Arrow Minerals Ltd (ASX:AMD) is progressing well at its Vranso Gold Project in Burkina Faso.
During the December quarter, the company completed 35 reverse circulation drill holes, 1,054 soil geochemical samples and 220 stream sediment geochemical samples – all part of AMD’s major exploration program at Vrasno.
AMD also announced that it had secured funding for augur drilling at its Hounde Project, also in the region.
Work during the December quarter has set the company up for a busy March period, which will include further drilling, sampling and the release of assay results.
At the end of the quarter, the company had $1.4 million in available cash.
A good start at Vranso
AMD kicked off the first phase of a major exploration program on multiple high-quality targets at the Vranso Project in the December quarter.
The targets were defined following a comprehensive review of data from the entire project area comprising 1,300 square kilometres of the prolific Boromo Belt.
This project is made up of 10 semi-contiguous exploration permits extending for more than 80 kilometres of the richly gold endowed Paleoproterozoic Birimian Greenstone Belt.
The area, which is yet to be evaluated using modern gold exploration techniques, is host to numerous multi-million-ounce gold deposits including Bissa, Bouly, Poura and Batie West.
AMD recently concluded historical geochemical, geophysical and geological data compilation and integration, which identified numerous high quality advanced and early-stage gold targets.
The company aims to rapidly discover new high-grade shallow gold deposits within Vranso.
It is expected the program will take six months to finish is and will focus on generative targeting and drilling of targets within trucking distance of a centrally located mill.
First phase exploration assays are due in the coming weeks.
Breaking down the work
AMD is exploring four key prospects at Vrasno: Dassa, Guido, Semapoun and Bentole.
Vranso Project location map showing the 10 exploration permits covering 1300 square kilometres of the Boromo Shear Zone and six of the identified advanced prospects.
1. Dassa
Work at Dassa has seen AMD drill six RC holes (424 metres), which was completed to test the extension of almost 3 kilometres of shallow, shallow-dipping, mostly oxidised gold mineralisation.
Arrow discovered the Dassa Deposit in 2020, less than 20 kilometres from the central Perkoa Zinc Mine processing facility and it features two higher grade zones of gold mineralisation, both of which are shallow, consistent, and mostly in the shallow oxide zone.
The Dassa North and Dassa South mineralised zones extend over 1,000 metres and 600 metres respectively, and are both open along strike and at depth.
2. Guido
Work at Guido comprised 19 RC drill holes (2,288 metres) designed to validate the historical Guido gold resource and test for where the resourced can be increased down dip and along strike.
The Guido Prospect lies 7 kilometres northeast of the Perkoa Zinc Mine processing facility and is accessible by an all-weather sealed road.
Blackthorn Resources Ltd initially identified and drilled the Guido gold deposit in 2010, reporting a maiden inferred mineral resource of 4.1 million tonnes at 1.06 g/t at a 0.4 g/t cut off for 139,000 ounces.
3. Semapoun
RC drilling consisting of 10 RC holes (760 metres) was completed to test the at-depth expression of highly anomalous gold in historical shallow drilling and sampling data.
The Semapoun Prospect is 3 kilometres along strike from the Guido deposit within the structural corridor defined by the main Boromo Shear Zone.
Surface geochemistry and geological structural mapping have been ineffective in defining the distribution of mineralisation due to thick lateritic cover extending over the area.
Historical RAB and RC drilling targeting locally interpreted structural corridors at the Semapoun Prospect intersected several thick high-grade gold zones including intersections in three RC drill holes spaced more than 500 metres apart.
4. Bentole
Compilation and analysis of historical data revealed significant potential at the Bantole Prospect, 5 kilometres northeast of the Semapoun Prospect and just 16 kilometres from the Perkoa Zinc Mine processing facility.
A single northwest-southeast trending line of historical aircore drilling, penetrating to the base of weathering, intercepted shallow anomalous gold mineralisation (>0.3 g/t) over a 200-metre zone no deeper than 20 metres.
Elevated gold in stream sediment geochemical samples, collected directly to the northeast of the aircore traverse in the recently acquired Tombi Quest permit, indicate that gold mineralisation continues in this direction.
Additional auger drilling, geological mapping, and structural interpretations will now be done to rapidly advance the northern extension of the Bantole Prospect toward drill-ready status.
Poa, Guido, Semapoun and Bantole prospects within 20 kilometres of the central Perkoa Zinc Mine processing facility. Significant drill intercepts from Arrow and historical drilling shown.
What’s next at Vrasno?
The fruits of AMD’s labour will soon come to light via assays as it also ramps up its work program.
Soil geochemical samples (1,054 in total along 800-metre lines and 50-metre centres as a first pass) were collected along a 10-kilometre mineralised NE-SW structural corridor extending from the south of the Guido Prospect to north of Semapoun.
Infill sampling is now underway to reduce line spacing to 400 metres.
The program is designed to identify the higher tenor gold zones within the structure and sub-parallel mineralised systems beneath cover.
Stream sediment geochemical sample collection was completed on the northern permits, 222 sites were sampled in the Pilimpikou, Kordie and Viveo permits, to assist in vectoring in on gold-bearing catchments shedding from the surrounding high ground and identify areas where prospective greenstones have not previously been identified.
A geophysical contractor was engaged to fly a detailed magnetic and radiometric survey over the Vranso Project to improve planning and targeting of mineralised systems.
What’s happening at Hounde?
AMD owns 100% of the Hounde South Joint venture, with JV partner Fortuna Silver Mines Inc (TSX:FVI), (formerly Roxgold Inc (TSX-V:ROG)) earning into 70% of the project.
Fortuna has continued its program of auger drilling with infill over the most prospective areas.
Results are due in the March quarter.
