Drilling results have confirmed high-grade results at Aim-listed Shanta Gold’s West Kenya project, in Kenya, CEO Eric Zurrin said, stating that visible gold can be identified across several of the intersections. 

He expected Shanta to provide a resource update regarding the Isulu and Bushiangala deposits before the end of the year, as well as a possible mineral resource update for the Ramula deposit in January.  

“With these announcements in the coming months, shareholders can expect to see a significant conversion of the inferred resources to indicated ounces, further derisking the mineral resource estimate,” Zurrin said. 

“As the team finishes 2022 by building out the resource and further derisking the project, we are confident the market will start to realise the true value that West Kenya brings to the Shanta portfolio.” 

He highlighted that the Phase 2 drilling programme was aimed at conversion of the inferred resources to indicated at Isulu-Bushiangala and at Ramula, noting that drilling had also now expanded to district targets at Kimingini, within the Liranda camp, and Dhene and Miruka, which are proximal targets within the Ramula camp, where there are seven high-priority targets. 

The Isulu and Bushiangala infill drilling campaign aimed to verify the extent and geometry of the known mineralised zones developed for the current resource model.  

Shanta had completed 76% of total planned drilling at West Kenya by mid-October, with 65% of total assays reported over the three phases of planned drilling. 

Phase 1 drilling at the project, completed in June last year, sought to infill two modelled zones at Isulu and three modelled zones at Bushiangala. The drilling was carried out to generate an average spacing of 40 m at Isulu and 30 m at Bushiangala, up to a depth 200 m, targeting oxides and sulphides.  

Following the completion of Phase 1 drilling, an updated mineral resource estimate (MRE) was announced in September last year. 

Phase 2 of the ongoing diamond drilling campaign at the project is seeking to infill 20 modelled zones at Isulu and 23 modelled zones at Bushiangala. This drilling phase amounts to 75 000 m of planned drilling, of which 63 738 m has been completed.  

Phase 2 drilling is expected to generate an average spacing of 40 m at Isulu and 30 m at Bushiangala, up to a depth of 550 m. Following the completion of 2021 drilling, the Isulu and Bushiangala modelled zones were updated and another updated MRE was announced in March. 

Kimingini, meanwhile, is the easternmost target within the Liranda Corridor, located about 8 km southeast of the Isulu-Bushiangala resource and connected by a tarmac road. Historical underground mining occurred there in the 1930s, producing about 30 000 t. 

Several drill programmes were previously completed at Kimingini, predominantly between 2011 and 2012. The location’s known mineralisation is open for downdip/down plunge extension, with mapping conducted in 2022 revealing that the Kimingini gold-bearing system is 2.5 km by 1.5 km, encompassing several prospective zones, traced by the mapping, soils geochemistry and intense artisanal activity. 

The diamond drilling campaign at Kimingini is seeking to infill two modelled zones. This drilling programme, which amounted to 1 277 m, was completed in the second and third quarters, generating an average spacing of about 30 m and 80 m to allow for estimation of the maiden inferred resource, which is open along strike and downdip. 

The Ramula target is about 40 km northwest of Kisumu City and 40 km west-southwest from the Isulu-Bushiangala deposit. It is the most advanced prospect in the Ramula region.  

The Ramula camp currently includes four high-priority targets, including Ramula, Miruka, Dhene and Ochiegue, all less than 5 km from Ramula.  

Several targets, such as Ramba-Lumba, Aila, Nairobi Hill, Barding-Masumbi, Rera and the former colonial mine Kiboko, are all within 20 km of the Ramula deposit. 

Several drill programmes were completed in the prospect, predominantly between 2006 and 2012. Shanta’s infill drilling is aimed at verifying the extent and geometry of the known mineralised zones developed for the current resource model. 

Ramula is open for extension to the southeast. With Shanta drilling to 600 m depth, the company confirms that mineralisation is open at depth. The company said the greater upside was in viewing the prospect as part of the larger Ramula-Ochiegue-Miruka-Dhene mineralised system, which has potential for new discoveries. 

The diamond drilling campaign at Ramula is seeking to infill 19 modelled zones to 240 m. The drilling programme amounts to about 6 000 m of planned drilling and is due to be completed in the fourth quarter.  

It is expected to generate an average spacing of 20 m to 40 m for conversion of the inferred resource to indicated category. 

Following the completion of 2021 drilling, the Ramula modelled zones were updated, and the maiden MRE of 433 900 oz at 2.08 g/t gold, using a cut-off grade of 0.7 g/t gold, was announced in March. 

Recent diamond drilling at the Miruka and Dhene targets, which are 2 km and 5 km respectively from Ramula deposit, returned “visually encouraging” 3-m- to 5-m-wide mineralised sections hosted in the intermediate porphyries and dacites, with numerous visible gold specs.  

Logging and sampling continue to progress.