Tanga Resources Limited (ASX: TRL) (Tanga or the Company) is pleased to announce that the Company now has four permits granted in Cote d'Ivoire; the Bocanda north and Bocanda permits (the Bocanda Project), the Mankono West permit (PR0871) which is part of the Mankono Project and the Bouafle South permit, which is part of the Bouafle Project.
Full documentation to allow for on-ground exploration is expected this month from the Direction Generale des Mines et de la Geologie (DGMG).
Tanga's Chairman, Andrew Pardey, commented: 'We are delighted with the grant of our exploration permits in Cote d'Ivoire which will allow us to progress our exploration. This comes at an opportune time given the results of the historical data review; the high-grade aircore drilling results at Mankono, together with geochemical and geophysics data presents a compelling case for follow-up work. The grant of our licences marks the start of what we expect to be an extremely busy time ahead as we move forward with an aggressive exploration program across our Cote d'Ivoire projects.'
Project Work History at the Mankono Project
The Mankono Project was previously held by Newcrest Mining Limited (Newcrest) subsidiary Equigold and explored by Newcrest between 2009 and 2014. Equigold was acquired by Lihir Gold in 2008 and Lihir Gold was subsequently acquired by Newcrest in 2010. The first gold in soil anomalism of the project was however highlighted by Ashanti Goldfields before 2000.
Work commenced on the Mankono Project in 2009 with the collection of regional soil samples on an 800m x 100m reconnaissance grid spacing before infilling over the main coherent gold anomaly to a final spacing of 200m x 50m. The survey was particularly effective in highlighting a zone of anomalous gold in soil which was then followed up by vertical aircore drilling. The anomalous soil samples include seven samples running over 1 g/t Au in soils, with a peak value of 7.08 g/t gold in soil which further highlights the prospectivity of the target.
Following soil sampling program conducted in 2009, Equigold undertook a high-resolution airborne magnetic and radiometric survey in 2010 which covers the western half of the present day Mankono project area. This airborne survey, which totals over 8,500 line kilometres, was flown with a line spacing of 100m and a sensor height of 50m which produces a very high definition magnetic image and allows for direct interpretation of the geology and the structural features of interest.
During the 2012 field season, Equigold conducted an extensive aircore drilling campaign comprised of 724 holes for a total of 20,854 metres. Significant intercepts from this program included: 8m at 5.11 g/t from 12m in hole MKAC198; 4m at 9.23 g/t from 16m in hole MKAC582; 8m at 3.08 g/t from 4m in hole MKAC651; 8m at 2.73 g/t from 16m in hole MKAC636 and 12m at 1.43 g/t from 12m in hole MKAC214.
Concurrently with this aircore program, Equigold drilled eight diamond drill holes for a total of 2,520m. Results from this diamond drilling program were intended to inform a future Reverse Circulation drilling program which never eventuated. Notable intercepts from the diamond drilling included: 2m at 36 g/t Au from 75m in hole MKDD004 and 2m at 2.4 g/t Au from 16m in hole MKAC582.
Importantly, the diamond drilling was based on a limited number of vertical aircore holes completed before the infill aircore results were received. Holes were all oriented towards the east and no followup drilling was carried out after the completion of these programs.
Mankono Project Geology and Exploration Strategy
The Mankono Project lies along the western side of the Banfora-Daloa greenstones belt, along the regional shear system that hosts, along strike, the Abujar gold project (Tietto Minerals) on the southern side and the Napie gold project (Mako Gold) on the northern side, both in Cote d'Ivoire.
The main gold anomaly highlighted by the work carried out under Newcrest, in the Mankono West permit, lies in the granitic domain, just west of the major regional shears that bound the Birimian volcano-sediments. Newcrest commissioned a petrographic study on samples collected from the drill core, from which rock types include granites, granitic gneisses and amphibolites, with textures suggesting that the protoliths were granitic intrusives and possible mafic sediments respectively. The gold mineralisation intersected by the drill core occurs within the granitic gneisses facies associated with pyrite and carbonates.
Next steps
The Company believes that mineralisation at Mankono West has not been comprehensively tested, with the drilling completed to date being predominantly vertical aircore and limited diamond drilling, all targeting only the core of the gold anomalism, and that there is further potential to define economic mineralisation by applying a systematic approach in the field.
Moreover, the interpretation of the radiometric data and other remote sensing imagery suggests that at least part, if not all the core of the gold in soil anomaly is offset from its in situ source. Priority exploration programs will include regolith mapping and pitting and/or auger lines to target for the insitu mineralisation on the Mankono West permit. The Mankono east permit has been poorly covered by previous exploration work so initial work will consist of surface mapping and stream sediments and/or termite mound sampling.
Bocanda Project Geology and Exploration Strategy
The Bocanda Project lies in the Ouango-Fitini shear systems, which is the southern extension of the Hounde greenstones belt in Burkina Faso, located on the western edge of the South-Comoe sedimentary basin. The permits area includes the series, from East to West, going from the metasediments, to the greenstones, to the granitic domain.
The main structural shearing has an NNE-SSE orientation, been regularly offset by orthogonal transfer faulting as WNW-ESE orientations, which are also known as possible chanelways for gold mineralisation.
There is no known historical exploration work over the permits but abundant artisanal gold workings are known in the close vicinity of the Project and in similar geological contexts. Priority field work will consist of stream sediment sampling and regolith mapping.
About Tanga's Cote d'Ivoire Projects
The Bouafle Project comprises two licences - Bouafle North and Bouafle South (Bouafle Project Licences) - covering an area of 742km2 . The Application for the Bouafle South license (PR0861) has recently been granted and the Company is awaiting final documentation while the application for the Bouafle North Licence is with the Direction Generale des Mines et de la Geologie (DGMG) and is pending approval.
The Mankono Project covers three exploration licences - Mankono West, Mankono East and Tieningboue (Mankono Project Licences) - over an area of 1,170 km2 . The Mankono West license (PR0871) has been granted and the Company is awaiting final documentation. Applications for the remaining Mankono Project Licences are with the DGMG and are pending approval.
The Bocanda Project, comprises two tenements: Bocanda North and Bocanda, covering an area of 750 km2 . The Bocanda North and Issia Project licences were selected by Predictive Discovery Limited using its in-house targeting system known as PredictoreTM. The Bocanda North license (PR-844) was granted on the 18th of September 2019 and the Bocanda permit (PR-0872) has recently been granted and the Company is awaiting final documentation.
Contact:
Tel: +61 8 9381 5686
WIA GOLD LIMITED 
