Let's try that again, Bob:
Mandorin acquires Tafuna Hill claims from Cons Africa
Mandorin Goldfields Inc MGD
Shares issued 28,273,547 Jan 12 close $0.05
Thu 13 Jan 2000 News Release
Also Consolidated African Mining Corp (AFC)
Mr. Malcolm Stevens reports
Mandorin Goldfields has recently finalized agreement with Consolidated
Africa Mining for the purchase of the 19 mining claims held by Consolidated
Africa at Tafuna Hill in Zimbabwe. These mining claims lie within
Mandorin's EPO 1080.
As previously announced, Mandorin, in joint venture with Independence Gold
Mining Zimbabwe (Pvt.) Ltd., the Zimbabwe gold mining subsidiary of Lonmin
PLC, is undertaking multicommodity, but principally gold, exploration in
Zimbabwe. The heads of agreement with Indepgold was signed on Oct. 19,
1999, and the definitive joint venture documentation is now being
finalized.
Indepgold owns and operates seven gold mines within Zimbabwe, including the
Shamva mine located five kilometres away from the joint venture's
high-priority exploration target -- Tafuna Hill.
Malcolm Stevens, vice-chairman and president, said: "The consolidation of
these mining claims on Tafuna Hill with Mandorin's EPO 1080 and the joint
venture with Indepgold allows, for the first time in the history of Tafuna
Hill (Zimbabwe), a systematic gold exploration program to be undertaken. We
are very pleased with the relationships that have brought this to fruition
and look forward to receiving the results of the exploration work now under
way."
Under the agreement with Consolidated Africa, Mandorin, through a Zimbabwe
subsidiary company, Sediment Mining (Pvt.) Limited, purchased the 19
mineral claims for $50,000 (U.S.). Consolidated Africa, or its subsidiary,
will retain a 5-per-cent net smelter return royalty on any production from
the mineral claims, subject to a buyout at any time in the future for
$400,000 (U.S.).
Under the terms of the agreement, Mandorin warrants that it will actively
explore the mineral claims and will spend a minimum of $70,000 (U.S.) on
exploration, development and/or mining during the next three years.
The majority of the claims purchased have prior mining histories dating
back to the early part of the twentieth century.
The obligations under this agreement are being financed by Indepgold under
its joint venture with Mandorin.
This purchase consolidates Mandorin's holdings within Tafuna Hill. Of the
1,818 hectares under mineral claim, Mandorin holds title to 1,665 hectares
(91.6 per cent). All other areas not under mineral claim are held by
Mandorin under EPO 1080.
Exploration summary
As general field activity draws to a close for 1999, much has been
accomplished by Mandorin in Zimbabwe.
Recent assays have further indicated the prospectivity of a number of
gold-bearing reefs on Tafuna Hill, which are targeted for reverse
circulation drilling to commence in the second half of January, 2000. Up to
2,000 metres of drilling are approved for the first quarter of the new
year.
As Zimbabwe has now entered the annual wet season, it is necessary to use
track-mounted drilling rigs in areas such as Tafuna Hill and drilling
originally planned for December, 1999, was not undertaken because of the
unavailability of a suitably mounted rig. The targets will now be drilled
during the forthcoming program.
Although there are a vast number of existing old shafts and adits within
the 14-square-kilometre area of Tafuna Hill, many are in poor condition and
inaccessible. Accordingly, only a small number of known reefs have been
sampled by way of old workings.
On the surface, the hill is covered by a two-metre-plus mantle of heavy
basaltic soil and rubble and auriferous reefs are rarely seen in outcrop.
Zones of alteration commonly associated with major reef systems are
similarly heavily masked by the soil cover. To assist exploration, a number
of soil geochemical surveys have been conducted in the past with a view to
detecting hidden reefs and other zones of mineralization. Results are to be
followed up in the coming weeks.
A gridded one-kilometre square soil sampling program was completed during
the first half of December, 1999, to test two adjacent deep valleys in the
northern portion of Tafuna Hill, which are rich in alluvial and eluvial
gold but void of known reefs or former workings. It is expected that when
the assays are received, a number of possible sources of the gold may be
delineated for further investigation.
Exploration program
The current exploration program within Tafuna Hill is concentrating upon:
assessing existing openings (adits and shafts);
sampling exposed underground quartz reefs (where accessible and safe) and
adjacent wall rocks;
sampling old dumps;
sampling mineralized and/or altered country rock;
soil sampling over a one-square-kilometre area in the northern portion of
the hill to cover ground thought to contain hidden reefs which may be the
source of the rich eluvials and alluvials in the vicinity of the Alliance
claims completed in December, assays outstanding;
preliminary subsurface mapping;
finalizing the Helimag and radiometric geophysical interpretation;
establishing a DTM;
finalizing the rebeaconing of claims currently held by the joint venture.
Overview of results
Whereas over the past 100 years only the gold potential of the quartz reefs
has been realized and exploited, it is probable that there is the potential
for gold to be associated with mineralized (sulphide-bearing) basalt and
other high-alteration zones.
