, from each of the oxide and transitional zones of
the Hamama West deposit, and representing material from the upper “gold oxide cap” portion of the
deposit, were selected and dispatched for testing . The testwork included head assays, coarse and fine
bottle roll leach tests, and percolation and agglomeration tests.
Variable parameters of crush size and cyanide concentration were tested.
Based on the results received to date, the following observations can be made:
Gold and silver leach recoveries exhib ited a dependency on crush size ;
Higher gold and s ilver leach recoveries are obtained at the hi gher cyanide strength of 1.0g/L ;
Low percolation rates for OBC -1 sample indicate that the oxide ore potentially requires
agglomeration with cem ent, given the high proportion of fines.
Results of the coarse bottle roll leach tests carried out at the optimum determined crush size are
summarized in Table 1.
Mineralization
Type
Composite
ID
Sample
ID
Leach
Time
Size
(mm)
NaCN
(g/L)
Recovery
Au (%) Ag (%)
Oxide
OBC-1
A
10 days -12.5
1.0
71.3 36.4
B 73.3 38.3
AVG 72.3 37.4
OBC-2 A 1.0 75.1 42.2
B 74.8 42.3
AVG 75.0 42.3
Transitional TBC-3
A
10 days -12.5
1.0
66.6 33.3
B 68.8 31.7
AVG 67.7 32.5
TBC-4 A 1.0 65.6 34.4
B 63.7 30.7
AVG 64.7 32.6
Table 1 – Results of coarse bottle roll leach testing
Optimal test conditions derived from the coarse bottle roll leach and percolation/agglomeration tests
were used to set the parameters for the column leach test s, which were started on November 27,
2017 to determine ultimate gold and silver leach recoveries obtainable using heap leach technology.
About Aton Resources Inc.
Aton Resources Inc. (AAN: TSX -V) is focused on its 100% owned Abu Marawat Concession (“Abu
Marawat”), located in Egypt’s Arabian -Nubian Shield, approximately 200 km north of Centamin’s
Sukari gold mine. Aton has identified a 40 km long gold mineralized trend at Abu Marawat, anchored
by the Hamama deposit in the west and the Abu Marawat deposit in the east, containing numero us
gold exploration targets, including three historic British mines. Aton has identified several distinct
geological trends within Abu Marawat, which display potential for the development of RIRG and
orogenic gold mineralization, VMS precious and base metal mineralization, and epithermal -IOCG
precious and base metal mineralization. Abu Marawat is over 738km2 in size and is located in an area
of excellent infrastructure, a four -lane highway, a 220kV power line, and a water pipeline are in close
proximity.
Qualified Person
The technical information contained in this News Release was prepared by Gary Patrick BSc,
MAusIMM, CP (Met) , Principal Consultant of Metallurg Pty Ltd. Mr. Patrick is a qualified person (QP)
under National Instrument 43 -101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects .
For further information regarding Aton Resources Inc., please visit us at www.atonresources.com or
contact:
Mark Campbell
President and Chief Executive Officer
Tel: +1-936-689-2589
Email: [email protected]
Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Some of the statements contained in this release are forward -looking statements. Since forward -
looking statements address future events and conditions; by their very nature they involve inherent
risks and uncertainties. Actual results in each case could differ materially from those currently
anticipated in such statements.
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of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.