Precious metal potential of Suriname to be tested

Rapidly joining the ranks of South American countries trying to attract exploration and development dollars is Suriname.

The country is squeezed between Guyana on the west and French Guiana on the east, with a surface area of 163,820 square km. The population is nearly 400,000, with most living in or around the capital Paramaribo or in other smaller coastal towns.

Suriname is among the worlds top 10 producers of bauxite and alumina. There is also an aluminum smelter with a recently available potline capacity of about 30,000 tonnes. Suralco, a wholly owned subsidiary of Alcoa and Billiton of the Netherlands, operates its own bauxite mines and an alumina refinery. The smelter is owned by Suralco.

Surinames dependence on bauxite/alumina/aluminum cannot be overstated the industry represents about 80% of the countrys total export earnings. This state of affairs may change in the future.

Golden Star Resources (TSE), active in Guyana for many years, in early March obtained an exclusive right to explore for gold and other minerals in a 200,000 hectare (781 square mile) area.

The reconnaissance right, the first of its kind by the Suriname government, involves Headleys Reef which covers about two-thirds of the main greenstone belt in Suriname. Considerable work was done by Kennecott on the property in the 1950s.

About 14 km north-northwest of Headleys Reef is the Rosebel property, which is accessible by a gravel road that follows a paved highway. Rosebel is the most advanced gold prospect in the country; N.V. Surplacer (Placer Dome), in a joint venture with the Suriname government, evaluated the property in the 1974-1977 period.

The Rosebel mineralization extends for some 12 km. Work by Surplacer and Grassalco isolated a significant resource potential already. Three geochemical anomalies investi-

gated by Placer partially defined gold deposits in the lateritic profile, with lateral dimensions of several hundred metres and thickness of 1-10 metres. Grades average better that 2 grams gold per tonne. There are strong indications of mineralization in the saprolite (weathered rock) and fresh rock at depth.

The availability of a mining decree and the return of moderate politics suggest Suriname will be in the exploration news for a long time to come in northeastern South America.