Most of the accessible reefs have been inspected and sampled on a first
pass basis. Selected results are as follows:
Ilex A -- two grab samples stockpiled quartz vein and highly altered
schistose material won by local miners; reef known to be at least one metre
wide; 15.48 grams per tonne from workings at 40-metre depth and 4.08 grams
per tonne Au from separate stockpile of material from six-metre pit; quartz
vein stockwork in altered and fractured basalt; 6.44 g/t Au over 0.8 of a
metre sample interval;
Ilex 2 -- 40 centimetres quartz reef, 3.72 g/t Au;
Joking XX -- 70 centimetres quartz reef; 3.01 g/t Au; 1.5-metre footwall
sample with quartz stringers; 2.47 g/t;
Joking XT -- 1.7-metre quartz reef; two grab samples; one of quartz, 19.85
g/t and second of quartz, basalt and schist, 6.54 g/t Au; footwall sample
in sheared basalt; 34.34 g/t over 0.6 of a metre; 16.45 g/t over 1.4-metre
wide shear zone;
Joking 22 -- hangingwall basalt; 20-centimetre sample 0.54 g/t; reef
quartz, 46-centimetre width, 0.53 g/t; footwall 20-centimetre sample, 0.42
g/t;
Euchered 3 -- fine shears with quartz veins; 11.53 g/t over 0.85 of a
metre; 44.3 g/t Au over 0.85 of a metre in hangingwall;
Euchered 7 -- sheared quartz vein; 0.4 of a metre assaying 24.32 g/t; 1.6
metres assaying 5.1 g/t;
Trio West -- grab samples from stockpile; quartz vein material, 9.74 and
3.44 g/t Au.
Indications are that there are four areas of potentially minable gold
mineralization on Tafuna Hill: quartz reefs which are quite variable in
width and grade; mineralized country rock, which is high in sulphides and
in particular arsenopyrite, pyrite and lesser copper minerals; fine quartz
stringers within highly altered and sheared country rock; and untreated
sands from former operations.
Selected sulphide-bearing basalt from dumps associated with a number of old
workings on the western side of the hill, extending from Tet in the north
to Trio West in the centre of the hill, have returned encouraging assay
results which range up to six g/t Au. This style of mineralization has not
previously been recognized as a potential source of gold within the hill
and little is currently known of its spatial distribution. It does,
however, appear to be widespread and will be targeted in the new year in
underground and surface mapping programs and the drilling program.
Zones wherein quartz stringers occur within altered and sheared country
rock are a potential target for bulk minable mineralization. On Ilex A, a
0.8 of a metre band of altered and sheared basalt with numerous quartz
stringers assayed 6.44 g/t Au. Similar zones have been noted within the
Euchered and Joking claims in close proximity to existing reefs. Drilling
should define the potential of these mineralized zones.
The possibility of cyaniding sands from previous operations has as yet to
be evaluated. Although a vast number of dumps are to be found, there have
at times been substantial retreatment operations which recovered good
values by static cyanidation. During the period 1930 to 1936, 33,682 tonnes
of sands from the Tip Top mine were retreated to recover 58.35 kilograms of
gold at an average of 1.7 g/t.
Up to 1977, 570,000 tonnes of ore were processed on the hill at an average
recovery of 12.2 g/t, mainly by gravity. A number of stockpiles of sands
from these operations are known to have been cyanide treated at various
periods; however, others are thought to remain intact or have been only
partially reprocessed.
Major drilling, trenching and some driving will be necessary in the new
year to advance the project, together with further soil geochemistry within
the substantial virgin areas still remaining on the hill.
Although quartz reefs are to be targeted where they are known to be
relatively intact, or there are good possibilities for extensions of the
known portions of the reefs, equal emphasis will be placed on the bulk
minable potential and the sulphide mineralization.
Mineral claims -- Barrock Mines
In addition to two claims held on Tafuna Hill, Barrock Mines (a subsidiary
of Mandorin Goldfields) holds six additional gold blocks within EPOs 1080
and 1072, which are part of the joint venture properties. Of these, Electra
11 (close to Shamva mine) is an interesting target which warrants mapping
and drilling. This property covers a small ridge of Shamvaian group,
pyrite-bearing tuffaceous sediments which are reported to be similar to the
host rocks of the Shamva mine. Alteration is extensive and prominent on the
radiometric survey results. There is a small decline and shaft on the
property and ample evidence of eluvial workings. A single grab sample of
pyritiferous sediment assayed 0.76 g/t Au and 2,605 parts per million As.
Five hundred metres to the west of the claim, two shallow (12-metre) shafts
were sunk on decomposed rock, which contained fresh pyrite at 12 metres. In
the 1930s, 4,855 tonnes of ore were reported to have been mined to recover
21.65 kilograms of gold at a recovery of 4.5 g/t. (gravity and
cyanidation).
Seven kilometres to the east of Shamva the Bob's claim covers a
ferrugineous quartzite horizon within the greenstone belt, which has been
previously worked by a number of small open cuts. Initial assays indicate
possible grades of 1.5 to three g/t Au over five to six metres in width
within the oxidized zone. Following further mapping and sampling during the
coming months, the zone is targeted for drilling during the dry season, as
ground conditions and access will deteriorate rapidly over the next few
weeks.
EPO 1073
Subsequent to the news in Stockwatch Nov. 24, 1999, Mandorin has cancelled
its joint venture with Globemin Resources Inc.
As announced in Stockwatch Nov. 24, 1999, encouraging joint venture
discussions with a major mining company are continuing over a portion of
EPO 1073.
Mandorin is currently carrying out a geological data (EPO 1073) review and
expects that by late January, 2000, it will have the results available.
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