Name and Location
Bagla Hills iron-ore project, Sierra Leone.
Project Description
The Bagla Hills deposit, located 52 km south-south-east of Kenema, in south-eastern Sierra Leone, forms part of a continuation of a long-known Western Cluster iron-ore deposit across the border with Liberia, comprising the Mano River, Bomi Hills and Bea Mountain deposits.
The deposit has a historical resource estimate of 838-million tons grading at 32% iron (Fe).
Historical drill intersections and magnetic surveying defined two main zones of iron formation that coincide with the two main topographic ridges, namely the east and west ridges. These ridges indicate the possibility of large tonnages of iron-ore being present at depth along the keel of the fold axis.
The project is located 80 km from the coast and 12 km from a disused railhead at Kongo, in Liberia, presenting two possible transport routes for the product to reach a port, besides the possibility of a slurry pipeline should output justify it.
Value
An exploration drilling programme is currently required to detail the project’s mineral resources, based on confirmatory testwork on representative bulk samples, to provide a basis for a scoping study on mine development and beneficiation plant design.
It is envisaged that this work will be phased, with the initial stage costing $1.5-million, followed by a scoping study and further drilling, at an estimated cost of $2.5-million to reach the prefeasibility phase.
Duration
Not stated.
Client
Aim-listed Sable Mining Africa.
In April 2011, Sable Mining acquired an 80% interest in Red Rock Mining, a Sierra Leone company, which holds a 50-year lease over 206.75 km2, covering the Bagla Hills, Tunkia Kingdom, iron-ore deposit in the Kenema district.
Key Contracts and Suppliers
None stated.
Latest Developments
None stated.
On Budget and on Time?
Too early to state.
Contact Details for Project Information
Sable Mining Africa CEO Andrew Groves, tel +44 20 7408 9200.