Polymetals Resources Ltd (ASX:POL) has kicked off an auger drilling campaign at the Mansala Gold Project in Guinea, West Africa.
The program will consist of 805 holes for around 5,000 metres with a focus on six key drill targets identified during previous multi-element soil geochemistry.
Pathfinder elements critical
This auger drilling program will be carried out on a 100-metre by 50-metre drill pattern over six delineated zones.
The objective is to test six mineralised gold targets using soil anomalies and associated pathfinder elements – such as arsenic, silver, bismuth, molybdenum, antimony, tungsten and tellurium – which may be indicative of mineralisation at depth.
POL believes that numerous artisanal workings in this area lend credence to this possibility.
The aim of the auger campaign is to provide the company with aircore and reverse circulation drill targets within the previously undrilled licence.
First drilling to start
“Mansala has been subject to widespread artisanal activity, suggesting the area is highly prospective for gold,” Polymetals Resources CEO Alex Hanly said.
“We are very excited to commence our first drilling on the property.
“The planned 5,000-metre auger program is designed to test the coincident gold in soil and multi-element signatures present within the data from our previous soil sampling campaign at the Mansala licence.
“The systematic auger drilling of these mutli-element and gold soil anomalies, in addition to the upcoming Airborne magnetics survey, will provide Polymetals with a strong foundation for further exploration within the Mansala licence.”
Previous fieldwork
The company started systematic exploration of the Mansala Licence in December 2020, during which it conducted an extensive program of reconnaissance soil geochemistry.
These previous works and the results of the Mansala soil sampling campaign were made public in the company’s initial public offering (IPO) prospectus in April last year.
Soil sampling confirmed that 5 square kilometres, or 10.4% of the area surveyed, revealed gold values in excess of 40 parts per billion (ppb).
Of particular interest were gold abundances discovered in 11 samples that returned assay results in excess of 1,000ppb (1 g/t) gold, including values of 93.98 g/t, 6.03 g/t, 5.85 g/t, 2.91 g/t, 2.38 g/t and 1.10 g/t.
Mansala soil sampling results superimposed on satellite image.
About Polymetals
Polymetals aims to become a gold production company. It is focused on its two 100%-owned exploration licences in Guinea’s Siguiri Basin, which cover 112 square kilometres.
The Siguiri Basin hosts several large active gold mining operations and is notable for its significant and widespread gold anomalism.
Polymetals’ exploration licences, Alahiné and Mansala, host extensive historic and current artisanal gold production, which reinforces the exploration potential of the area.