Gold developer West African Resources has reported high-grade reverse circulation (RC) drilling results from the M1 prospect at its Tanlouka gold project, in Burkina Faso.

“Extensive visible gold has been intercepted in diamond core drilling at 175 m in drill hole TAN16-DD045, which is the deepest hole to date at M1 South. Strong results have also been returned in shallow resource drilling with drill hole TAN16-RC160 returning 22 m at 2.98 g/t of gold from 47 m. Drilling is currently focused on openpitable mineralisation at M1 South and North ahead of a maiden resource at M1 in the third quarter of 2016,” comments West African Resources MD Richard Hyde.

The results of diamond drilling at M1 South holes TAN16-DD043 and TAN16-DD045, were pending as at June 16. Intercepts are on consecutive sections SE375 and SE400, and indicate high-grade gold shoots that have a steep north-west plunge. Mineralisation exhibits strong shearing and silica-sericite-albite alteration. Much of the gold at M1 south is in free form, but also associated with pyrite and pyrrhotite sulphides.

The intercept in TAN16-DD043 is 20 m down dip of TAN16-DD033, which returned 4 m at 86.96 g/t of gold, while the intercept in TAN16-DD045 is 40 m down dip of TAN16-RC124, which returned 7 m at 13.57 g/t of gold. Results for TAN16-DD043 and TAN16-DD045, which finished at 151 m and 224 m respectively, were expected in the next two weeks as at June 16, as holes were currently being logged in detail by geologists, ahead of sampling and assaying.

Meanwhile, recent diamond and RC drilling at M1 South has delivered “extremely” high-grade gold mineralisation over 350 m at the southern end of the M1 trend, while recent high-grade results from M1 North have reinforced the potential of the broader project.

On April 15, West African Resources announced a heavily oversubscribed $12.5-million capital raising to fund drilling programmes and a carbon-in-leach (CIL) feasibility study for the Tanlouka gold project to investigate the combination of high-grade gold mineralisation from M1 with the predominantly oxide mineralisation from M5. This study will leverage off the work completed during 2014/15 for the heap leach project.

In January, Mining Weekly reported that RC drilling at Tanlouka had delivered the potential to add ounces to its existing heap leach probable ore reserve of 440 000 oz of gold.
Hyde commented at the time that the TAC1166 hole at the 100%-owned project returned a strong result of 16 m at 2.3 g/t gold from surface, including 8 m at 4 g/t gold at the mine’s M3 eastern zone, confirming continuity of shallow oxide mineralisation.

“Gold mineralisation at M3 is located less than 2 km from the proposed heap leach starter pit at M5,” he said, adding that follow-up drilling was in progress at the time.

The recently discovered gold mineralisation at the M3 prospect was yet to be included in the project resource inventory, with mineralisation to be modelled and incorporated in a resource update by the second quarter.

The miner stated in January that any additional higher-grade oxide tonnes would have a positive impact on the project’s economics.