# US Copper Announces Positive Locked Cycle Test Results from Metallurgical Testwork at the Moonlight-Superior Copper Project Canonical Atlas analysis: https://atlas-staging.minestarters.com/news/us-copper-announces-positive-locked-cycle-test-results-from-metallurgical-testwo--69c8951d-bca9-4ee8-9cd4-563e5c95099f 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: 2026-08-20 21:46:27 UTC Narrative sentiment: 0.80 · Bullish ## Minestarters Atlas summary US Copper has announced positive locked cycle metallurgical test results for the Superior sulphide zone at the Moonlight-Superior Copper Project. The tests achieved 91% copper recovery with a 24% Cu concentrate, confirming the robustness of the proposed flotation flowsheet. Reasoning: The locked cycle test results show strong copper recovery \(91%\) and a high-grade concentrate \(24% Cu\) using a conventional flotation flowsheet, supporting the project's PEA and advancing it toward PFS. - Positive factor: High copper recovery in locked cycle test - Positive factor: Conventional and simple flowsheet - Positive factor: Low pyrite and arsenic content - Positive factor: Excellent stability in locked cycle testing - Negative factor: Silica dilution in concentrate noted as an improvement opportunity - Negative factor: Variability test results were open circuit and indicative only Facts used in scoring: 4 ## Classification and evidence **Mill Route** Polarity: neutral Definition: Processing via mill or concentrator \(CIL, CIP, tank leach, flotation\). Why it applies: The flowsheet uses flotation with grinding and regrinding. 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: The document notes low pyrite content and simple flotation response. Evidence · text > Owing to the low pyrite content of the sample, grinding and flotation were conducted at natural pH of ~8.5. ## 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-staging.minestarters.com/news/us-copper-announces-positive-locked-cycle-test-results-from-metallurgical-testwo--69c8951d-bca9-4ee8-9cd4-563e5c95099f#fact-metallurgical-facts-0) copper #### Identity - Commodity: copper - 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 \(KM7834 LCT-23\) #### Recovery - Recovery: 91 % - Recovery Basis: actual\_test - Head Grade: 0.32 - Head Grade Unit: % - Conc. Grade: 24 - Conc. Grade Unit: % #### 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 in a locked cycle test is a significant de-risking milestone. - Positive factor: 91% recovery is strong for copper flotation Evidence · text > returned a copper concentrate grading 24% Cu... at a 91% copper recovery ### locked-cycle [Link to this fact](https://atlas-staging.minestarters.com/news/us-copper-announces-positive-locked-cycle-test-results-from-metallurgical-testwo--69c8951d-bca9-4ee8-9cd4-563e5c95099f#fact-metallurgical-facts-1) gold #### Identity - Commodity: gold - Ticker: USCU #### Test Work - Program Status: detailed - Test Type: locked-cycle - Sample: resource average master composite \(KM7834 LCT-23\) #### Recovery - Recovery: 74 % - Recovery Basis: actual\_test - Head Grade: 0.02 - Head Grade Unit: g/t - 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: Recovery is decent for a byproduct, though head grades are very low. - Positive factor: 74% recovery for low-grade precious metals - Negative factor: Full metal balances not conducted due to low head grades Evidence · text > 74% gold recovery ### locked-cycle [Link to this fact](https://atlas-staging.minestarters.com/news/us-copper-announces-positive-locked-cycle-test-results-from-metallurgical-testwo--69c8951d-bca9-4ee8-9cd4-563e5c95099f#fact-metallurgical-facts-2) silver #### Identity - Commodity: silver - Ticker: USCU #### Test Work - Program Status: detailed - Test Type: locked-cycle - Sample: resource average master composite \(KM7834 LCT-23\) #### Recovery - Recovery: 78 % - Recovery Basis: actual\_test - Head Grade: 2.8 - Head Grade Unit: g/t - Conc. Grade: 178 - Conc. Grade Unit: g/t #### Review - Needs Review: No - Historical: No #### Dates - Event date: 2026-06-17T00:00:00.000Z Reasoning: Solid recovery for a byproduct metal. - Positive factor: 78% recovery for silver Evidence · text > 78% silver recovery ### flotation [Link to this fact](https://atlas-staging.minestarters.com/news/us-copper-announces-positive-locked-cycle-test-results-from-metallurgical-testwo--69c8951d-bca9-4ee8-9cd4-563e5c95099f#fact-metallurgical-facts-3) copper #### Identity - Commodity: copper - Ticker: USCU #### Test Work - Program Status: preliminary - Test Type: flotation - Sample: 8 variability samples \(VAR1 to VAR8\) open circuit cleaner test #### 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: Results are positive but limited by the open circuit nature of the testing. - Positive factor: Average recovery of 84% across variability samples - Negative factor: Open circuit tests are only indicative - Negative factor: Silica dilution noted in some samples Evidence · text > achieved average copper recovery of 84% at concentrate grades of 24% Cu ## 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.