JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Multicommodity explorer Sula Iron & Gold has restarted drilling work at its Ferensola project, in northern Sierra Leone, targeting both iron-ore in the banded iron formation (BIF) 2 target area, and a recently identified tantalum and niobium mineralisation target.
The BIF 2 target was a 20 km2 region to the northeast of the known iron mineralisation, BIF 1, which was drilled in 2013 and 2014 and over which work on a maiden mineral resource estimate had started.
The company said on Wednesday that data had suggested that there was potential for the BIF to continue in a north-easterly direction.
Field crews had completed the grid surveying and line cutting, which started in July, in preparation for a magnetometer survey over BIF 2.
“We are delighted to be resuming our exploration of our licence area on schedule and without any delays caused by the weather or the current Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in Sierra Leone.
“Further, we are pleased to update the market following confirmation that pegmatites within the Sula Mountains region potentially host both tantalum and niobium mineralisation, commonly referred to as coltan,” CEO Nick Warrell commented.
In addition to its field programmes and as part of its ongoing corporate social investment programme, Sula was assisting two local EVD task forces in Dalakuru and Kabala, in Sierra Leone, by providing them with medical equipment to screen people for the disease at two checkpoints.