Jun 23 2020
Loncor Resources Inc. has reported that Barrick Gold (Congo) SARL has started its core drilling program on numerous priority gold targets in the Ngayu greenstone belt situated located northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Ngayu Belt. Developing prospectivity, work programs, and drill targets for 2020. Image Credit: Loncor Resources Inc.
The initiation of the drilling campaign indicates a crucial step in the order of events essential to evaluate possibility in several areas.
In January 2016, the JV agreement was signed by Loncor, and since then, Barrick has carried out several exploratory programs to determine drill targets that provide the early possibility of achieving the status of “Tier 1.”
Barrick continues to illustrate the progress that can be made in the DRC. Having built the successful Kibali gold mine approximately 220 km away, Barrick has now embarked on its drilling program at Ngayu, an area that we believe holds the potential for further significant gold discoveries similar to our own Adumbi deposit.
Arnold Kondrat, CEO, Loncor Resources Inc.
Barrick commented on the initiation of drilling at Ngayu.
The focus of the drilling on the Anguluku prospect is a thrust and folded order of mineralized banded ironstone formation (BIF). More drilling is scheduled to be carried out by Barrick at the other priority targets of Salisa, Lybie, Makasi, Medere, and Bakpau NE in the Imva region located to the west of the Ngayu belt
Loncor Continues to Explore—Imbo Exploitation Permit (Loncor 76.29%)
Exterior to the Barrick joint venture, exploration activities that were carried out by Loncor continued on Loncor’s Imbo Project located to the east of the Ngayu belt.
The Imbo Project comprises 2.5 million ounces of inferred mineral resource (30.65 million tons grading 2.54 g/t Au), including 2.19 million ounces inferred mineral resource of the Adumbi deposit (28.97 million tons grading 2.35 g/t), with 76.29% of this resource being accountable to Loncor through its 76.29% interest in the Imbo Project.
The focus of fieldwork performed by Loncor geologists is on the Imbo East prospect, which is located 12 km southwest of the Adumbi deposit, along the same mineralized structural trend. Gridding, rock and soil sampling is being conducted across a strike length of 3.6 km at Imbo East.
Two latest targets have also been produced. Both these target regions were discovered through the compilation and interpretation of earlier historical exploration data, such as channel sampling, rock chip, and soil geochemistry.
At Mambo Bado located 1.5 km northwest of the Adumbi deposit, a notable geochemical gold in soil anomaly is situated on an extensional, E-W structural jog along the 14-km northwest-trending mineralized shear region inside the Imbo permit area.
Earlier, no drilling has been carried out on this potential target. At Lisala, which is situated 2 km to the south of the Adumbi deposit, modified and brecciated BIF with anomalous rock sampling necessitates more follow-up with extra channel sampling, soil sampling, and gridding.