ARADAIB PROSPECT
The Aradaib prospect is located on NGEx's Kerkebet River exploration license and is 75 kilometres north of Nevsun Resources' Bisha deposit (presently under development) and NGEx's Hambok massive sulphide deposit. NGEx's Hambok deposit has an NI 43-101-compliant indicated resource (at a 0.75% zinc cutoff) of 10.7 million tonnes grading 0.98% copper, 2.25% zinc, 6.84 g/t silver, 0.20 g/t gold and an additional inferred resource (at a 0.75% zinc cutoff) of 17.0 million tonnes of 0.85% copper, 1.74% zinc, 5.89 g/t silver, 0.19 g/t gold (Hambok NI 43-101 Technical Report, January 23, 2009 available on www.sedar.com). Aradaib is new grass roots discoveries made by NGEx geologists during follow-up of anomalous rock samples collected during regional reconnaissance of the license.
The Aradaib gossan is just one of a large number of similar gossans that have been found by prospecting on the Company's licenses. Prospecting, surface sampling, and ground gravity surveys have been the main exploration methods used, however, this work has largely been limited to areas with good outcrop. The approximately 50% of the Company's license area that is overlain by shallow gravel cover has seen only limited exploration. Airborne Mag and EM, a highly effective tool in VHMS exploration in covered areas, has never been flown over the Company's current licenses due to the expense and difficulty of getting equipment into the country. A consortium of company's operating in Eritrea have recently joined forces to bring an airborne contractor to the country and the Company plans a 1,700 line kilometer survey that will cover the entire license area. The survey is planned for early October, 2010 and is expected to generate significant new targets. It will also be useful for defining possible extensions of known systems like Hambok and Aradaib.
A recently completed drill program followed up previously reported results from ARD-10-01 which returned 10 metres of 1.89% copper, 1.2% zinc, trace lead, 0.92 grams/tonne gold and 21 grams/tonne silver, and a contiguous lower interval of 7 metres of 0.99% copper, 15.15% zinc, 0.32% lead, 0.39 grams/tonne gold, 33 grams/tonne silver (see March 08, 2010 News Release). The recent drill program included three holes around ARD-10-01, and an additional scout hole, on a newly found occurrence of gold mineralized baritic and ferruginous volcanic rock, 1.7 kilometres to the south.
Two holes (ARD-10-03 and 04) confirmed the projected down plunge and down dip extensions of the massive sulfides intersected in ARD-10-01. ARD-10-03 tested 30 metres down plunge from the mineralization in ARD-10-01 and returned 13.0 metres grading 5.59% Zn, 3.31% Cu, 1.85g/t Au and 46g/t Ag from a 24.4 metre intersection of massive sulfide and stringer mineralization. Hole ARD-10-04 drilled on the same section as ARD-10-01 but intersecting the zone 25m deeper, returned 4.0m grading 0.31% Zn, 3.49% Cu, 0.68 g/t Au and 38g/t Ag from massive sulfides at 108 metres and 7.0 metres at 1.70% Zn, 2.70% Cu, 0.82g/t Au and 26g/t Ag from 118 metres. The copper in the above intervals occurs as chalcopyrite and bornite which suggests that the high copper grades are primary rather than representing secondary enrichment. The host rocks are metamorphosed to amhibolite grade and the sulphides are coarse grained. The results of ARD-10-03 and ARD-10-04 indicate that mineralization is similar in thickness and grade down dip from ARD-10-01 and similar in thickness but higher in copper and gold to the south. This in turn suggests that the center of the system is to the south.
ARD-10-05 was drilled under gossan outcrops approximately 300 metres north of the other two holes, and intersected a thick interval of altered and oxidized volcanic rock with disseminated and stringer mineralization but no significant values. The style of mineralization that was intercepted is interpreted as proximal to a massive sulfide body but it is possible that these drill holes over- or under-cut massive sulphide mineralization.
