Selou
The Selou
area consists of three permits directly south
of the Loulo
exploitation lease and work to date has
identified
two main targets: Sinsinko and Boulandissou.
Sinsinko
is underlain by a 1.75 kilometre north-south
trending
plus 30ppb soil anomaly and has been followed
up by three
lines of RAB drilling. The results returned
a 25 metre
wide anomalous halo (plus 100ppb) within
which six
metres at 1.02g/t, five metres at 1.23g/t and
six metres
at 1.20g/t were returned. The mineralisation
is associated
with tourmaline-sericite-carbonate-
haematite-silica
alteration of a greywacke host. RC
drilling
is planned as follow-up.
At Boulandissou,
three RC holes were drilled 100 metres
apart, testing
the extension of a north trending ironstone
unit beneath
a laterite plateau which locates within an
overall eight
kilometre shear corridor, anomalous in gold.
All three
holes intercepted mineralisation, with best
results returned
of 18 metres at 1.21g/t, six metres at
2.17g/t and
three metres at 3.18g/t. Gold anomalism
and mineralisation
in the RC holes is hosted in altered
quartzite
and associated with weak disseminated pyrite
and arsenopyrite.
The alteration patterns are dominated
by brecciation
in association with silica, tourmaline and
weak sericite.
Additional drilling is planned to test strike
extensions.
Morila exploitation
lease
At Morila
a two pronged exploration strategy has been
developed
with the objectives being (i) to pursue the
extensions
in the main high grade payshoot as defined
by the existing
orebody and (ii) providing an assessment
of the resource
potential within the greater Morila lease
area.
Various
alternative exploration outcomes have been
evaluated
through a combined scenario planning –
decision
tree approach to ensure that the stated
exploration
programme aims are achieved without
compromising
value-adding opportunities that may arise
at various
stages in the programme.
The flat
geometry of a Morila-style orebody, especially
as a blind
or buried exploration target, limits the use of
conventional
exploration geochemical or geophysical
target generation
techniques. In the search for a buried
Morila the
primary targeting tool will revolve around a
regional
diamond drilling programme.
Morila region
and southern Mali
In the Morila
region, outside the Morila mine lease, work
to date
has not identified an orebody at surface. However
additional
conceptual drilling on three targets highlights
the presence
of gold mineralisation, alteration,
prospective
lithologies and a structural framework similar
to Morila.
Generative
and conceptual targeting continues with a
hyperspectral
study being undertaken over Morila and
surrounding
area with the aim of identifying spectral and
structural
signatures associated with mineralisation.
This will
be incorporated with the results from remodelling
of geophysical
data and lead to the development of a
three dimensional
exploration model and the identification
of targets
for drilling in early 2006.
Randgold
Resources has adopted a more aggressive
policy towards
regional exploration, targeting and permit
acquisition
outside the immediate vicinity of Morila.
Modifications
to the focus and strategy of the generative
team in
southern Mali has led to the acquisition of four
26 Annual
Report 2005 Randgold Resources
