Results continue to expand the resource at the Essakan property in Burkina Faso, West Africa. Orezone Resources (OZN-T) is the operator, while Gold Fields (GFI-N) is earning a half-interest in the 1,450-sq.-km property, situated 330 km northeast of the capital, Ouagadougou.
Results from 22 holes (both reverse-circulation and core) on the Falagountou prospect indicate gold at shallow depth with grades ranging from 1 to 32 grams per tonne over 4-28 metres. Highlights of the most recent drilling include 4.5 grams gold per tonne over 28 metres, 6.8 grams over 22 metres, and 20.4 grams over 11 metres.
Mineralization is associated with quartz veins and alteration in distinct shear zones that intersect a mafic intrusive body bounded by sediments. Geophysics has identified parallel zones, which will be the focus of drilling.
The Falagountou prospect is 6 km east of the Essakan Main zone.
In mid-2003, the Essakan property was estimated to contain a measured and indicated resource of 18.9 million tonnes grading 2.14 grams gold per tonne, as well as an inferred 5.2 million tonnes grading 1.76 grams gold, for a total resource of 1.5 million oz. grading 2.1 grams gold. Artisans have been mining gold-bearing quartz veins on the property since 1984; in the late 1980s and early 1990s, these operations produced a total of 16,000 oz. gold annually.
Geochemical sampling on half of the Essakan property has led to the identification of 15 targets, which will be the focus of follow-up exploration.
Drilling is ongoing at Orezone’s Bondi project, 600 km southwest of the Essakan property. The company recently unveiled results from 31 reverse-circulation holes (totalling 2,250 metres) drilled along an 800-metre strike length on the Main zone. These results will be used to estimate a deposit resource. Highlights include 3.82 grams gold over 45 metres (31.8 metres true width), 10.97 grams over 12 metres (8.5 metres true width), 7.65 grams over 18 metres (12.7 metres true width), and 7.54 grams over 18 metres (12.7 metres true width).
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