- Positive drilling results at the Bondi gold exploration field in Burkina Faso now leads to more investments at the site. The Canadian company owning the Bondi site is to start constructions of a permanent camp here and has embarked on a pre-feasibility study to assess the possibilities of mining operations.
The small Canadian mining company Orezone Resources, which is the 100 percent owner of Bondi Project in south-western Burkina Faso, today presented its latest results from infill drilling on the field. According to the company, results were "positive" and included findings of 3.82 grams per tonne (g/t).
Earlier, the company had intersected "economic grades and widths" at Bondi, but had so far only explored a very small part of the property. Orezone President Ron Little today said the company was "very pleased to report that drilling results continue to confirm the width and continuity of the main zone and we are even more excited about the potential to add ounces along strike, at depth and in the parallel zones."
- As a result, we are commencing construction of a permanent camp and an all weather road to facilitate drilling right through the rainy season, said Mr Little. "Furthermore, we have also initiated work on many of the elements required for a pre-feasibility study so that we can develop this project as quickly and as efficiently as possible," he added.
The objective of the recent drill programme had been to provide sufficient information to complete an initial resource calculation and a pre-feasibility study based on the first 800 m of strike length in the main zone, Orezone said in a press release. With the new drilling results, the gold zone continues to grow in size.
Recently compiled geophysical and geochemical surveys and drilling had indicated a signature that is over 4 km in length, according to the company. In addition, there are at least two parallel zones of similar size and signature that could also substantially increase the total oxide resource, the release added.
Results from another 1,255 m of deeper infill drilling in 20 holes in this part of the same zone are expected by the end of March. Further, results from 1,700 m of drilling in 10 deeper core holes in the same area were said to be available by the end of April and an initial resource calculation will released before the end of the second quarter.
The 4 km long structures at Bondi represent only a small part of a 75 km volcanic belt that is 100 percent owned by Orezone. This 1,000 km2 land package also straddles one of two main structural breaks which trend north-east through Burkina Faso and host most of the major discoveries in the region.
According to Orezone, Burkina Faso still represents a "relatively unexplored part of one of the world's fastest growing gold producing regions." This geological area containing a growing number of gold discoveries also includes parts of Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Mali and Niger, but is centred on Burkina Faso.
While Orezone is a relatively small company - it holds eight exploring properties in Burkina Faso and one in Niger of which none has commenced producing - larger mining companies share its optimism on Burkina Faso's gold producing potential.
Only in February, the Canadian company Etruscan announced the expected discovery of a "new, significant gold belt in Burkina Faso." Another Canadian company, Semafo, also reported "new impressive intersections" from its Burkinabe properties in February. Gold is already one of Burkina Faso's main export products although the mining sector is still very poorly developed.
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