Sep 28 2018
Compass Gold Corp. is pleased to announce that it has engaged a drilling contractor in preparation for the Company’s initial 3,500 m bedrock-drilling program on the Ouassada permit on its Sikasso Property in Southern Mali.
Highlights
- Signed drilling contact with Target Drilling SARL for the provision of 2,500 m of air core (AC) drilling and 1,000 m of reverse circulation (RC) drilling
- Drilling represents the first ever bedrock drilling on the 1,179 sq. km Sikasso Property
- Initial drilling will focus on four zones on the Ouassada permit considered to be priority areas, and which contain active artisanal gold mining
- A total of 14 drilling targets were identified on the permit using a combination of geochemistry, geophysics, remote sensing and geological mapping
- The drilling targets average 1.2 km in length, and the expected depth to fresh bedrock is approximately 50 m
Compass CEO, Larry Phillips, commented, “I am excited at the prospect of drill testing the first of the bedrock drill targets at Ouassada that our technical team has worked diligently to select. Target Drilling has a good reputation and track record in Mali, and we eagerly anticipate seeing their drill rigs starting as soon as ground conditions permit. Artisanal miners have been finding gold in the bedrock on the Sikasso Property for at least fifteen years, but this will be the first time anyone has drill-tested it.”
Drilling Contract
Compass held an open tender process for a 3,500 m drilling contract on the Ouassada permit in August. This tender was for 2,500 m of AC and 1,000 m of RC drilling to test bedrock gold targets. The AC holes are expected to attain depths of 50 m, and the RC holes a depth of 100 m. The winning bid was by Target Drilling SARL, a Bamako-based company which uses Australian expatriate drillers, and has a proven track record in Mali. It is anticipated that access issues due to the seasonal rains will have improved sufficiently by late October to allow the start of drilling by late November. This program is expected to be completed before the Christmas break in December, and the first assay results are expected in January.
Proposed Bedrock Drilling Program
The initial details of the proposed drilling program were outlined in the Company’s press release dated July 31, 2018. Based on recent exploration work, including geochemistry, geophysics and remote sensing studies, Compass’s technical team identified a total of 14 discrete area on the Ouassada permit (Figure 1). The targets were found over a distance of 12 km and all had gold in shallow and deep soil (up to 22 m) anomalism associated with them. All the areas are underlain by a Birimian felsic volcaniclastic unit cut by the Siekeroli Shear Zone. The surface length of the anomalies ranges from 640 to 2,840 m, and with an average of 1,250 m. They are approximately 200 to 500 m wide. Based on previous work in southern Mali it is anticipated that fresh rock will be intersected at a depth greater than 50 m
In July, the Compass team estimated that approximately 12,000 m of drilling would first be required to test all 14 targets. Of this, 3,500 m (35 drill holes) will cover the highest-priority targets, which are closest to known artisanal gold operations (Farabakoura and Kabangouè). Bedrock vein samples have previously been recorded up to 47.6 g/t Au from the Farabakoura workings, 89.3 g/t Au at Kabangouè North, and 6.09 g/t Au at Kabangouè South. The artisanal workings cover a strike length of 3.5 km. Target Drilling will use a combination of AC and RC drilling to initially drill test these targets. Diamond (core) drilling will be considered later to provide additional geological information.
Meanwhile, the Company continues to receive assay results from its other permits beyond Ouassada, which will be reported as they become available. Additional work is already being planned on these permits to clearly define additional drilling targets. Upon completion of the initial 3,500 m drilling program the technical team will decide whether to conduct infill drilling on the four priority targets or to initiate an exploration drilling program on either the remaining ten targets on Ouassada, or on new targets identified on the adjacent Sankarani permit.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/11652caf-b0d1-4234-82a0-7108a3382a0d
Source: http://www.compassgoldcorp.com/