Introduction
The Akoko Project consists of one granted Prospecting Licence located ~10 km east of Adamus Resources' Salman gold project and 40km south of the 6Moz Prestea gold mine. Adamus has reported a resource of 34.8mt @ 1.76 g/t gold for 1.97Moz for their combined Salman/Anwia resource.
The Akoko Prospecting Licence was granted in early 2007. During 2007 soil sampling was completed over the south west corner of the Licence adjacent to the Avrebo soil anomaly of Adamus Resources. This work reported a very strong soil anomaly, with an initial RC drilling program completed in October 2007 producing positive results. Further exploration during 2008 has produced further encouraging results.
Interpretation of aeromagnetic data suggests that the Avrebo soil anomaly will extend north along the western margin of a granite body that is crosscut by north east trending structures. The intersection of these NE structures, the granite contact and the interpreted northern extension of the Avrebo soil anomaly represents an excellent gold target.
Project Geology
The area covers part of the southwest portion of the Ashanti Belt within a broad succession of Birimian meta-volcanic and meta-sedimentary rocks, immediately south of the Tarkwaian sedimentary rocks and north of the large Prince’s Town Dixcove suite granitoid complex. The proposed licence area extends over the Prince’s Town granitoid complex and extends westward to cover its western contact with the meta-volcanic rocks.
The Birimian succession is dominated by meta-volcanic and meta-sedimentary rocks. Mafic sills and dykes are indicated on aeromagnetic images. The Prince’s Town granitoid complex has been mapped as mainly tonalite, however towards the west and southwest of Akoko, higher radiometric potassium signatures suggest a more K-feldspar rich igneous phase.
The structural geology in the area is poorly understood. A north-northeast striking regional shear zone has been interpreted to extend between Simpa and Akoko, and then northwards to join with a series of north-northeast striking structures that become the Damang fault.
Intense weathering has resulted in formation of a mature laterite profile that has been variously degraded to a latisol, and eroded and incised by recent drainages.
Exploration History
No significant modern exploration has been completed within the Akoko Project.
The area to the east of the Akoko Project area was probably a substantial gold producer in pre-colonial times. The Kanyankaw area, 9km east of the Akoko Project, was probably worked for a period by the Portuguese in the early 1600s. Shortly after the Gold Coast became an official British colony in the 1870s, numerous European groups prospected around many of the old artisanal mining sites. Numerous small adits and shafts were excavated. In the area immediately north and east of the Akoko Project are the prospects of Kanyankaw, Weew Bippo, Gogosu, Botokari, Kweku Esika, Appankram, Simpa, Adakaba, Cheriaman, Atinasi and Akoko. The latter five prospects are listed as they occur from north to south along an inferred north-northeast striking regional structure that possibly represents an extension of the Damang fault, responsible for mineralisation at Damang to the north.
The old Akoko mine is located only 1.5km north of the Akoko Project boundary and the Asheba/Atinasi prospects 3km further to the north. The Akoko mine is developed on a quartz vein. Exploration by Europeans probably started in the late 1890s and included very modest production in the period 1912 to 1928 of about 29,000oz derived from 35,600 tons of ore. Further exploration was carried out in the 1930s when the area was covered by numerous prospecting concessions. These included historic underground workings and nearby areas of extensive artisanal mining dating to pre-colonial times. At Akoko, one of the main shafts has been sunk to a depth of 229m. The veins at Akoko grade between 20g/t and 30g/t Au. The cost of mining the narrow veins was too high and the mine went bankrupt in 1926. Work in the 1930s did not apparently result in any new discoveries.
In the late 1980s, the area was held under a concession by Ghana Gold Pty Ltd who carried out soil sampling, along with the mapping and sampling of adits. The company later entered into joint venture agreement with the Glencar/Moydow group, which drilled eight holes into the Asheba Prospect to the north-northeast of Akoko. Between 2003 and 2005, Glencar drilled numerous RC holes into its Atinasi Prospect, just 2km northwest of Akoko. Results include 9m at 11.0g/t and 12m at 12.1g/t Au.
Exploration Potential
Despite numerous prospects to the north and east of the Akoko licence area, no gold occurrences have been noted within the licence area itself. A major regional north-northeast striking structure, possibly contiguous with the Damang Fault, is interpreted to continue south-southeast into the proposed concession area.
In July 2005, Adamus Resources Limited reported that a large gold soil anomaly had been defined at their Avrebo Prospect, located immediately adjacent to the south-western corner of the Akoko Licence. It is considered likely that Avrebo soil anomaly will extend onto the Akoko Licence, and therefore this area warrants early investigation.
The exploration potential of the Akoko Licence lies in the identification of the following styles of mineralisation:-
- Orogenic vein-dominant deposits hosted primarily in Birimian meta-sedimentary and meta-volcanic rocks, associated with major regional structures.
- Orogenic deposits hosted in granitoid and felsic porphyry intrusions of the Dixcove suite.
- The large soil anomaly immediately south of the project area, and the close proximity of small gold prospects suggests the area has moderate potential to host economic gold mineralisation.
Exploration Results
The Akoko Prospecting Licence was granted in early 2007. During 2007 soil sampling was completed over the south west corner of the Licence adjacent to the Avrebo soil anomaly of Adamus Resources. This work reported a very strong soil anomaly, with an initial RC drilling program completed in October 2007 producing positive results including:
- 52m @ 1.16g/t gold from surface
- 4m @ 4.09g/t gold from 6m
- 20m @ 0.89g/t gold from 57m
A further drill program was completed in January 2008 and reported further encouraging results, including:
- 35m @ 1.52 g/t gold from 5m (AKRC 41)
- 9m @ 14.9 g/t gold from 59m (AKRC 41)
- 7m @ 4.03 g/t gold from 47m (AKRC 39)
- 2m @ 12.1 g/t gold from 33m (AKRC 29)
- 16m @ 1.49 g/t gold from surface (AKRC 29)
- 72m @ 0.27 g/t gold from surface (AKRC 26),
includes 9m @ 1.02 g/t gold from 1m
In February 2008 soil sampling (200 x 50m spacing) confirmed a strong 3km long surface gold anomaly at Akoko North.
Within the larger anomaly is a higher tenor (+250ppb gold) continuous and well defined zone 1.5km long with a peak value of 1090ppb gold. The northern half of this zone contains numerous historic prospecting pits and shafts over a 600m x 75m area.
This high tenor zone is interpreted to overlie weathered pyritic basalt and is situated immediately west of a basalt/sediment contact, it is aligned north-south suggesting an underlying change to the regional north northeast strike.
This anomaly was drilled in March 2008 and intersected significant open ended shallow gold mineralisation over 1,000m of strike.
Five 200m-spaced drill fences were completed with significant gold mineralisation intersected on all lines. The mineralised zone is open in all directions.
- 2m @ 2.66g/t gold from 15m (ANRC 04)
- 17m @ 2.29g/t gold from 5m (ANRC 06)
- 18m @ 2.17g/t gold from 3m (ANRC 07)
- 10m @ 1.11g/t gold from 42m (ANRC 07)
- 11m @ 6.65g/t gold from 50m (ANRC 08)
- 10m @ 1.50g/t gold from 40m (ANRC 13)*
- 20m @ 0.80g/t gold from 30m (ANRC 18)*
Follow up drilling is planned for July 2008.