Oct 21 2014
IAMGOLD Corporation ("IAMGOLD" or the "Company") today announced additional drilling results from its 100% owned Boto Gold Project in eastern Senegal, West Africa. The Company is reporting assay results from 36 diamond drill holes totaling over 9,200 metres completed year to date during the 2014 exploration program.
The assay results are provided below in Table 1 and include the following highlights:
(A drill hole plan map is attached to this news release.)
Malikoundi prospect:
- Drillhole DBDD-2200: 64 metres grading 3.37 g/t gold,
including 38 metres grading 5.85 g/t gold
- Drillhole DBDD-2201: 37 metres grading 2.11 g/t gold
- Drillhole DBDD-2202: 9 metres grading 6.38 g/t gold
- Drillhole DBDD-2203: 16 metres grading 7.73 g/t gold
- Drillhole DBDD-2207: 45 metres grading 2.62 g/t gold
- Drillhole DBDD-2208: 50 metres grading 2.03 g/t gold
Craig MacDougall, Senior Vice President, Exploration for IAMGOLD, stated, "The ongoing delineation drilling program continues to confirm the continuity of the defined resources, and importantly continues to expand limits of the Malikoundi deposit with drill intersections returning wide intervals of high grade mineralization at depth immediately below the previous resource pit shell. These intersections are expected to have a positive impact on the currently defined resources at Malikoundi.
BOTO PROJECT, SENEGAL
The Boto project comprises 236 square kilometres of exploration licenses located in eastern Senegal along the Senegal-Mali border. The geological setting of the project area is similar to the world class Sadiola and Loulo gold districts in adjacent Mali, being underlain by highly prospective, Birimian-aged metasedimentary, volcanic and intrusive rocks along a seven kilometre strike length of the Senegal-Mali Shear Zone.
The project hosts an indicated resource of 22 million tonnes averaging 1.62 grams of gold per tonne for 1.14 million ounces and an inferred resource of 1.9 million tonnes averaging 1.35 grams of gold per tonne for 81,000 ounces (see news release dated July 29, 2013). A significant percentage of the total resources are derived from the Malikoundi deposit which is the largest deposit discovered to date on the property.
A total of approximately 10,600 metres have been completed in 40 diamond drillholes subsequent to the previous news release on the Boto project dated April 09, 2014. The 2014 diamond drilling program continues to confirm continuity of mineralization within the current Malikoundi resource area and has also returned significant intersections from projected strike and depth extensions of known mineralized zones which are expected to expand the potential limits of the deposit.
These new results from the ongoing infill and expansion drilling program are associated with wide intervals of hydrothermal alteration and sulphide mineralization in Birimian metasedimentary host rocks.
Next Steps
The Company's approved 2014 exploration program for the Boto project includes 14,500 metres of diamond drilling targeting the potential strike and depth extensions of the Malikoundi deposit. Results will be incorporated in an updated resource model as part of an ongoing scoping study to examine a range of potential development options. The drilling program is expected to recommence as soon as practical after the end of the rainy season and is tracking on schedule.
Technical Information and Quality Control Notes
Boto Project, Senegal:
The Boto drilling results contained in this news release have been prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. The sampling and geochemical analysis of drill core is monitored through the implementation of a quality assurance - quality control (QA-QC) program designed to follow industry best practice. Drill core (HQ and NQ size) samples are selected by the IAMGOLD geologists and sawn in half with a diamond saw at the project site. Half of the core is retained at the site for reference purposes. Sample intervals are generally one metre in length. Samples are prepared at the Veritas Preparation Laboratory in Kedougou, Senegal, and analyzed using a standard fire assay method with a 50 gram charge and an Atomic Absorption finish at the Veritas Analytical Laboratory in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.
Qualified Persons
The information in this release was prepared under the supervision of Craig MacDougall, P.Geo., Senior Vice President, Exploration for IAMGOLD. Mr. MacDougall is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.
