From Crew Development:
NEWS RELEASE
February 1, 2000
DRILLING PROGRAM DEFINES FIVE MILLION TONNES GOLD RESOURCE IN GHANA
Crew is pleased to report the successful completion of the current resource drilling program on its 51% owned Hwini-Butre concession in Ghana. The drilling results demonstrate that the property hosts a significant gold mineralization with good potential for commercial production. Systematic exploration drilling by Crew's 49% operating partner since April 1997 in the southern portion of the 54 sq. km Concession has currently outlined three partly interconnected gold mineralized areas: the Adoikrom, the Father Brown and the Dabokrom Shaft targets, with a clear potential for economic exploitation.
48 shallow holes drilled in a 25-50 meter grid have been completed in the Adoikrom target. The results document a planar structure with an average grade of 4.1 g/t gold over 12 meters true thickness, striking roughly north-south with a westerly dip of 60ø. All drill holes intercept significant gold mineralization in an exceptionally regular fashion and at the predicted location. The currently demonstrated strike length is 350 meters and a down dip length of approximately 225 meters, suggesting an indicated resource of 2.6 million
tonnes. The structure appears to be open along strike and towards depth.
The Father Brown and Dabokrom Shaft structures have also been drilled systematically in a 25-meter grid with a total of 175 holes. The results suggest an average width of 5.4 meters with an in situ average grade of 6.4 g/t. The in-fill drilling has demonstrated that the Father Brown and the Dabokrom structures join towards the southeast, giving a total strike length of 800 meters and a 200 meters down dip extension, representing approximately 2.4 million tonnes of drill indicated resources. The mineralized structure is open
towards depth and along strike. The Father Brown-Dabokrom structure is situated about 300 meters east of Adoikrom in an apparently parallel structure which appears to converge towards depth.
Structural relations suggest that the mineralized structure is an array of north-southtending shear planes, which are joined by cross structures towards the northwest. Reconnaissance drilling to the east of the main structure indicates the presence of additional, low dipping zones striking roughly parallel to the Adoikrom -Father Brown structure that appears to form a series of low-angle splays off the main shear system.
The mineralization is hosted in the basic Mpohor Igneous complex and is associated with disseminated pyrite in bleached shear zones with intense silicification and sericite alteration. Massive white quartz veins often form a core of the major alteration zones. Visible gold is seen both in the quartz veins and in the adjacent sericite and silica alteration selvages.
The majority of the drill proven mineralization occurs in sulfide facies. However, systematic test pitting in the prominent Dabokrom geochemical anomaly, supported by the drilling, indicates that the laterite cover in this extensive area, which measure up to 800 by 1200 meters, could host a very significant additional oxide mineralization. A large portion of the required stripping from the Adoikrom and Dabokrom targets also contains oxide ore with enhanced gold contents above 0.7 g/t.
There is high potential to expand this known mineralization further by way of additional drilling. Furthermore, there is considerable potential for further exploration in the northern portion of the concession.
true width
grade
strike-lgth
dip-lgth
dip
meters
g/t gold
meters
meters
degrees
Adoikrom
11.8
4.1
350
225
60
Father Brown
5.8
8.3
400
200
40
Dabokrom
5.1
4.5
400
200
30
The Hwini-Butre gold project is a new major gold discovery in Ghana. The concession straddles about 20 km of strike length of the Ashanti Gold Belt, the main gold-bearing reef in the country. The deposit is located about 30 km north of Takoradi-Sekondi, in southwestern Ghana, an area with full infrastructure and port facilities.
The minority partner is conducting and financing all exploration and development costs through feasibility.
Ghana is a well established mining country in West Africa with 15 gold mines opened or reopened in the 1990's.
In addition to its 51% ownership of Hwini-Butre, Crew holds interests in five other quality development projects and a 40% interest in seven producing and profitable mines.
John M. Darch
President |
