Drilling tests Birim’s Dunkwa in Ghana

Exploration drilling has resumed at the Dunkwa gold property in Ghana, West Africa, reports Birim Goldfields (BGI-T).

The property spans 45 km of the Ashanti gold belt, a geological feature that hosts a number of Ghana’s producing mines.

The program at Dunkwa is operated by Battle Mountain Gold (BMG-N), which can acquire a 65% interest in the property from Birim by spending US$5 million on exploration over a 4-year period.

Four targets — Aboronye, Adukrom, Mansiso and the 8600 anomaly — will be tested by a 2,600-metre drill program. All four targets were previously tested by a combination of reverse-circulation and core drilling, but required additional field work before this year’s program could begin.

Drilling also is planned for the Mampon prospect, where work was halted for two years because of a moratorium imposed on companies working within a forest reserve. The moratorium has been lifted and work permits have been granted that allow Battle Mountain to test the gold discovery made at Mampon in March 1996.

The Mampon target was previously drilled and, based on results of the 14-hole program, Watts Griffis and McOuat estimates that it contains 460,000 oz. gold at an average grade of 5.2 grams gold per tonne.

The mineralization has a strike length of 400 metres and remains open in all directions. Drill results from earlier holes include: 60.5 metres of 6.4 grams gold; 123 metres of 3 grams; 5.7 metres of 7.8 grams and 39.6 metres of 6.7 grams. The deepest intersection was at a vertical depth of 120 metres.