Juniors hot on trail of African gold

Undaunted by low gold prices and the challenges of working in Africa, a host of junior explorers have made gold discoveries during recent drilling campaigns on the continent.

In Ghana, West Africa, ongoing drilling into zone E of the Ntotoroso property by partners Moydow Mines International (MOY-T) and Normandy Mining (NDY-T) has cut more gold. The mineralization was found below the outline of a proposed open pit that is currently the subject of a feasibility study.

Highlights from a 4-hole, 1,740-metre program aimed at testing for deeper, higher-grade mineralization are:

– 13 metres (true width of 8.5 metres) grading 5.9 grams gold per tonne at 420 metres below the surface in hole 361;

– 28 metres of 8.77 grams gold at a depth of 142 metres in hole 189; and

– 16 metres of 8.42 grams gold at a depth of 165 metres in hole 354.

Moydow says two deeper holes suggest a uniformly thick slab of higher-grade gold mineralization lying at depth.

Normandy has almost completed its US$6.5-million earn-in for a half-stake in the 77-sq.-km land package held by Moydow. The Ghanaian government holds rights to a 10% interest.

Also in Ghana, drilling at the Bui gold property has returned more favourable results for Birim Goldfields (BGI-T).

The Montreal-based junior sank five core holes into a 500-metre-long section of the 6,000-by-250-metre Tombe-Parabu gold-in-soil anomaly. Results include:

– hole 3, which yielded 8 metres grading 1.08 grams gold;

– hole 4, which yielded 4.58 metres of 2.35 grams gold;

– hole 6, which averaged 15.62 grams over 3.18 metres, including 30.4 grams over 1.53 metres; and

– hole 7, which averaged 5.06 grams over 2.36 metres and 1.07 grams over 7.39 metres (both intervals contained smaller intervals of higher grade material).

Gold mineralization appears to be controlled by multiple sets of quartz-vein stringers striking obliquely across the anomaly. Mineralization is best developed where the veins are densely concentrated in zones of intense silicification, albitization and pyritization.

Earlier this year, 81 reverse-circulation (RC) holes yielded intervals of about 2 metres averaging 1-3 grams. The results alerted Birim to the possibility of wider zones in the section recently drilled. More drilling is planned.

To date, Birim has spent US$2.8 million at Bui.

Directly north of Ghana in Burkina Faso, Ottawa-based Orezone Resources (ORZ-T) and Australian-listed Delta Gold found a new gold zone during a 47-hole, 2,500-metre RC drilling program at their Intidougou property.

The new zone lies within the Peksou target, where previous shallow drilling indicated an 800-by-300-metre soil anomaly.

Hole 5 intersected visible gold from 12 to 40 metres down-hole. This intersection, using an upper cutoff grade of 31 grams gold, averaged 7.8 grams gold over 28 metres, with the section from 18 to 28 metres grading 19.1 grams gold.

Orezone describes the new zone as being favourably situated at a contact between volcanic rocks and an altered granitic intrusive within the Intidougou structural corridor. The high-grade zone cuts across the main trend of the corridor and appears to be similar and parallel to the better-defined C zone, 500 metres to the south.

Drilling will continue at Intidougou in November.

Delta Gold is earning a half-interest in the 500-sq.-km Intidougou permit and associated 250 sq.-km Tomena permit by spending US$2.5 million over four years. Orezone serves as operator.

In Tanzania, East Africa, Vancouver-based Tan Range Exploration (TNX-V) is reporting that the first diamond drill hole testing a newly discovered, 3.2-km-long geophysical conductor on its Itetemia property has intersected gold mineralization along a sheared contact between a felsic lapilli tuff and a strongly carbonitized andesite.

The hole cut 3.2 metres grading 2.5 grams gold, with gold being associated with smoky-to-blue quartz within a strongly carbonitized argillite horizon containing primary pyrite.

Tan Range says the intercept is comparable to the Bulyanhulu Reef 1 gold deposit, 2.5 km away on Barrick Gold‘s (ABX-T) adjoining Bulyanhulu property.

The Itetemia property contains several anomalies that require follow-up diamond drilling as part of Barrick’s continuing property-wide assessment program. Barrick has completed two share placements in Tan Range, each for $1 million, and may subscribe to a third $1-million placement at $1 per share.

In Mauritania, in the western Sahara, Rex Diamond Mining (RXD-T) pursuing precious metals, as well as its primary target of diamonds.

Past soil sampling on a Rex permit revealed anomalous values for platinum, palladium, nickel and gold, which prompted a drilling program during the summer.

Three core drill holes were made in a gossan in the Karet South permit, intersecting nickel-platinum-palladium mineralization. In the central hole, drilled to a depth of 200 metres, nickel grades averaged 0.89%, from 16 to 36 metres deep, while the combined platinum and palladium concentration averaged 0.95 gram from a depth of 18-38 metres. The combined concentration of platinum-group metals (PGMs) and gold averaged 1.6 grams over the same range.

Rex says the high nickel and PGM concentrations seem to be due to supergene enrichment of serpentinite rocks.