Jan 31 2011
AFRICAN QUEEN MINES LTD. has announced that it has now received from Genalysis Laboratories of Johannesburg, S.A. analytical results from the remaining 16 drill holes from its initial reconnaissance core drilling program at The King Solomon Project, located within the central parts of the Mesoproterozoic Fingoe Belt in western Tete Province, Mozambique.
The initial 2000 m program was expanded to approximately 3000 m encompassing a total of 19 holes in view of the encouraging preliminary results and the continuation of the dry season, which permitted additional drilling during the latter part of 2010. Results of the first three holes from the Mankombiti West target were reported in the Company's PR dated October 4, 2010, and included significant copper, gold and silver mineralization in all three holes, including an intersection of 7.73 m of 1.51% Cu, 1.32 g/t Au and 27.6 g/t Ag in Hole MW03.
The 19 holes to date have been designed to test three distinct target zones at King Solomon with holes ranging from 120 to 200 m in depth. 12 of the holes were drilled into the West and East zones of the Mankombiti copper-gold target, while the remaining 7 holes tested the Eiland and Kazito gold prospects to the Northeast. A fourth major gold target, Bulasho, will be tested during the next phase of drilling in 2011. Current results from drilling at Mankombiti West and East are consistent with prior reported results, and act to confirm a potentially mineralized zone of up to 4 km of strike length. The best intersection reported from Mankombiti West in the current results is 6.02 m of 1.09% Cu, 0.88 g/t Au and 18g/t Ag (Hole MW06), while the best intersection reported from Mankombiti East (1 km to the E) in the current results is 5.19 m of 1.10 g/t Au, 0.66% Cu and 9 g/t Ag (Hole ME04). Drill results from the Eiland and Kazito targets failed to match the tenor of gold found in the initial surface rock samples previously reported (PR November, 2009), although the targeted alteration as well as shear zones were intersected. The best gold intercept reported at Eiland is 7.41 g/t Au over 0.62 m (Hole E03), while the best gold intercept reported at Kazito is 4.0 g/t Au over 0.58 m (Hole KN01).
The results provide encouragement for the working model which is being used to identify where areas of tectonic thickening may be expected and therefore significant increases in the associated thickness of the mineralized zones. The mineralization can be noted in almost all cases to be associated with albite alteration associated with magnetite and or sulphide mineralisation. It is regarded as important that the majority of copper sulphide minerals indentified to date are in fact copper-rich suggestive of a general sulphide poor oxidizing system associated with the intrusive contacts of granites and gabbros with limestone marbles. Further drilling in all zones will be designed to target potentially wider zones of mineralization and to assist in development of cogent structural models.
The Mankombiti target, with a potential mineralized zone of up to 4 km of strike extent, has now been drill tested from the more easily accessible parts of the West and East, with a total of 12 holes. They encountered magnetite-copper-silver mineralization with significant gold credits. More drilling is warranted to test the Mankombiti target for further mineralization which remains open-ended along strike to the west and down-dip.
Geological logging of the Mankombiti core has shown chalcocite, bornite, covellite, bornite and minor chalcopyrite to be associated with the magnetite. After logging, the core has been split and sampled, generally meter by meter. Shorter sample intervals have been used where significant lithological change has been noted.
A total of 19 boreholes were completed during the program totaling just less than 3 000 m. Drill recoveries were good and no time was lost through accident or injury on site. All holes have been rehabilitated and the remaining split core stored on site under guard. During 2011 it is planned to erect a permanent core yard with steel containers for safe storage. At the end of the drilling programme crew from Terratech were enlisted to complete down hole geophysical, survey and optical logging. This was in order to carefully correlate geophysical response with the logged core as well as to study micro structures which should help with understanding the structural controls on the mineralisation.
Additionally the area was covered with a detailed IP survey with lines placed to allow for the extension of the already identified mineralized zones towards the west where some of the best and largest magnetic anomalies have been recorded. An extensive conductor can be identified associated with the large highly magnetic anomalies identified during earlier ground geophysical mapping. The IP survey was carried out by the geophysical division of RES. Of importance is that this conductor can be noted in both the Mankombiti West and Ntumbwa target areas. The drilling results to date indicate better mineralisation, as well as significant thickening, is to be expected towards the west and continued drilling is planned during 2011. Over 3 km of untested strike still remain to be evaluated at Mankombiti while the fourth new gold target, Bulasho, is still under evaluation for targeting.
The King Solomon Project is located within the central parts of the Mesoproterozoic Fingoe Belt in western Tete Province, Mozambique. These rocks consist of metavolcanics, metasediments and intrusive granitic and gabbroic rocks. The Project is the subject of the Earn-in and Joint Venture Agreement dated July 10, 2009 (the "Agreement"), with Optimetal, covering exploration, development and exploitation of Prospecting License No. 884L held by Optimetal's Mozambique subsidiary (the "License"). The License covers an area of approximately 230 km2 in the center of the Fingoe Belt and is now valid through to May, 2015.
The work program at King Solomon, including logging and sampling, is being conducted by RES under the direction of C. Ocker on behalf of the joint venture partners. RES has been conducting field programs for the Company on the Fingoe Regional Gold Project from the initiation of the program in 2006. The Project is being managed on behalf of the Company by Senior Consulting Geologist Mr. Pete Siegfried (M.Sc., MAusIMM), a qualified person, who has reviewed and approved the contents of this Press Release. Drilling activities have been carried out by Mozambican contractor Resource Drilling Lda.
According to Irwin Olian, CEO of the Company, "We are encouraged that current drill results continue to highlight the extensive Mankombiti zone at King Solomon, demonstrating the presence of significant copper, gold and silver mineralization. We look forward to commencing our next phase of drilling there in the coming months, together with reconnaissance drilling at the Bulasho target further to the West."