Etruscan drills for gold in Niger

Etruscan Enterprises (eet-t) has drilled significant gold intersections at its Boulon Djounga West gold discovery in westernmost Niger, West Africa.

Boulon Djounga West lies within Etruscan’s 1,241-sq.-km Tiawa concession on the western extension of the Samira trend but remains just outside the 81-sq.-km area optioned to Placer Dome (pdg-t) last December.

Highlights from the first four diamond drill holes include:

* 23.9 metres (from 71.6 to 95.5 metres) grading 2.58 grams gold per tonne in hole 48;

* 10.7 metres (from 118.3 to 129 metres) of 1.00 gram gold in hole 49; * 10.8 metres (from 59.2 to 70 metres) of 3.07 grams gold and 14.8 metres (from 116.2 to 131 metres) of 1.29 grams gold in hole 50; and * 21.5 metres (from 96.5 to 118 metres) of 2.05 grams gold in hole 51.

Holes 48 and 49 were drilled 50 metres apart on the same section at a 50 inclination, downdip from the previously announced reverse-circulation hole 121. Holes 50 and 51 were drilled in the same manner on a parallel section 100 metres along strike to the east.

Gold mineralization is associated with quartz and sulphide minerals in a sedimentary sequence which Etruscan describes as being analogous to the Samira horizon.

Stepout drilling has traced the favorable zone for a strike length of 650 metres, and results for the next six diamond drill holes are pending.

Etruscan is 12.5%-owned by Placer Dome and 6%-owned by Dartmouth, N.S.-based NovaGold Resources (nri-t).