Sunridge Gold Corp. (TSX VENTURE:SGC) has provided an update on the current drilling program being conducted at the Asmara Project, Eritrea.
Two diamond drills have recently completed the first 35 diamond drill holes as part of definition drilling at the high-grade copper-gold-zinc Debarwa VMS (volcanogenic massive sulphide) deposit. Most holes drilled so far have intersected strong VMS-style mineralization from the copper-enriched supergene zone as well as the primary copper and zinc zones. It is expected that assays from this drilling will be received by Sunridge in early February.
These first 35 holes were drilled at the northern and middle sections of the deposit for a total of 4,640 metres as part of the recently commenced feasibility study at Debarwa. The drill program focused on further defining the potential "Direct Shipping Ore" zone (a zone of +15% copper within the copper-enriched supergene zone and referred to as the "DSO" zone) as well as seeking extensions to the south and to the east, to extend the primary zone in depth in the Main Zone, to capture structural data from the oriented core and to gather more samples for ongoing metallurgical test work. The program has about 1,400 metres remaining to drill, mainly in the Debarwa South zone.
A third drill will join the two existing drills at Debarwa in January to initially drill wells for the ongoing hydrological studies, part of the feasibility study, and then to move onto Sunridge's near-surface gold targets at the Emba Derho and Gupo deposits as well as the Medrizien gold target located in the northern part of the Asmara Project.
The Debarwa Feasibility Study
The Debarwa feasibility study will consider a standalone process plant using flotation for the recovery of the base and precious metals and will study various mining options over a forecast life of mine of approximately 9 years. The study will further investigate a direct shipping option of the DSO zone to generate early cash flow and enhance economics of the deposit. The completion of the feasibility study is expected in the third quarter of 2011.
Michael J. Hopley, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Sunridge, is the Qualified Person for Sunridge and he is the person responsible for preparation of the technical information contained in this news release.
Source: Sunridge Gold Corp.