AFRICA SPECIAL — Drill results confirm mineralization at Kahama

Diamond drilling by its joint-venture partner has increased the extent of mineralization at Pangea Goldfields’ (PDG-T) Kahama gold project in northwestern Tanzania.

Results have been reported from six holes drilled on the Chocolate Reef structure, where previous reverse-circulation (RC) holes returned up to 6.2 grams gold per tonne over 42 metres, including a 16-metre section of 13.3 grams.

The widest intersection from the recent drilling was encountered in hole 6, which returned 66 metres grading 4.48 grams gold. The highest grade was encountered in hole 5, which yielded 14.94 grams over 5 metres, within a larger interval of 24 metres (from 74 to 98 metres) grading 4.31 grams.

Results from the remaining holes include: 1.54 grams gold over 11 metres (from 58 to 69 metres) for hole 7; 1.96 grams over 19 metres (from 192 to 211 metres), including 8 metres grading 2.94 grams and an interval further downhole of 7 metres (from 244 to 251 metres) grading 2.97 grams, for hole 3; 3.23 grams gold over 8 metres (from 109 to 117 metres) and 1.41 grams over 32 metres (from 128 to 160 metres) for hole 2; and 2.04 grams over 20 metres (from 41 to 61 metres) plus 1.55 grams over 24 metres (from 83 to 107 metres), including 10 metres grading 2 grams, for hole 1.

“We are excited by the potential of Kahama,” says Pangea’s president, Jean-Charles Potvin. “What we find intriguing is that the distribution of gold is ideal for an open pit. Mineralization in some places exceeds 200 metres in width, and there is a high-grade core which could ultimately lead to an underground operation.”

Based on the new results, the strike length of the mineralized zone has been increased to 900 metres and to an average vertical depth of 175 metres. And although the recent program resulted in the closure of mineralization to the north, it remains open both at depth and along strike to the south.

Previously, the resource was estimated at about 13.5 million tonnes averaging 1.5 grams per tonne, equivalent to 650,000 contained ounces of gold.

To the east, the Chocolate Reef zone is a sheared, pyritic, quartz-mica schist enclosed in granitic rocks. It is characterized by a soil anomaly measuring 1,200 metres long by 500 metres wide, with gold values in excess of 0.05 gram.

To date, the mineralized zone has received 7,000 metres of RC drilling and 1,200 metres of diamond drilling. Results are pending from 33 RC holes and from other diamond drill holes.

The current program at Kahama is financed and operated by Anglo American, which can earn a 70% interest in the property by spending US$2 million on exploration, completing a bankable feasibility study and arranging financing for mine construction and development. The work is part of a prefeasibility study.

Meanwhile, the company has increased its land holdings in Africa by acquiring the 313-sq.-km Fodie gold property, north of Sadiola in Mali. Previous work by the Malian government identified four gold-in-soil anomalies, and a recently completed 50-metre trench over one of these anomalies returned 1.85 grams gold over the length of the trench, including a higher-grade section of 4.2 grams gold over 16 metres. The company will soon begin an induced-polarization survey, followed by drilling.