Significant Drill Results
Maps and Photos
The Aradaib prospect is located on NGEx's Kerkebet River exploration license and is 75 kilometres north of Nevsun Resources' Bisha deposit (presently under development) and NGEx's Hambok massive sulphide deposit. NGEx's Hambok deposit has an NI 43-101-compliant indicated resource (at a 0.75% zinc cutoff) of 10.7 million tonnes grading 0.98% copper, 2.25% zinc, 6.84 g/t silver, 0.20 g/t gold and an additional inferred resource (at a 0.75% zinc cutoff) of 17.0 million tonnes of 0.85% copper, 1.74% zinc, 5.89 g/t silver, 0.19 g/t gold (Hambok NI 43-101 Technical Report, January 23, 2009 available on www.sedar.com). Aradaib is new grass roots discoveries made by NGEx geologists during follow-up of anomalous rock samples collected during regional reconnaissance of the license.
The Aradaib gossan is just one of a large number of similar gossans that have been found by prospecting on the Company's licenses. Prospecting, surface sampling, and ground gravity surveys have been the main exploration methods used, however, this work has largely been limited to areas with good outcrop. The approximately 50% of the Company's license area that is overlain by shallow gravel cover has seen only limited exploration. Airborne Mag and EM, a highly effective tool in VHMS exploration in covered areas, has never been flown over the Company's current licenses due to the expense and difficulty of getting equipment into the country. A consortium of company's operating in Eritrea have recently joined forces to bring an airborne contractor to the country and the Company plans a 1,700 line kilometer survey that will cover the entire license area. The survey is planned for early October, 2010 and is expected to generate significant new targets. It will also be useful for defining possible extensions of known systems like Hambok and Aradaib.
A recently completed drill program followed up previously reported results from ARD-10-01 which returned 10 metres of 1.89% copper, 1.2% zinc, trace lead, 0.92 grams/tonne gold and 21 grams/tonne silver, and a contiguous lower interval of 7 metres of 0.99% copper, 15.15% zinc, 0.32% lead, 0.39 grams/tonne gold, 33 grams/tonne silver (see March 08, 2010 News Release). The recent drill program included three holes around ARD-10-01, and an additional scout hole, on a newly found occurrence of gold mineralized baritic and ferruginous volcanic rock, 1.7 kilometres to the south.
Two holes (ARD-10-03 and 04) confirmed the projected down plunge and down dip extensions of the massive sulfides intersected in ARD-10-01. ARD-10-03 tested 30 metres down plunge from the mineralization in ARD-10-01 and returned 13.0 metres grading 5.59% Zn, 3.31% Cu, 1.85g/t Au and 46g/t Ag from a 24.4 metre intersection of massive sulfide and stringer mineralization. Hole ARD-10-04 drilled on the same section as ARD-10-01 but intersecting the zone 25m deeper, returned 4.0m grading 0.31% Zn, 3.49% Cu, 0.68 g/t Au and 38g/t Ag from massive sulfides at 108 metres and 7.0 metres at 1.70% Zn, 2.70% Cu, 0.82g/t Au and 26g/t Ag from 118 metres. The copper in the above intervals occurs as chalcopyrite and bornite which suggests that the high copper grades are primary rather than representing secondary enrichment. The host rocks are metamorphosed to amhibolite grade and the sulphides are coarse grained. The results of ARD-10-03 and ARD-10-04 indicate that mineralization is similar in thickness and grade down dip from ARD-10-01 and similar in thickness but higher in copper and gold to the south. This in turn suggests that the center of the system is to the south.
ARD-10-05 was drilled under gossan outcrops approximately 300 metres north of the other two holes, and intersected a thick interval of altered and oxidized volcanic rock with disseminated and stringer mineralization but no significant values. The style of mineralization that was intercepted is interpreted as proximal to a massive sulfide body but it is possible that these drill holes over- or under-cut massive sulphide mineralization.
Significant Drill Results
Maps and Photos
