Technical Studies At The Tonopah Gold Project In Nevada

VANCOUVER - Viva Gold Corp. has retained a number of industry consultants to initiate technical studies at its Tonopah gold project in Nevada, in the areas of groundwater hydrology, geotechnical slope study, metallurgical testwork and to update existing archeological studies with the intent to advance toward a carefully prepared feasibility study and to build on the foundation of the robust PEA economics.

James Hesketh, President and CEO, said, “These technical studies are expected to further de-risk and generate data that will be used as the basis for future permitting and feasibility studies for the potential open pit mine, heap leach gold recovery operation at Tonopah. This work will provide greater insight into gold recovery and mine design and assist management in determining the most effective ways to improve upon a strong PEA, it is our intention to unlock the full value of the project. In addition, Viva is currently drilling hole number seven of its 14-hole reverse circulation drill program at Tonopah, previously announced. Assay results will be released as they become available and we expect to report on initial results soon. We anticipate mobilizing a core drilling rig to the site in early September for a five-hole program to capture core samples for geologic review, assay, metallurgical, geotechnical and environmental testwork.”

The groundwater hydrology study is initially focused on analyzing the extensive database of information generated by prior operators on the site, including Kennecott, Newmont, and Midway Gold, as well as a large volume of publicly available data. This analysis will be used to determine if any additional study, monitoring, or testwork is required. Geotechnical studies will commence with analysis of existing data that includes over 20 oriented core holes completed by Newmont and Midway, prior structural and geotechnical studies and available geologic and hydrologic data. This study will provide initial slope angle recommendations for open pit design with recommendations for further optimization study. A metallurgical testwork program is currently being designed to include crushing testwork including the use of high-pressure grinding rolls, bottle roll, column leach recovery tests and rock characterization studies. It is anticipated that this program will provide information for initial heap leach and plant design. The archeological study will update a prior study completed by Newmont in 2003 and is designed to meet all current regulatory guidelines.