Commences Work at Tanlouka Permit
Perth, Jan 28, 2014 AEST (ABN Newswire) - West African Resources Limited (
ASX:WAF) (CVE:WAF) is pleased to report it has commenced extensive work programs at its the recently acquired Mankarga 5 Deposit located on the Tanlouka Permit now part of the Boulsa Project, in Burkina Faso.
Work Programs at Mankarga 5, Q1 2014:
- 5,000m shallow RC drilling
- 400m metallurgical diamond core drilling
- 2,100m diamond core program; six 350m oriented core holes
- Re-logging of historic drill holes (22,000m RC and diamond core)
- Re-interpretation of geology and mineralisation model
- Resource update towards end of Q1 2014
- Scoping study on low CAPEX heap leach gold starter project towards end of H1 2014
"Work programs have commenced on the Mankarga 5 deposit following the acquisition of TSXV listed Channel Resources Ltd. The programs are designed to provide rapid assessment of near-surface, and high-grade mineralisation at Mankarga 5," West African Managing Director Richard Hyde said.
"Work programs include RC drilling, metallurgical diamond core drillng and oriented diamond core drilling targeting high-grade zones at depth. We are working on a detailed timetable incorporating current and future drilling programs, resource estimations, metallurgical test work and scoping studies. We will update the market in the near future with more accurate timing on key deliverables."
Work programs have been tailored to improve the oxide and transitional components of the deposit and better define the orientation of high-grade mineralisation in deeper drilling.
Mankarga 5 contains 11,544,000 tonnes of Indicated Resources at a grade of 1.06 g/t Au (395,000 ounces gold) and 19,278,000 tonnes of Inferred Resource at a grade of 0.97 g/t Au (604,000 ounces gold) at a 0.5g/t Au cut-off grade for oxide and sulphide mineralisation (extracted from Channels' NI 43- 101 Technical Report, August 17, 2012).
The deposit currently contains an oxide resource of 1,647,260 tonnes of Indicated Resources at a grade of 1.09 g/t Au (58,000 ounces gold) and 4,605,838 tonnes of Inferred Resource at a grade of 0.99 g/t Au (147,000 ounces gold) at a 0.5g/t Au cut-off. With further drilling these resources can be upgraded considerably both in terms of tonnes and grade. A summary of the work to be completed is shown below in Figure 1, and proximity to WAF Moktedu and Goudré prospects shown in Figures 2 and 3 in link below.
A detailed 5,000m shallow reverse circulation (RC) drilling program will better test near-surface mineralisation along the 2.8km strike of the deposit. Currently there are a number of areas within the existing resource area that are sparsely drilled. The RC program will be completed on approximately 100m sections along the deposit testing oxide and transitional mineralisation. The program will also complete first-pass drilling over parallel geochemical anomalies northwest of known mineralisation.
Historic drilling has intercepted high-grade mineralisation on a number of sections that remain open at depth. West African has implemented an initial six hole oriented diamond core program to follow-up on these areas and collect essential structural information regarding the high-grade zones which will allow our geologists to better interpret ore shoot plunge directions, and therefore allow more accurate targeting in subsequent drilling programs. This drilling will commence in the southwest area of the deposit between sections SW800 and SW100.
The current work program includes a metallurgical test work drilling program of four holes along the strike of the deposit. Whole core will be shipped to Perth for test work to confirm the suitability of the mineralisation to low CAPEX heap leach processing. Previous test work by Channel returned excellent results including up to 95.3% gold recovery from oxide and up to 92.3% gold recovery from sulphide mineralization in bottle roll tests.
The drilling programs in conjunction with a reinterpretation of the Mankarga 5 deposit will lead to resource update studies towards the end of Q1 2014. West African geologists are currently re-logging key drill holes as part of this process.
The combination of the results of the work programs will enable West African to complete a Preliminary Economic Analysis (PEA) or Scoping Study in the first half of 2014. The Company's technical team is currently preparing a more detailed timeline of key deliverables over the next 12 months and we look forward to updating the market on this and new drilling results as they are received.
About West African Resources and the Boulsa Gold Project
The Boulsa Project in Burkina Faso covers over 6,000km2 and 200km of strike length of early Proterozoic Birimian greenstone belts which are highly prospective for gold mineralisation. In January 2014 West African Resources Ltd acquired Channel Resources Ltd, which owned the Tanlouka Permit hosting the Mankarga 5 deposit. The company is focussed on near term production through the addition of the Tanlouka Permit with existing nearby gold prospects. West African made a major Au-Cu-Mo discovery at the Sartenga Discovery in 2012.
West African Resources Ltd is focused on cost-effective copper-gold exploration, by keeping our administration and corporate costs to a minimum and exploring as expeditiously as possible. We own and operate a fleet of six drill rigs which are working continuously on the Boulsa Gold Project. Our drill fleet includes three auger rigs, one RAB rig and two multi-purpose RC-diamond rigs. In Burkina Faso we have a local exploration, drilling and support team of more than 50 people. West African Resources is committed to the training and development of our local workforce.
West African will keep the market informed as results are received.
The information relating to the Mankarga 5 Mineral Resource Estimate is extracted from Channel's NI43-101 report dated August 17, 2012 and is available to view on www.westafricanresources.com and on Channel Resources Ltd's profile on www.sedar.com.
To view charts and diagrams, please visit:
http://media.abnnewswire.net/media/en/docs/76502-ASX-WAF-665123.pdf
About West African Resources Limited
West African Resources Limited (
ASX:WAF) (CVE:WAF) is a gold-copper exploration company dedicated to creating shareholder value through the acquisition, exploration and development of resource projects in Burkina Faso, West Africa.
West African has a landholding of 6,370sq km and 200km of strike length of early Proterozoic Birimian greenstone belts, which are highly prospective for gold mineralisation.
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