JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Mali is Gold Fields "new frontier", says Gold Fields West Africa head Peter Turner.

The company's focus area is the prospective Yanfolila belt: "It's an underexplored, gold-rich part of south-west Mali and holds a great deal of prospectivity for us," Turner tells Mining Weekly Online, pointing out Yanfolila's location on a map that also bears the gold-linked names of Sadiola, Morila, Loulo, Syama and Siguiri.

Gold Fields has been working intensely on the new assets, acquired in the Glencar transaction.

The flagship of its emerging gold camp in southern Mali is Komana, where gold with grades of up to 15,7 g/t have been discovered close to the surface and visible gold has been detected in Komana West.

"These deposits lend themselves to free dig, and we could expect some cheap mining," Turner says, pointing to the first 100 m at Sadiola being an area where gold is accessible very close to the surface.

Early stage exploration is under way at Bokoro, Faliko and Badogo, which are within a 60 km radius of Komana and all close to Komana, where synergies could be leveraged off a central gold hub.

Drilling will continue at Komana until June 2010 and the conceptual study will be completed by December 2010.

"We are hopeful about this new emerging gold district and look forward to an exciting future there," says Turner.

Gold Fields West African operations of Tarkwa and Damang in neighbouring Ghana put through one million tons for the first time last month, auguring well for future gold production, which was marginally down at both operations in the December quarter, Tarkwa producing 173 000 oz and Damang 45 000 oz.

Two new superpits are emerging at Damang, which is targeting strong growth and there is keen interest in the newly discovered Greater Amoanda, which has widths of 30 m at 8 g/t and 4 m at 11 g/t close to surface.

To watch a video on Gold Fields Peter Turner on new gold prospects, go to www.miningweekly.com and click on ‘Multimedia' and then on ‘Video Clips'.