AfriOre tests Witwatersrand extension

Vancouver Partners AfriOre (AFO-T) and OTC-listed Wits Basin Precious Minerals (WITM) are planning to drill a newly discovered extension of the Witwatersrand Basin, the main source of gold production in South Africa.

A recent drill-hole at the FSC gold project intersected more than 600 metres of quartzites, below cover rocks, that were positively identified as Witwatersrand Supergroup strata through stratigraphic correlation and age-dating analysis. AfriOre says this is the first time such rocks have been encountered so far south in the known Witwatersrand Basin.

Assays from the recent hole returned negligible amounts of gold, however the partners believe the results will help identify further drill-sites that could be underlain by Central Rand Group rocks, the common host to gold reefs in the main Witwatersrand Basin.

At least six possible drill sites have been identified where available data indicates that Central Rand Group rocks may be preserved. The partners plan an additional high-resolution aeromagnetic survey over the target area to augment data from previous surveys and to better determine priority drill sites.

AfriOre presently holds a 65% interest in the FSC project, with Wits Basin holding a 35% interest. Wits Basin has rights to earn a 50% interest by spending US$3.5 million on exploration. The land package covers 96,047 hectares. The joint venture has applied for additional prospecting rights in the region.