Tan Range boosts GHR

Vancouver — The latest round of drilling by Tan Range Exploration (TNX-V) on the Itetemia gold property in Tanzania has cut significant widths of mineralization, to a vertical depth of 440 metres, at the Golden Horseshoe Reef zone (GHR).

The junior began exploring Itetemia in 1995. Its exploration programs have included:

• airborne magnetic and radiometric geophysical surveys;
• ground electromagnetic, magnetic and induced-polarization (IP) surveys;
• conventional soil sampling and mobile metal ion geochemistry; and
• 6,700 metres of rotary-air-blast (RAB) drilling, 7,500 metres of reverse-circulation (RC) drilling in 120 holes and a total of 35 diamond drill holes.

In March 1997, the company was attracted to a new gold discovery, which was found by a local villager while he was digging a well. The discovery quickly drew more than 3,000 illegal artisan miners to the area. Soon, more than 180 small-scale pits dotted a 380-metre-long area.

By fall, the illegal mining issue had been resolved and Tan Range had completed an initial 13-hole program of diamond drilling. This confirmed that the gold-bearing zone extends along strike for 300 metres and to a vertical depth of 100 metres.

Further drilling in 1998 expanded the zone along a strike length of 400 metres. Prior to the start of the January 2000 drill program, 21 core holes had tested the Golden Horseshoe zone. The bulk of that drilling cut the zone to a vertical depth of only 50 metres. The latest drill holes have extended the mineralization to considerable depths. Results include:

• Hole 25 — 27.2 metres grading 2.1 grams gold per tonne from 479.4 metres down-hole, including a higher-grade section running 3.1 grams gold over 16.5 metres;
• Hole 26 — confirmed the grades by returning 3 grams gold over 32 metres from 471.6 metres down-hole, including an impressive section averaging 11.4 grams gold over 6.1 metres; and
• Hole 25W — 49.8 metres grading 2.15 grams gold from 464.5 metres down-hole, including a higher-grade section running 4.42 grams gold over 2.9 metres and another running 5.39 grams gold over 2.2 metres.

The surface footprint of the zone covers nearly 500 metres. There are two discrete gold zones (the South and North zones) within the mineralized envelope which are also continuous from surface to 440 metres depth. The discovery of a 1-metre interval (grading 11 grams gold) outside the mineralized envelope in quartz feldspar porphyry is also encouraging.

The Golden Horseshoe Reef zone is a northwesterly striking, stratigraphicaly controlled banded-to-massive-sulphide quartz horizon. It lies at the contact between felsic and mafic volcanic rocks and dips steeply to the south. It ranges from 20 to 30 metres in width and contains a 2-to-10-metre-thick, higher-grade core of massive sulphides.

The 183-sq.-km project surrounds the northern and eastern boundaries of Barrick Gold’s (ABX-T) Bulyanhulu property, 80 km southwest of Mwanza. In mid-1999, Barrick acquired the right to earn a 60% interest in Itetemia by subscribing to $3 million worth of private placements and arranging project financing for a minimum 100,000-oz.-per-year gold operation.

The partners are planning a new drill program.