Manas Resources Limited (ASX: MSR) has identified significant new drill targets through regional geochemical sampling results at its new Diellé permit at the Mbengué gold project (MGP) in northern Côte d’Ivoire, West Africa.
The company was granted Diellé in late January, doubling the size of the MGP. Manas has received results from a regional geochemical sampling programme covering the whole of the 347 sq km permit area.
A total of 1,489 sites were sampled on an offset 500m by 500m spaced grid. All samples were taken and analysed by multi-element ICP to ensure compatibility with previous company sampling over the MGP.
The newly discovered anomalies on the Diellé permit have the same geochemical associations (Au ± Ag ± Cu ± Fe ± Te) that the company had previously confirmed as pathfinders for bedrock gold mineralisation elsewhere on the MGP.
Chairman, Alan Campbell, said a very large anomaly was identified along the Mbengué shear zone structure, which runs NE-SW for 16km through the southern part of the permit. Anomalous gold samples, including the sample grading 2,026ppb Au, are present along the whole 16km strike length.
The northern portion of Diellé has a lower background gold-in-soil level because of increased aridity and a thicker regolith. Here there are several point anomalies up to 250ppb over a 15km strike length of the parallel Toumoukro shear structure.
The newly identified anomalies will be covered by IP geophysical surveys to identify targets for follow-up auger drilling.
Mr Campbell said this approach successfully delineated major drill targets elsewhere on the MGP: recent results from the ongoing auger drilling programme include 2m grading 23.6g/t Au.
The results from the newly-acquired 100% owned Diellé permit confirm the potential of the Mbengué Gold Project to host a major gold deposit,” Mr Campbell said.
“These newly discovered anomalies, with strike lengths to 16km, represent excellent targets for follow-up drill testing. Manas aims to progress these targets, together with the ongoing auger drilling at the neighbouring Mbengué permit, as rapidly as possible before the seasonal rains arrive in late June / July.”