Angkor Gold Corp says diamond drilling at its Okalla project in Cambodia has proven useful for understanding the geology and structure of gold veins in the area and will help in determining targets for subsequent programs. The program is being conducted in cooperation with Blue River Resources.
Drilling commenced on July 2 on Angkor’s Banlung tenement, which includes Okalla West and Okalla East. The two prospects are about 7kms apart. Both are hosted by intrusive rock complexes connected along a regional structural corridor.
The Okalla East area was originally explored by Angkor as a porphyry copper gold molybdenum style occurrence. The specific area targeted in this drill program previously reported higher copper and gold values in termite mound and auger hole sampling than found on other parts of the porphyry system and has been exploited by artisanal gold miners in the past.
The first drill hole of this program was drilled at Okalla East and was drilled to follow up on a 34 g/t gold intercept from a 2011 drill program.
A preliminary examination of the 2017 hole shows numerous cross-cutting veins and fractures throughout almost the entire length of the hole. Many of the veins/fractures contain medium grained pyrite with some chalcopyrite.
This hole was collared west of the first hole to test the along-strike extension. It displayed massive coarse grained pyrite in narrow fractures in the upper portion of the hole transitioning downward into abundant open fractures containing chalcopyrite and pyrite with minor molybdenite to the bottom of the hole.
In addition, nine holes totalling 439.2 metres were drilled at Okalla West. The drilling was designed to test at depth surface gold anomalies that were outlined during a pit and auger hole program completed earlier this year. All assays are pending.
The pit and auger hole program resulted in gold anomalies in soil and quartz pyrite mineralised vein float discovered during the test pit program. The gold anomaly outlined to date is 600 metres from north to south with a width of approximately 300 metres.
The drill program tested the southern 300 metres of this anomaly which is open in all directions. Although there is no outcrop in the anomaly Angkor believes that the gold anomaly is the result of narrow mineralised quartz vein segments hosted in fault/shear zones.
Under an agreement with Angkor, Blue River has the right to participate initially in up to a 50% interest of the Banlung exploration license from Angkor after the completion of a total investment of US$3.5 million in exploration expenditures over a 4-year period.
Angkor Gold