Mariana Resources Ltd the AIM ("MARL") and
TSXV ("MRA") listed exploration and development company with projects in
Turkey, Côte d'Ivoire and South America, this morning provided the
following update on the Bondoukou gold projects following the
acquisition of Awalé Resources SARL.
Inital Project Focus
Mariana's initial focus will be on the three granted Bondoukou
concessions (Bondoukou Est, Bondoukou Nord Est, and Bondoukou Nord;
Table 1 and Figure 4), all of which are located near the the town of
Bondoukou and close to the Ghanaian border. The Bondoukou concessions
lie along the southwestern extension of the Birimian Bole-Nangodi
greenstone belt, which is known to host a number of high grade gold
deposits in adjacent Ghana. Artisinal miners are currently extracting
high grade, vein-style gold mineralisation from within the saprolite
profile and colluvium at various locations within all three concessions
(although particularly in Bondoukou Est and Nord Est).
Links to Figures:
http://media.wix.com/ugd/24ee23_03d2669ce92f488389c15c4d8c8c8ca2.pdf
Prior to Mariana's acquisition of Awalé (an 80% interest), Awale's
exploration team had been undertaking reconnaissance exploration over
the three granted claim blocks. Work completed during this initial phase
of mapping and sampling resulted in the identification of three priority
prospect areas within the Bondoukou Est and Bondoukou Nord Est Permits,
the details of which are given below.
Priority Target Areas
-- Bahile-Fako-Elisabeth Mineralised Trend (Bondoukou Est) (Figures 5 & 6)
The Bahile-Fako-Elisabeth target areas lie within a 15 km-long, WNW-ESE
striking corridor of artisanal gold workings which are located on, or
close to, the contact between a granitic intrusive complex and Biriminan
volcano-sedimentary rocks. Individual workings are typically spaced
between 50m and 300m apart and are focused on the extraction of gold
from both saprolite and colluvium, although some workings in the
Elisabeth prospect have reached "hard rock" where pyrite-silica-sericite
alteration is evident. The primary target type is gold-bearing
quartz-pyrite veins, with miners in deeper saprolite and "hard rock"
pits at both Fako and Elisabeth suggesting that the mineralised veins
are either stacked or sheeted. Given the highly-developed artisanal
gold mining activities in the Bahile-Fako-Elisabeth trend, this area is
currently considered to be one of our highest priority target areas.
-- Ngouan-Djoumani Prospect (Bondoukou Est)
The Ngouan-Djoumani prospect contains three large areas of artisanal
mine workings, with the individual workings focused on structures
oriented 090 to 120N. The Djoumani workings have a larger colluvial
footprint of approximately 1km(2) . The Ngouan workings are typically
around 50 metres deep and waste dumps in the area show
pyrite-silica-sericite wall rock alteration within a stockwork vein
system. The perseverance of the miners here in the hard rock and the
pyrite alteration system makes this prospect of particular interest, as
the extraction method for the gold is through gravity sluicing.
-- Yanti Prospect (Bondoukou Nord Est)
The Yanti prospect consists of a set of three, north-south striking
workings contained within an overall northwest trend (and therefore
potentially representing en-echelon vein sets). Each of the workings
containing a single quartz vein approximately 0.5m wide and dipping at
about 50 degrees to the west. The Yanti prospect is located at the
southeastern end of the Bolgatanga Belt, which continues through Ghana
into southeastern Burkina Faso. Country rock in the Yanti area consists
dominantly of well foliated quartz rich wackes and sandstones, whilst in
and around the workings there are finer grained sedimentary and volcanic
rocks. Sheared felsic rock with 'quartz eyes' are also evident.
Visible gold within panned miner's concentrates have been reported at
all three prospects. Other artisanal workings continue to be located
during the ongoing reconnaissance work.
Systematic Geochemical Sampling
A first-pass "screening" of the extensive Bondoukou claim blocks is
currently being undertaken through cost-effective regional silt, soil,
and rock chip sampling programs. The primary objective of these
geochemical programs is to identify those areas with the highest
potential for the discovery of new / blind gold deposits. Work completed
to date includes:
-- Regional Silt Sampling
A total of 374 regional silt samples have been collected on the basis of
each sample covering a drainage catchment area of approximately 5km(2) .
An initial batch of 151 samples, essentially covering broader 10km(2)
catchment areas, has been sent for analysis (with the remaining infill
samples to be submitted for those areas in which significant gold
anomalies are detected). All samples will be analysed for gold and trace
elements at Intertek Perth using both a static and agitated BLEG method
with ultra-low detection limits (0.01 ppb).
-- Regional Mapping and Rock Chip Sampling
1,601 outcrop/subcrop mapping/sampling sites have so far been visited on
the three Bondoukou claims, and 525 rock chip samples have been selected
for both gold analysis by fire assay and multi-element analysis. These
results will be compiled and incorporated into an updated regional
geological map over the three Bondoukou claims.
-- Orientation Soil Surveys
Initial soil orientation surveys have also commenced, with 182 samples
having been collected to date over the Bahile and Elisabeth prospects.
First observations indicate that the depth of transported cover in the
Elisabeth - Fako area is too deep for conventional soil sampling and
auger drilling will be required. While the Bahile area is within a
residual soil terrain and differing mesh size fractions will be analysed
to determine the most practical sampling method for this regolith type.
Results are currently pending for all geochemical samples.
Rock chip and grab sampling has historically also been undertaken by
Awalé in the vicinity of known surface workings at Bondoukou Est
and Bondoukou Nord Est. A total of twenty-one rock chip samples have
returned gold assays exceeding 5 g/t; ten samples have returned between
5. 4 g/t Au and 9.9 g/t Au, six samples between 10.7 g/t Au and 16.7 g/t
Au, and a further five samples between 23.3 g/t Au and 36.7 g/t Au. In
most cases, gold mineralization is associated with weathered
quartz-pyrite vein assemblages derived from mineralised fault / shear
zones.
Work program going forward
The main objective of the Q4, 2016 and H1, 2017 field exploration
programs at Bondoukou will be to define and prioritize targets for RC
drill testing during H2, 2017. These drill targets will be defined
through a combination of cost effective geological mapping, infill soil
sampling, auger drilling, and geophysics as appropriate. The Company
will keep the market updated with results from these field programs as
they come to hand.
Table 1: Mariana/Awalé Cote d'Ivoire Permits (Around Bondoukou)
Application
Permit Date Grant Date Decree No Area (Km(2)) Permit No.
Bondoukou
Est 19/12/2012 07/01/2015 2015-01 400 PR 377
Bondoukou
Nord Est 19/12/2012 18/09/2015 2015-638 398 PR 611
Bondoukou
Nord 19/12/2012 09/12/2015 393.5
La Volta 30/07/2015 400
Asuefry 19/12/2012 393
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