Properties | Summary
SUMMARY ON THE AMIZMIZ PROJECT HAUT ATLAS OCCIDENTAL
Marrakech Province, Kingdom of Morocco
The Amizmiz mining property is located in the southwest part of Marrakech Province in the Kingdom of Morocco. More precisely, it is located on the northern part of the High Atlas Occidental (High Atlas Mountains) and at the south limit of the Haouz Plain. From the city of Marrakech, the property permits are accessible by a 60 kilometres long paved road which leads to the town of Amizmiz. The permits are accessible via two paved roads and several dirt roads to the SW of Amizmiz. Marrakech is a modern, major commercial centre with an international airport.
The permits cover an area of 80 square-kilometres. They presently consist of four exploitation permits and one exploration permit, all of which are owned by SEGM (Société d’Exploration Géologique des Métaux), a private Moroccan Company. The mining rights are registered at the Regional Delegation of the Ministry of Energy and Mines in Marrakech.
The four exploitation permits became effective on May 15, 2007 and expire on May 16, 2011. The sole exploration permit is currently under application to also be converted to an exploitation permit. All permits can be renewed for subsequent four-year periods. Most of the exploration work to date has been conducted on exploitation permit PE 183201 (formerly exploration permit PR 36260).
In the High Atlas Occidental, three longitudinal zones have been distinguished: the septentrional subatlasic zone, the axial zone, and the subatlasic zone. The Aït-Bou-Haddou project is situated in the septentrional subatlasic zone, limited to the north by the E-W oriented Amizmiz overthrust or normal fault separating the subatlasic zone from the recent alluvial Haouz plain. To the south, the subatlasic zone is cut by the Medinet Fault which uplifts the Paleozoic formations of the Axial Zone in the Erdouz Massif.
The Haut-Atlas Occidental is situated at the occidental extremity of North Africa. It is part of the Haut-Atlas Range, a 800 km long cordillera (40 to 80 km in width) with some summits reaching 4,000 metres (Djebel Toubkal: 4,165 m).
Amizmiz project area covers Lower Cambrian to Ordovician formations. These formations comprise schistose series (schists, schistose and calcareous sandstones), volcanic rocks (andesites, basalts, felsic pyroclastics and lavas, intermediate tuffs) and extensive limestones. The Azegour granitic pluton, a few kilometres to the south, and related felsic dyke offshoots have created local metasomatic/hydrothermal alteration.
The permits are located to the north of the former Azegour Mo-W-Cu mine (high-grade skarn deposits). Gold was discovered on the present property in 1999. The project was offered to Managem the company operating the Guemassa base metals mine. Subsequently, SEGM applied for, and obtained, four Exploration Licenses. Limited old pitting and trenching is observed in some places.
Work History
From 1999 to 2001, exploration work was very limited and consisted mainly in some grab sampling, geology and mineralogy studies.
In 2002, SEGM undertook a more aggressive program comprised of mapping, prospecting, a geochemical survey, some trenching and a diamond drilling program. Eight DD holes (HQ core size) totalling 681 metres were bored. Significant intersections were as follows:
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SC4-AZ10 from 51.1 m to 53.5 m: 13.83 g/t Au over 2.4 m (0.20 m true width);
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SC5-ZA10 from 106 m to 125 m: 1.16 g/t Au over 19.0 m (true width = 3.95 m);
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SC6-AZ79 from 74.5 m to 75.5 m: 190.6 g/t Au over 1 m (true width = 0.82 m);
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SC7-AZ79 from 83.75 m to 84.75 m: 12 g/t Au over 1.0 m (true width = 0.77 m).
In 2004 a letter of intent was signed between SEGM and the Compagnie Minière de Guemassa of the ONA Group. It contracted Reminex, a company specialized in services to the mining industry, to undertake a Due Diligence on the Amizmiz project. Reminex mapped Exploration License PR 36260, sampled the gold occurrence and executed a litho geochemistry survey. The drill core was also reviewed. The gold occurrences sampling returned values ranging from 1 g/t to 109 g/t Au with an average of 6.45 g/t Au. The other permits were tested with a stream sediment geochemical survey.
In 2005, SEGM undertook an important underground exploration program. Six adits with lateral work were completed for a total length of 454m. Adits G1 and G2 evaluated the AZ5 zone above and beneath the drill hole intersections. G3 undercut AZ74. Values up to 95 g/t Au were obtained. G4 is located on AZ10 and intersects the mineralized zone between the surface and drill hole SC4-AZ10. G5 verified AZ79 but failed to intersect this mineralized zone. G6 was emplaced in the disseminated sulphide-hosting rhyodacite lava flow outcropping at the bottom of the valley. Gold values up to 40 g/t Au were obtained from the adit.
