Walkabout Resources Ltd (ASX:WKT) has secured exploration tenure over a highly prospective, underexplored gold region at the Amani Gold Project in southwest Tanzania.
The project has been a focus for exploration since 2016 when new geological mapping and fieldwork confirmed the hard rock gold potential of the area.
Walkabout Resources chairman Trevor Benson said: “Walkabout’s strategy has always been to maintain a diversified portfolio and continually look for high-value exploration opportunities.
“We believe the Amani Gold Project with its significant alluvial gold endowment will potentially provide significant value to the company while not distracting us from the funding and building of the Lindi Jumbo Graphite Project.”
The area has the potential to host high-grade orogenic gold mineralisation similar to the Lupa Goldfields where Shanta Gold Limited (LON:SHG) has numerous deposits.
Historical exploration
Despite the fact that there was a mini alluvial gold-rush to the area in the 1990s, it was never followed up with modern exploration techniques to locate primary hard rock mineralisation source.
Historically, alluvial gold nuggets were recovered from the Amani area so processing of hard rock material was never a priority despite gold in quartz veins and rubble within the alluvial mining area.
The maximum recorded weight for an individual gold nugget was 600 grams and it is estimated by geologists familiar with the area that in excess of 2.5 tonnes of gold nuggets have been removed by artisanal miners from a 2 kilometre stretch of riverbed in only one of the alluvial mining areas within the Walkabout application area.
The maximum recorded weight for an individual gold nugget was 600 grams.
Hard-rock gold potential
Walkabout geologists previously visited the Amani region and highlighted the hard-rock gold potential as the source to the numerous alluvial workings in various streams and tributaries within the area.
Several outcrops were found within the area of the licence where abandoned mining shafts tested hard rock occurrences.
More recently the Department of Earth Sciences at Stellenbosch University conducted field mapping and research within the area to characterise the geology and gold mineralisation of the Amani region.
Tenure applications
To complement the granted prospecting licence, the company has submitted three applications in the area covering an area of more than 830 square kilometres.
The area includes clusters of primary mining licences for raw gold, gold, and gold and copper normally associated with the alluvial occurrences or in some cases for primary hard-rock gold.
Other active licence applications in the area are mainly for iron to the north of the Amani application area (Linganga Iron Deposit) and coal to the south.
Location of Amani tenure applications showing major artisanal gold.
Work program
Walkabout has a permanent technical and administrative presence in Tanzania through its advanced Lindi Jumbo Graphite Project in southeast Tanzania and over the last 10 years has also maintained and developed a loyal and experienced professional team of exploration geologists and field staff.
While detailed planning and overall budget control is conducted at management level, the in-country work can be carried out at very short notice using existing available equipment and expertise without influencing the ongoing work at the Lindi Jumbo Project.