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Correction: Production and Exploration Update

12th Apr 2011 16:29

RNS Number : 7860E
GMA Resources PLC
12 April 2011
 

This announcement replaces the Production & Exploration Update announcement released today, 12 April 2011, at 15.47 under RNS No 7818E. Due to a technical error, Table 3 was omitted on the previous version and is now included. All other details remain unchanged.  

 

AIM: GMA

12 April 2011

 

GMA Resources plc

("GMA" or the "Company")

 

Production& Exploration Update for Q1 2011

 

GMA announces an update on its gold and silver production for the first quarter of 2011 and its exploration activities at the Amesmessa Gold Mine within the Tirek - Amesmessa Concession in South West Algeria.

 

Highlights

 

·; Total gold production for Q1 2011 of 3,285oz

 

·; Recent strong drill hole intercepts in Vein 7 including:

 

o ARC 209 from 77m- 4m at 10.38 g/t (uncut) and from 91m- 14m at 1.98 g/t

o ARC 212 from 91m- 7m at 34.64 g/t (uncut)

o ARC 213 from 85m- 16m at 2.74 g/t

o ARC 215 from 77m- 11m at 3.27 g/t

 

·; Previously reported results in Vein 7 also include:

 

o ARC 23 from 7m- 16m at 4.06 g/t

o ARC 37 from 71m- 11m at 13.25 g/t (uncut)

o ARC 61 from 61m- 7m at 18.48 g/t (uncut)

o ARC 64 from 7m- 14m at 3.07 g/t

 

·; Other significant intersections returned since the last report are:

 

o Vein 12; ARC 179 from 53m- 7m at 9.54 g/t (uncut)

o Vein 4; ARC 208 from 34m- 4m at 9.22 g/t

 

Production Update

 

GMA announces that from 1 January to 31 March 2011, the Amesmessa gold mine in Algeria produced 3,285oz of gold (Q4 2010: 4,733 oz) and 785oz of silver (Q4 2011: 1,037oz).

 

The Board believes that the primary reasons for the continuing low production results is the lack of high grade ore feed for the Tirek CIL and crushing performance.

Further to the steps included in the Company's announcement on 11 March 2011, ENOR has continued to takeactions to help improve production, which currently involve;

·; short listing tenders for a short term waste mining contract of 1 million tonnes, targeting access to potential high grade ore zones;

·; finalising an arrangement for extended parts and maintenance support from a mining equipment supplier, on which discussions are well progressed including some suppliers agreeing to put consignment stock on site and;

·; discussing contracting crushing options with contractors

The Board is fully supportive of the actions which ENOR's management has taken to date and is encouraged that suppliers are extending their service to assist ENOR at the mine site level.

More detailed production data for Q1 2011 is set out in the Table 1 below:

 

Table 1- Production January to March 2011

 

Parameters

Unit

Jan '11

Feb '11

March '11

Q1

Total Gold Production ENOR

oz

1,399

1043

843

3,285

Silver Gold Production ENOR

oz

356

213

217

785

High Grade Ore Tonnes ex-Mine

dmt

1,560

915

615

3,090

High Grade Ore Grade ex-Mine

g/t Au

9.61

13.87

10.49

11.04

Heap Leach Ore Tonnes ex-Mine

dmt

28,065

23,070

17,730

68,865

Heap Leach Ore Tonnes ex-Mine

g/t Au

1.83

1.40

2.35

1.82

Waste Tonnes Mined

dmt

263,460

216,975

261,645

742,080

Total Mined Ex-Pit

dmt

293,085

240,960

279,990

814,035

Total Mined Volume Ex-Pit

BCM

108,550

89,244

103,700

301,494

Strip Ratio

8.89

9.05

14.26

10.31

Ore Processed CIL Plant

dmt

3,530

2,322

2,882

8,733

Ore Grade CIL Process Plant Feed

g/t Au

5.01

1.48

2.43

3.22

Ore Grade CIL Process Plant Tails

g/t Ag

0.43

0.33

0.21

0.33

Gold Recovery CIL Process

%

91

78

91

88

Ore Crushed

dmt

19,634

26,439

16,690

62,762

Ore Stacked to Heap Leach Pad

dmt

16,884

24,122

13,408

54,414

Crushed Ore Grade

g/t Au

3.25

1.62

2.30

2.31

Stacked Ore Grade

g/t Au

2.61

1.63

1.82

1.98

 

Exploration Update

 

Since the last update in March 2011, GMA has received the reverse circulation (RC) drill hole results for an additional 52 holes. A summary of these results can be found in Appendix 1 which will be uploaded to the GMA website (www.gmaresources.co.uk) later today.

 

Table 2, below, has the significant intercepts and locations of drill holes ARC 165 to ARC 217 excluding those drill holes drilled in Vein 7 which are detailed in Table 3.

