Birim extends Tombe-Parabu (December 29, 2003)

Reverse-circulation drilling by Birim Goldfields (BGI-T) on the Bui project in Ghana, West Africa, has extended the Tombe-Parabu North gold discovery some 70 metres to the north.

Hole 186 encountered a steep-to-moderately-dipping pyritized and silicified zone and returned 18.4 grams gold per tonne over 6 metres starting at 36 metres down-hole. A 2-metre interval (from 71 metres) lower in the hole runs 6.7 grams gold.

Hole 185, drilled 40 metres to the west, cut 4 metres (from 14 metres) of 1.1 grams gold. Results from the remaining holes on the North anomaly generally grade between 1 and 3 grams gold over widths of 2-7 metres, similar to the first batch of results released in early November.

Assay results from a hole collared 50 metres south of the discovery hole (no. 127) are pending. The hole encountered a 10-metre-wide silicified zone.

In November, RC drilling by Birim was highlighted by hole 127, which returned 4.5 grams gold over 17 metres beginning at 22 metres down-hole. The hole also surrendered an 11-metre section (from 47 metres) running 2.9 grams gold. The hole was collared some 800 metres north of drilling done in 2000.

The best result from the previously undrilled Tombe-Parabu South anomaly came in hole 155. That hole returned 2 metres (from 35 metres) running 21.5 grams gold. Other results include around 1-2 grams gold over widths of 2-6 metres.

The latest holes are part of a recently expanded RC drilling program that saw 105 holes drilled for 7,319 metres. The angled holes (-45) typically reach to a depth of about 60 metres. The company plans to resume drilling in January.

In the meantime, an excavator will continue a trenching program on the 6-km-long-by-250-metre-wide Tombe-Parabu gold-in-soil anomaly. Birim has so far cut four (for 1,790 metres) of 12 planned trenches. A composite sample from a 300-metre trench on the South anomaly returned 20.9 grams gold over 4 metres. The sample was collected from the eastern margin of the gold-in-soil anomaly.

Says Birim CEO Denis Simoneau: “More drilling is required to get a handle on the geometry of the northern gold zone, and we are in the process of outlining a program for the new year.”

The new zone remains open at depth and along strike to the north.