On Exploitation Permit 183201, four types of gold mineralization are recognized by SEGM:
1) The Colline T features gold associated with silicified shear zones cutting chlorite-quartz schists of the middle Cambrian. Gold grades in surface sampling average about 2 g/t Au. The Colline “T” zone is potentially open-pitable.
2) The “J” Zone corresponding to a folded horizon of sericite schists containing up to 1 g/t Au. This zone is part of the middle Cambrian rocks. To the south, the two other types of gold mineralization are lower Cambrian in age. An overthrust separates the two blocks.
3) The “AZ” Zones, long stratabound layers of what appear to be deposits of black smoker ash on a carbonate sea floor. These layers are microfolded parallel to stratification and are boudinaged. Plunges of the boudins correspond to the plunges of the drag and secondary folds. Thicknesses of the layers vary from a few centimeters to more than 4m.
4) Stratigraphically underlying the marbleized limestones, are felsic tuffs and breccia as well as rhyodacitic lava flows. These rocks contain disseminated arsenopyrite. The mineralization appears as a 30cm thick gossan on surface. Adit G6 intersected 10m of stockwork with gold values up to 40 g/t Au. The gold is free and very fine. These felsic volcano sedimentary rocks occur in the core of a wide antiform. They are highly brecciated, microfolded and fractured. Higher gold values are due to a remobilization of sulphides in the fracture system. This context offers good economic potential and could develop into a substantial tonnage.
By 2007 numerous gold occurrences with low to potentially economic grades had been recorded and partially worked from surface and at depth by underground work or diamond drilling. Some of those occurrences appear to form part of the same continuous stratabound layers of mineralization (AZ5 and AZ10). Their lengths and thicknesses vary due to structural breaks. Other occurrences are isolated due to a lack of exploration work and limited exposure.
In early 2007 SEGM and Accord Minerals Corporation of Canada (Accord) agreed to sign an Option-Joint-Venture Agreement. The SEGM/Accord mapping, prospecting, and geophysical surveys have provided a great deal of information on the mineralization and geologic potential of the Amizmiz Project. More specifically the 2007-08 exploration work has outlined the following mineralized trends:
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Prospecting and sampling has led to the discovery of several new mineralized gold zones (AZN, AZSF, AZ 10 J, AZ 10 Y, and AMK) on the gridded area of the Amizmiz licence. Channel sampling results from the AZN Zone include some very encouraging values ranging up to 23.3 g/t Au. Three of these gold zones appear to extend to the south boundary of the licence.
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A curvi-linear series of mineralized base metal-silver-gold occurrences has been discovered during the course of 2008 work on the south-eastern part of the Tizguine licence. Sampling and trenching results to date here – particularly from the TRN, TRNA, and TR Zones – are highly encouraging. IP surveys should aid in defining and extending these mineralized zones.
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Preliminary sampling in 2008 on two mineralized zones found in the northern part of the Wadaker Permit have returned grab sample values up to 49 g/t Au, and up to 120 g/t Au at a higher elevation to the south. These results warrant detailed follow-up.
Interpretation & Conclusion
These newer trends, along with the previously-known AZ, Colline T, and G6 Rhyodacite Zones, provide ample opportunity for the expansion and improved definition of existing and projected gold and base metal-Au-Ag deposits at the Amizmiz Project. An intensive trenching and drilling (core and reverse circulation) campaign is required to achieve this goal. Ultimately, since it is relatively inexpensive here and provides excellent opportunities for the discovery and definition of mineralized zones as well as providing better access for drilling at depth, tunnelling will probably be warranted.
The Amizmiz Project potentially hosts both low-grade, bulk-tonnage and high grade, vein-type gold deposits.
The bulk-tonnage potential is best represented by the Colline T and G6 Rhyodacite Zones. These two deposits may aggregate from a conceptual gold deposit of 2 million to 6 million tonnes at grades varying between 1.0 to 3.0 g/t Au. The J Zone represents an additional potential bulk-tonnage deposit, but, to date, too little sampling has been done on it to estimate grade and tonnage.*
The high-grade, vein-type potential is represented by the AZ5, AZ10, AZ74, AZ79 targets as well as by the newly-discovered TR-TRN mineralized zones. It is estimated that these targets collectively may yielded a 150,000 tonnes to over 1 million tonnes grading an average within the range of 6.0 to 12.0 g/t Au.*
These potential quantity and grade are conceptual in nature. There has been insufficient exploration to define mineral resources and it is uncertain if further exploration will result in the aforementioned deposits and targets being delineated as mineral resources. These estimates are based upon reviewing internal numbers generated by the previous operator (SEGM).
In conclusion, the Amizmiz Property collectively offers very good economic potential for gold-silver, as well as several other metals, including copper, molybdenum, tungsten, zinc, and lead, in a range of metallogenetic settings.