# US Copper Announces Positive Locked Cycle Test Results from Metallurgical Testwork at the Moonlight-Superior Copper Project Canonical Atlas analysis: https://atlas-extractions.minestarters.com/news/us-copper-announces-positive-locked-cycle-test-results-from-metallurgical-testwo--0386b9f0-97a7-47e3-9498-c79be65d0803 Original source: https://money.tmx.com/en/quote/USCU/news/5590774307148242/us-copper-announces-positive-locked-cycle-test-results-from-metallurgical-testwo Publisher: tmx Original announcement: 2026-06-17T12:00:00.000Z Analysis by Minestarters Atlas Atlas analysis published: Unknown date Atlas analysis updated: Unknown date - Company: US Copper Corp. - Ticker: USCU - Exchange: TSX - Region: California - Primary commodity: Copper - Secondary commodities: Gold, Silver - Document categories: Metallurgy - Extracted: 2026-09-19 02:54:43 UTC Narrative sentiment: 0.80 · Bullish ## Minestarters Atlas summary US Copper Corp. has announced positive locked cycle metallurgical test results for the Moonlight-Superior Copper Project, achieving 91% copper recovery with a 24% Cu concentrate. The tests, conducted at ALS Metallurgy, confirm a robust and conventional flotation flowsheet for the Superior sulphide zone. Reasoning: The locked cycle test results demonstrate high copper recovery and concentrate grade using a conventional flotation flowsheet, providing technical de-risking for the upcoming PFS. - Positive factor: High copper recovery \(91%\) in locked cycle test - Positive factor: Strong concentrate grade \(24% Cu\) - Positive factor: Conventional and simple flowsheet - Positive factor: Low pyrite and arsenic content - Positive factor: Successful variability testing confirming performance - Negative factor: Silica dilution in concentrate \(13%\) - Negative factor: Gold and silver recoveries are lower than copper \(74% and 78%\) Facts used in scoring: 4 ## Classification and evidence **High Recovery** Polarity: positive Definition: Recovery at or above the exceptional band for the commodity and processing route. Why it applies: Copper recovery of 91% in locked cycle test is in the exceptional band for flotation. Evidence · text > returned a copper concentrate grading 24% Cu... at a 91% copper recovery **Mill Route** Polarity: neutral Definition: Processing via mill or concentrator \(CIL, CIP, tank leach, flotation\). Why it applies: The process uses flotation and regrinding, which is a mill-based route. Evidence · text > The optimized metallurgical flowsheet employed in these tests is conventional and simple, deploying a relatively coarse primary grind P 80 of ~200µm **Free Milling** Polarity: positive Definition: Simple, clean ore amenable to standard processing without oxidation. Why it applies: Low pyrite content and simple flotation response suggest clean ore. Evidence · text > Owing to the low pyrite content of the sample, grinding and flotation were conducted at natural pH of ~8.5. **Multi-Domain Tested** Polarity: positive Definition: Variability across ore domains \(oxide, transition, fresh\) has been addressed. Why it applies: 2 distinct composites were tested ## Extracted facts Stored fact records: 4. Some facts used in scoring do not have a stored record. ## Metallurgical Results (4) ### locked-cycle [Link to this fact](https://atlas-extractions.minestarters.com/news/us-copper-announces-positive-locked-cycle-test-results-from-metallurgical-testwo--0386b9f0-97a7-47e3-9498-c79be65d0803#fact-metallurgical-facts-0) Moonlight-Superior Copper Project · copper #### Identity - Project: Moonlight-Superior Copper Project - Commodity: copper - Region: california - Reported Region: California - Ticker: USCU #### Test Work - Program Status: detailed - Test Type: locked-cycle - Processing Route: primary grind P 80 of ~200µm, regrind P 80 of 30-40µm, three stages of copper cleaning - Sample: resource average master composite from 69 intervals over 7 metallurgical drill holes at Superior - Grind P80: 200 µm #### Recovery - Recovery: 91 % - Recovery Basis: actual\_test - Head Grade: 0.32 - Head Grade Unit: % - Conc. Grade: 24 - Conc. Grade Unit: % - Mass Pull: 1.2 % #### Lab - Laboratory: ALS Metallurgy - Consultant: Libertas Metallurgy Ltd. #### Review - Needs Review: No - Historical: No #### Dates - Event date: 2026-06-17T00:00:00.000Z Reasoning: High recovery and concentrate grade on a representative master composite. - Positive factor: 91% recovery is excellent for copper flotation Evidence · text > returned a copper concentrate grading 24% Cu... at a 91% copper recovery #### Tags used in scoring **Mill Route** Polarity: neutral Definition: