Etruscan moving to feasibility on Koma Bangou

The recent coup d’tat in Niger has not prevented Etruscan Enterprises (VSE) from advancing to the feasibility stage at its Koma Bangou gold project.

Work on the 170-sq.-km project is proceeding smoothly, and travel to and from the site remains uninterrupted. Etruscan and senior joint-venture partner Echo Bay Mines (TSE) have no intention of altering exploration and development plans.

Trenching 200 metres along strike of the V7A deposit in the Central zone has uncovered what is probably the northwestern extension of that deposit. Two zones have been sampled in the trench, returning grades of 2.02 grams gold per tonne over 14 metres and 1.78 grams over 12 metres. Results are pending from two additional trenches and from reverse-circulation drilling; Etruscan geologists expect these results will double the strike length of the V7A zone to 500 from 250 metres.

Reverse-circulation drilling in the V11-V12 area of the Central zone has intersected significant mineralization along a 250-metre section of the porphyry-sediment contact, including 5.24 grams gold per tonne over 9 metres and 16.9 grams over 10 metres. (Much of the property’s best gold intersections have been found on, or near, this contact.)

Diamond drilling in the V1 South area has encountered high-grade gold mineralization (14.5 grams per tonne over 10 metres) in a massive quartz vein in the footwall sediments. This mineralization is being traced by additional drilling.

Reverse-circulation drilling on another part of the Central zone has intersected 4.83 grams gold per tonne over 10 metres.

Outside of the Central zone, results are pending from more than 500 auger drill samples taken on a geophysically delineated porphyry associated with anomalous gold.

Etruscan’s team at Koma Bangou is employing two diamond drills, one reverse-circulation drill and one truck-mounted auger drill.

Etruscan must present its feasibility study to the Nigerien state-owned firm ONAREM by September 1996 in order to earn a 67% interest in the Koma Bangou project. By providing funding for exploration at Koma Bangou, Echo Bay will end up with two-thirds of Etruscan’s interest in the project, or 44% of the total.