Notes to Investors Regarding the Use of Resources
Cautionary Note to Investors Concerning Estimates of Indicated and Inferred Resources
This news release uses the term "indicated resources". We advise investors that while that term is recognized and required by Canadian regulations, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") does not recognize it. Investors are cautioned not to assume that any part or all of mineral deposits in this category will ever be converted into reserves.
This news release also uses the term "inferred resources". We advise investors that while this term is recognized and required by Canadian regulations, the SEC does not recognize it. "Inferred resources" have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence, and great uncertainty as to their economic and legal feasibility. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of an inferred mineral resource will ever be upgraded to a higher category. Under Canadian rules, estimates of inferred mineral resources may not form the basis of feasibility or pre-feasibility studies, except in rare cases. Investors are cautioned not to assume that part or all of an inferred resource exists, or is economically or legally mineable.
Cautionary Note to U.S. Investors
The SEC limits disclosure for U.S. reporting purposes to mineral deposits that a company can economically and legally extract or produce. IAMGOLD uses certain terms in this news release, such as "measured," "indicated," or "inferred," which may not be consistent with the reserve definitions established by the SEC. U.S. investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in the IAMGOLD Annual Reports on Forms 40-F. You can review and obtain copies of these filings from the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml or by contacting the Investor Relations department.
The Canadian Securities Administrators' National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") requires mining companies to disclose reserves and resources using the subcategories of "proven" reserves, "probable" reserves, "measured" resources, "indicated" resources and "inferred" resources. Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not demonstrate economic viability.
A mineral reserve is the economically mineable part of a measured or indicated mineral resource demonstrated by at least a preliminary feasibility study. This study must include adequate information on mining, processing, metallurgical, economic and other relevant factors that demonstrate, at the time of reporting, that economic extraction can be justified. A mineral reserve includes diluting materials and allows for losses that may occur when the material is mined. A proven mineral reserve is the economically mineable part of a measured mineral resource demonstrated by at least a preliminary feasibility study. A probable mineral reserve is the economically mineable part of an indicated, and in some circumstances, a measured mineral resource demonstrated by at least a preliminary feasibility study.
A mineral resource is a concentration or occurrence of natural, solid, inorganic material, or natural, solid fossilized organic material, including base and precious metals in or on the Earth's crust in such form and quantity and of such a grade or quality that it has reasonable prospects for economic extraction. The location, quantity, grade, geological characteristics and continuity of a mineral resource are known, estimated or interpreted from specific geological evidence and knowledge. A measured mineral resource is that part of a mineral resource for which quantity, grade or quality, densities, shape and physical characteristics are so well established that they can be estimated with confidence sufficient to allow the appropriate application of technical and economic parameters, to support production planning and evaluation of the economic viability of the deposit. The estimate is based on detailed and reliable exploration, sampling and testing information gathered through appropriate techniques from locations such as outcrops, trenches, pits, workings and drill holes that are spaced closely enough to confirm both geological and grade continuity. An indicated mineral resource is that part of a mineral resource for which quantity, grade or quality, densities, shape and physical characteristics can be estimated with a level of confidence sufficient to allow the appropriate application of technical and economic parameters to support mine planning and evaluation of the economic viability of the deposit. The estimate is based on detailed and reliable exploration and testing information gathered through appropriate techniques from locations such as outcrops, trenches, pits, workings and drill holes that are spaced closely enough for geological and grade continuity to be reasonably assumed. An inferred mineral resource is that part of a mineral resource for which quantity and grade or quality can be estimated on the basis of geological evidence and limited sampling and reasonably assumed, but not verified, geological and grade continuity. The estimate is based on limited information and sampling gathered through appropriate techniques from locations such as outcrops, trenches, pits, workings and drill holes. Mineral resources which are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. Investors are cautioned not to assume that part or all of an inferred resource exists, or is economically or legally mineable.