Red Rock Resources plc announced a higher gold grade while ounces decreased in a new mineral resource estimate (MRE) at the Mikei gold project in Migori, Kenya.
The company also now its first 14, mainly shallow, new drill hole locations which will be tested while it plans further programmes for infill and step-out drilling and for testing mineralisation at depth.
The total mineral resource, for both inferred and indicated categories at a 0.5 g/t Au cut-off, was estimated at 15.13 Mt @ 1.49 g/t Au with contained metal content of 723 koz Au – an increase of 18%.
The report, prepared by CSA Global (UK) Ltd, documented the MRE results from 2011 and 2012 and was revised this year 2021 to meet JORC (2012). bityl.co/5j30
Red Resources said that the Mikei gold project was assessed for reasonable prospects for eventual economic extraction (RPEEE) by applying conceptual benchmarked costs to calculate conceptual reporting pit shells.
Any material outside or below the reporting pit shell was updated as ‘Not Classified’ since it failed to meet the criteria to be reported as a mineral resource.
The MRE covered the five prospect areas included in the 2012 MRE.
After applying the RPEEE principles required by JORC (2012), some previously estimated mineral resource areas were excluded and resulted in a 39% reduction in reported ounces of gold.
Some material previously stated as indicated in the oxidised zone was downgraded to inferred, reflecting “uncertainties relating to the terrain model and the extent of artisanal activity since 2012”.
Detailed recommendations for a first stage step-out drilling programme were made to potentially increase the size of the MRE.
Red Rock chairman Andrew Bell said that the conceptual pit shells used to test for reasonable prospects of extraction would act as a springboard for future exploration focused on resource enhancement.
| Inferred | Indicated | Total | |||||
| mt | g/t Au | mt | g/t Au | mt | g/t Au | Metal MOz | |
| KKM | 1.4 | 1.15 | 16.3 | 1.00 | 17.8 | 1.01 | 0.58 |
| KKM-West | 3.0 | 1.02 | 1.1 | 1.07 | 4.2 | 1.04 | 0.14 |
| Nyanza | 1.2 | 1.70 | 1.2 | 3.73 | 2.3 | 2.72 | 0.20 |
| Gori Maria | 3.8 | 1.16 | 0 | 0 | 3.8 | 1.16 | 0.14 |
| MK | 0.6 | 1.76 | 0.8 | 4.05 | 1.4 | 3.07 | 0.13 |
| Total | 10.0 | 1.21 | 19.4 | 1.29 | 29.4 | 1.26 | 1.19 |
“Updating our mineral resource estimate to JORC (2012) was essential if we were to make public reference to it, and the exercise of complying with it has been invaluable in two ways.
“First, the application of conceptual benchmarked costs to calculate conceptual reporting pit shells ensures that the reported mineral resource is aligned with a modern, industry-recognised method of testing for reasonable prospects for eventual economic extraction.
“This together with the higher grade within the conceptual pit shells enables us to report a mineral resource that looks more robust in the context of current gold prices.
“Secondly, the exercise of working out what, on the assumptions made, lay outside the pit shell but nearby or along strike showed us where targeted step-out drilling might prove effective in extending the pit, and so gave us our first 14, and mainly shallow, new drill hole locations.
“These we can test without delay while planning further programmes for infill and step-out drilling and for testing mineralisation at depth.
“We now have the opportunity to build on this solid base and it is our belief that the potential for expansion at and around Mikei is strong.”
MIKEI GOLD PROJECT
The Mikei gold project comprises two prospecting licences, PL/2018/0202 and PL/2018/0203, covering some 245 km2 over the Migori greenstone belt, located along the northern margin of the Tanzanian Craton.
The licences extend 63km along strike of the belt, which also hosts the Kilimapesa gold mine.
The North Mara gold mine, operated by Barrick Gold, is located 30km to the south of Mikei in Tanzania.
Regional exploration in the project area began in the early 1930s and culminated in the identification and subsequent mining of the Macalder volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) base metal mine.
In 2010, Red Rock began file organisation, data digitisation and compilation of available historical data, following which CSA Global performed cross-checks and validation steps prior to loading it into a Structured Query Language (SQL) database using Datashed.
During 2011 and 2012, Red Rock undertook an infill drilling programme at all five of the lode gold prospects; MK, Kakula-Kalange-Munyu (KKM), Kakula-Kalange-Munyu West (KW), Nyanza (NZ), and Gori Maria (GM) within PL/2018/0202.