Processing via mill or concentrator \(CIL, CIP, tank leach, flotation\). Why it applies: processing\_route matches the flotation signal ### locked-cycle [Link to this fact](https://atlas-extractions.minestarters.com/news/us-copper-announces-positive-locked-cycle-test-results-from-metallurgical-testwo--0386b9f0-97a7-47e3-9498-c79be65d0803#fact-metallurgical-facts-1) Moonlight-Superior Copper Project · gold #### Identity - Project: Moonlight-Superior Copper Project - Commodity: gold - Region: california - Reported Region: California - Ticker: USCU #### Test Work - Program Status: detailed - Test Type: locked-cycle - Sample: resource average master composite from 69 intervals over 7 metallurgical drill holes at Superior #### Recovery - Recovery: 74 % - Recovery Basis: actual\_test - Conc. Grade: 1.2 - Conc. Grade Unit: g/t #### Review - Needs Review: No - Historical: No #### Dates - Event date: 2026-06-17T00:00:00.000Z Reasoning: Gold recovery is reported as an estimate based on concentrate vs feed units. - Negative factor: Recovery is lower than copper Evidence · text > Gold and silver recovery to copper concentrate were estimated to be 74% and 78% respectively #### Tags used in scoring **Mill Route** Polarity: neutral Definition: Processing via mill or concentrator \(CIL, CIP, tank leach, flotation\). Why it applies: processing\_route matches the flotation signal **Low Recovery** Polarity: negative Definition: Recovery below the weak band for the commodity and processing route. Why it applies: 74% is below the weak band \(80%\) ### locked-cycle [Link to this fact](https://atlas-extractions.minestarters.com/news/us-copper-announces-positive-locked-cycle-test-results-from-metallurgical-testwo--0386b9f0-97a7-47e3-9498-c79be65d0803#fact-metallurgical-facts-2) Moonlight-Superior Copper Project · silver #### Identity - Project: Moonlight-Superior Copper Project - Commodity: silver - Region: california - Reported Region: California - Ticker: USCU #### Test Work - Program Status: detailed - Test Type: locked-cycle - Sample: resource average master composite from 69 intervals over 7 metallurgical drill holes at Superior #### Recovery - Recovery: 78 % - Recovery Basis: actual\_test - Conc. Grade: 178 - Conc. Grade Unit: g/t #### Review - Needs Review: No - Historical: No #### Dates - Event date: 2026-06-17T00:00:00.000Z Reasoning: Silver recovery is reported as an estimate based on concentrate vs feed units. - Negative factor: Recovery is lower than copper Evidence · text > Gold and silver recovery to copper concentrate were estimated to be 74% and 78% respectively #### Tags used in scoring **Mill Route** Polarity: neutral Definition: Processing via mill or concentrator \(CIL, CIP, tank leach, flotation\). Why it applies: processing\_route matches the flotation signal ### flotation [Link to this fact](https://atlas-extractions.minestarters.com/news/us-copper-announces-positive-locked-cycle-test-results-from-metallurgical-testwo--0386b9f0-97a7-47e3-9498-c79be65d0803#fact-metallurgical-facts-3) Moonlight-Superior Copper Project · copper #### Identity - Project: Moonlight-Superior Copper Project - Commodity: copper - Region: california - Reported Region: California - Ticker: USCU #### Test Work - Program Status: preliminary - Test Type: flotation - Processing Route: flotation - Sample: 8 variability tests \(VAR1 to VAR8\) #### Recovery - Recovery: 84 % - Recovery Basis: actual\_test - Head Grade: 0.565 - Head Grade Unit: % - Conc. Grade: 24 - Conc. Grade Unit: % #### Review - Needs Review: No - Historical: No #### Dates - Event date: 2026-06-17T00:00:00.000Z Reasoning: Average results from open circuit variability testing. - Positive factor: Confirms general metallurgical performance - Negative factor: Results are indicative as they were not locked cycle Evidence · text > achieved average copper recovery of 84% at concentrate grades of 24% Cu #### Tags used in scoring **Mill Route** Polarity: neutral Definition: Processing via mill or concentrator \(CIL, CIP, tank leach, flotation\). Why it applies: processing\_route matches the flotation signal ## How Atlas produces this analysis Minestarters Atlas uses automated extraction to summarize mining announcements, identify reported measurements, and classify supporting evidence. Sentiment reflects the extracted narrative and classification rules; it is an interpretation, not a reported measurement. Evidence quotes and context are provided where available. Missing data, low-confidence results, and review flags indicate limitations. Check the original publisher announcement before relying on an interpretation.