Work has started on a prefeasibility study for a potential open pit and heap leach mining operation at Tianshan Goldfields" Gold Mountain project in China.

Following the success of the 2006 drilling program, the study is based on a resource of 95 million tonnes at 0.9 grams/tonne gold.

Tianshan hopes to release the study results before the end of June. Further metallurgical test work has started, including column leach testing.

Initial metallurgical tests on core and ROM ore found gold to be freely leachable and generally non refractory. www.tianshangoldfields.com.au

News sourced from International Mining Project News - www.im-mining.com