Semafo extends Wona (September 10, 2002)

Reverse circulation drilling by Montreal-based Semafo (SMF-T) has extended the Wona zone, on its Mana gold property in Burkina Faso, West Africa, another 400 metres to the northeast.

During July, Semafo sunk 26 reverse circulation (RC) holes for a total of 1,924 metres. The holes were aimed at confirming the continuity of the zone and testing for extensions.

Highlights include:

• Hole WRC-59 – 47 metres (from 42 metres below surface) grading 4.40 grams gold;
• Hole WRC-60 – 42 metres (from 9 metres) running 3.36 grams gold;
• Hole WRC-61 – 19 metres (from 71metres) of 3.05 grams gold;
• Hole WRC-82 – 25 metres (from 25 metres)of 3.01 grams gold; and
• Hole WRC-83 – 12 metres (from 54 metres) averaging 2.37 grams gold;

The latest holes bring Wona’s overall drill identified strike length to 2,800 metres. The last 1,000 metres of the zone average 25 metres in true thickness. Almost closed at the south end, the zone widens to the northeast while plunging to the north onto the adjoining Kona property.

Mineralization at Wona appears to be hosted by three structures of highly deformed acidic tuffs. Silification and quartz veining occur locally.

Late last year, Semafo estimated Wona’s indicated resource at 3.5 million tonnes grading 2.38 grams gold per tonne, based on a cutoff grade of 0.5 gram gold. Of the total resource, 1.8 million tonnes of oxide material run 2.45 grams gold; the remaining 1.7 million tonnes of sulphide material average 2.31 grams gold. The oxide resource has an average depth of 60 metres.

Preliminary bottle roll test on RC cuttings from Wona returned an average recovery of 90% for oxide material above 50 metres.

Semafo has a 95% interest into the Mana property, 200 km west of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso’s capital city.

Earlier this summer, a 23-hole, 1,332-metre RC drilling campaign on the company’s Nyafe gold-bearing structure, about 8 km to the south, extended mineralization about 300 metres to the northeast for a total strike length of more than 2,400 metres. The oxidation zone has an average vertical depth of 50 metres.

Mineralization at Nyafe is associated with a major fault zone hosted by altered mafic schists interbedded with massive andesitic lavas. Most of the gold-bearing rocks are highly altered and schistose mafic tuffs, and they too are also quartz-veined locally.

Semafo has outlined about 1 million tonnes grading 8.5 grams gold per tonne at Nyafe.

A third deposit at Mana, Maoula, lies 3 km south of Nyafe and has been traced for 600 metres along a northeastern strike. Maoula remains open at both ends and at depth. Based on preliminary results, oxide material runs to depths of about 50 to 60 metres.