 

Table 2- Amesmessa Weighted Averages Excluding Vein 7 Holes

 

AMESMESSA WEIGHTED AVERAGES 22nd Feb to 10th April 2011

Hole ID

Total Depth(m)

0.5 g/t cut*

Vein ID or Aster target ID

From(m)

To (m)

Intercept(m)

Gradeg/t

ARC170

83

0

1

1

0.52

TA48

11

14

3

1.41

TA48

75

78

3

1.05

TA48

ARC176

84

10

17

7

2.72

TA48

31

32

1

0.74

TA48

ARC207

52

33

34

1

10.10

Vein 04

ARC208

51

33

37

4

9.22

Vein 04

ARC179

84

53

60

7

9.54

Vein 12

ARC200

54

36

38

2

11.11

Vein 17

Note: * no high cut and intervals of up to 2m of internal waste included at the assayed grade

 

As previously reported, Vein 7 has been identified as a near term opportunity to provide a new source of ore to the existing mining operation. It is located immediately south of the existing Vein 8 mining area and close to the crushing and processing facilities. Table 2 highlights the results of the best drill hole intercepts since June 2010 (holes ARC 23 to ARC 64 previously reported).

 

 

Table 3-Vein 7 Weighted Averages of Significant Intercepts

to10 April 2011

 

Hole ID

Total Hole Depth (m)

0.5 g/t cut

From (m)

To(m)

Intercept (m)

Grade g/t (uncut)

Grade g/t (31.1 g/t top cut)

ARC23

66.5

11

27

16

4.06

4.06

ARC37

71

82

11

13.25

9.06

ARC38

70.0

34

37

3

2.61

2.61

50

57

7

0.77

0.77

ARC51

70.0

35

37

2

3.37

3.37

ARC59

89

95

6

2.95

2.95

ARC61

84

50

56

6

1.41

1.41

61

68

7

18.48

5.9

ARC63

90

50

57

7

2.81

2.81

62

70

8

1.28

1.28

ARC64

75

7

21

14

3.07

3.07

ARC209

115

77

81

4

10.38

8.21

85

86

1

5.34

5.34

91

105

14

1.98

1.98

Incl.

102

105

3

7.36

7.36

ARC210

132

26

30

4

1.18

1.18

96

105

9

0.78

0.78

116

125

9

1.12

1.12

ARC212

125

91

98

7

34.64

14.37

ARC213

76

80

4

1.61

1.61

85

101

16

2.74

2.74

ARC214

99

103

4

4.76

4.76

ARC215

77

88

11

3.27

3.27

ARC216

121

131

10

2.16

2.16

ARC217

152

122

128

6

1.56

1.56

 

 

A further 41 close spaced holes have been drilled along Vein 7 in addition to the 22 holes reported to date. The intention is to infill the very encouraging results of these first 22 holes. Ultimately, the objective is to develop a resource model for Vein 7 and prepare a mine plan to commence production for late 2011 or early 2012. This objective remains dependent on continued exploration success.

 

Commencing this month, an infill drill program has been planned for Vein 8 and 9. This will update and validate the existing geological model giving a higher degree of confidence of location, grade and tonnage of potential high grade ore sources that previously existed in the now mined out upper zones. This will hopefully benefit mine production for Q4 2011.

 

Qualified Person

Information in this announcement relating to the Company's exploration activities is based on data reviewed by Mr Geoff Blackburn AOM BSc FAusIMM who has been engaged as Consulting Geologist to the Company. Mr Blackburn is a Fellow of The Australasian Institute of Mining & Metallurgy and has 40 years' experience in mineral exploration and is a Qualified Person under the AIM Rules. Mr Blackburn consents to the inclusion of the information in the form and context in which it appears

 

 

 

 

Enquiries:

 

GMA Resources Plc

 

Ken Crichton

+20 (0)10766 6118

Merchant Securities Limited (Nomad)

Bidhi Bhoma

+44 (0) 20 7628 2200

 

Notes to Editors:

 

GMA owns a controlling 52% stake in ENOR spa ("ENOR"), the Algerian based operating company for the Tirek-Amesmessa project, with the remainder owned by Sonatrach, the Algerian state-owned oil and gas company.

 

ENOR holds the exploitation authorisation to the Tirek-Amesmessa property, an area of some 1,417 km2, located approximately 450km south west of the city, Tamanrasset, in southern Algeria. Amesmessa is an open pit heap leach gold mine located in the extreme south of the permit area. The now closed Tirek mine site is located centrally in the northern third of the exploration permit area, some 60 km north of Amesmessa. Research to date suggests that the Zita Zone, which lies between Tirek and Amesmessa, offers considerable potential for the development of additional prospects amenable to open-pit mining. GMA plans to quickly expand upon resources outside of the major 80km Tirek-Amesmessa fault north/south of the concession.

 

GMA's shares are traded on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange (AIM: GMA).

 

For further information on the Company, please visit: www.gmaresources.co.uk

 

This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
 
END
 
 
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