| At Inata, mineralisation occurs within a well-defined shear zone marking the boundary between the granitic and volcanic rocks of the Damba-Inata Domain in the west and the Sona Sedimentary Basin in the east. Gold mineralisation occurs within a sub-vertical shear zone that cuts along folded carbonaceous shales that are sandwiched between sedimentary and volcanic rocks. Quartz-feldspar porphyry dykes intrude along the shear zone and are contemporaneous with the later stages of gold mineralisation. Gold mineralisation is always linked to quartz veins (boudinaged, folded or brecciated quartz veins) or disseminated in haematitic alteration haloes around quartz-carbonate-albite veins. |
The Inata gold deposit is deeply weathered with the base of complete oxidation extending down to depths of 60m. A transitional zone of moderate oxidation extends down to more than 150m depth. The Inata deposit presently comprises mineral resources of 3.46 million ounces and an ore reserve of 1.85 million ounces. As resource development is ongoing, we are targeting an increase of reserves to 1.8 million ounces in the first quarter of 2012. The average grade of the ore reserves is 1.70 grams per tonne |
Processing is undertaken at the Inata Mine with a conventional CIL processing plant that has a capacity to process 2.7 million tonnes per annum. In July 2011, we announced the initiation of a scoping study to increase production capacity at the Inata Mine to a minimum target of 245,000 ounces per annum during the course of 2013. An expansion of up to 330,000 ounces per year is also being considered and the results of this scoping study are expected in the first quarter of 2012 |
| In the east of the Bélahouro region an important gold-bearing contact exists at the Fete Kole Volcanic-plutonic boundary with the Sona Sedimentary Basin to the east. This contact is called the Souma Trend on which we are developing the Souma Project. |
The Souma Project is an advanced exploration gold project located about 20kms east of the Inata Mine site. On a local scale, Souma comprises north-south to northwest-southeast striking shear zones that host five mineralised prospects – Miilam North, Miilam Central, Miilam South, Boulili, and Dynamite. Collectively, the mineralisation within these prospects occurs as semi-continuous quartz vein systems affiliated with local shear zones. Mineralised zones occur over a 16km strike length gold-in-soil anomaly, which is considered to be part of a larger 30km long north-northwest striking structure. During 2010, we completed infill and extension drilling at Souma to enable a maiden Inferred Mineral Resource of 545,600 ounces and an Indicated Mineral Resource of 15,500 ounces. |
