Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it’s off to work we go

THE DRILL SERGEANT: Each week any number of junior exploration plays set out to drill their ground. Here’s a small selection of what’s been happening this week.

Latin Resources ready to drill at Ilo Norte

Latin Resources Limited (ASX: LRS) announced two drill drill rigs have been mobilised rigs to the company’s Ilo Norte project in Peru by Compañia Minera Zahena S.A.C. (CMZ) in preparation for drilling in accordance with the 70 per cent earn-in option contract announced 7 January 2014.

Twelve diamond drill holes totalling 10,000 m are required to be completed by CMZ within 18 months as part of the earn-in conditions. Of these, the first 6 must total 4800 m.

Drilling should commence once the definitive agreement signed as a public deed 27 December 2013 is inscribed in the Peruvian Public Registry, and as a result, environmental permits obtained by Latin’s 100 per cent owned subsidiary, Peruvian Latin Resources S.A.C, are transferred to CMZ.

“We are extremely pleased with the speed with which preparations have been made to drill at Ilo Norte, and are also very encouraged that two rigs have been allocated to the project, promising the timely realisation of work commitments and ultimately the rapid testing of this fantastic copper-gold target,” Latin Resources managing director Chris Gale said.

West African Resources kicks off Tanlouka work program

West African Resources Limited (ASX, TSXV: WAF) is pleased to report it has commenced extensive work programs at its recently acquired Mankarga 5 Deposit located on the Tanlouka Permit now part of the Boulsa Project, in Burkina Faso.

Work Programs at Mankarga 5, Q1 2014:

5,000m shallow RC drilling;

400m metallurgical diamond core drilling;

2,100m diamond core program; six 350m oriented core holes;

Re-logging of historic drill holes (22,000m RC and diamond core);

Re-interpretation of geology and mineralisation model;

Resource update towards end of Q1 2014; and

Scoping study on low CAPEX heap leach gold starter project towards end of H1 2014fully fund and accelerate rapidly advance.

“Work programs have commenced on the Mankarga 5 deposit following the acquisition of TSXV listed Channel Resources Ltd,” West African Resources managing director Richard Hyde said.

“The programs are designed to provide rapid assessment of near-surface, and high-grade mineralisation at Mankarga 5.

“Work programs include RC drilling, metallurgical diamond core drilling and oriented diamond core drilling targeting high-grade zones at depth.

“We are working on a detailed timetable incorporating current and future drilling programs, resource estimations, metallurgical test work and scoping studies.

“We will update the market in the near future with more accurate timing on key deliverables.”

Regal Resources to commence drilling at Kalongwe

Regal Resources (ASX: RER) is set to commence drilling at the Kalongwe copper project, located in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the first week of February.

A drilling firm has been contracted to complete an initial 11 hole (~1,800m) diamond drilling program.

Drill pads have been cleared and the drilling contractor has initiated the mobilisation of equipment to site.

Drilling is expected to take approximately six to eight weeks to complete. Samples from each drill hole will be sent to ALS Laboratories, Johannesburg for analysis with all assay results expected to be available within four weeks of completion of the program.

The purposes of this program will be to test broad areas of copper and cobalt mineralisation determined and reported from historic drilling over a strike of 450m to a depth of about 250m and testing the continuity of mineralisation between wide-spaced drill holes.

Target areas have been selected on the basis of historic drill results, interpreted shape of mineralisation and mapped geology.

Specific holes are designed to verify and to further investigate historic drilling results, which included:

DKAL_DD006: 90.23m at 3.38 per cent copper and 0.93 per cent cobalt;

DKAL_DD007: 77.60m at 4.14 per cent copper and 0.57 per cent cobalt;

DKAL_DD019: 70.00m at 2.22 per cent copper and 0.84 per cent cobalt;

DKAL_DD005: 56.30m at 2.98 per cent copper and 0.46 per cent cobalt; and

DKAL_DD019: 47.00m at 2.07 per cent copper and 0.43 per cent cobalt.

PQ and HQ diamond core will be drilled in order to obtain samples for metallurgical test work.

The costs of the program will be co-funded with Traxys Europe SA, under the terms of a binding MOU the two companies signed in November 2013.

Regal has a high level of confidence that the results from the Phase 1 drilling program will confirm the potential of the Kalongwe project to host significant tonnage of high-grade copper-cobalt mineralisation.

While drilling is in progress, the company will also undertake a systematic soil and rock chip sampling program along the strike of the 2.7km long mineralised structure that hosts a number of mineralised fragments (ecaille) of Roan Group rocks with the objective to generate additional drill targets that can be tested in conjunction with the proposed follow up Phase 2 resource drilling program.