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Victor J.E. Jones, Chairman and CFO of Great Quest Metals Ltd. reports that the Company is mobilizing a second air-core drill to be onsite for its Tilemsi phosphate project in Eastern Mali next week, to accelerate the exploration program.
The drilling program is targeting several hills within the 737 km2 project area where geological reconnaissance and remote sensing data have indicated the potential for extensive occurrences of natural phosphate rock P2O5. The principal uses of phosphate rock are as a direct application fertilizer and the production of phosphoric acid for beneficiated fertilizers.To date over 38 drill holes have been completed on 500 m grid spacing to cover an area of about 10 km2 within the Alfatchafa hill target with visible phosphate intercepts in over half of the holes. Depth to the top of the visible phosphate horizon varies between 1-23 m and thickness varies between 0.5-2.0 m. The thickening of the phosphate bearing bed beyond 1.0 m in some of the drill holes has been a positive surprise. The Company has executed a new contract to provide two drill rigs for the project which will continue initial drilling on 500 m grid spacings on the various target hills and follow up infill drilling on 250 m spacings, as planned for this 800 hole Phase 1 program. As anticipated, estimates of the thickness of the phosphate (P2O5) horizon vary and will be better confirmed by x-ray fluorescence analysis. Samples are being prepared in Bamako, Mali, for onward shipment to Vancouver, BC for XRF and multi-element analysis. Initial reconnaissance work in 2009 by the Company on the Alfatchafa hill identified phosphate mineralization along the perimeter (News Release dated August 20, 2009) with phosphate grades from 26 samples ranging from 5.11% to 33.05% P2O5, with an average of 24.5% P2O5. Subsequent analysis of remote sensing data from the project area carried out earlier this year suggests extensive apparent phosphate mineralization associated with Alfatchafa and several of the surrounding hills. For the analysis click here. The Tilemsi phosphate deposits occur in a similar geological sedimentary setting to the phosphate deposits found in Morocco and are of Eocene period. The current program represents the first comprehensive drilling and geological program on the Company's two phosphate concessions, Tarkint Est and Tilemsi (Tin Hina). In Morocco, the 2nd largest exporter of phosphate rock, production comes primarily from four main phosphorite deposits controlled by l'Office Chérifien de Phosphates du Maroc, "OCP". OCP reports some 85,000 Mt of phosphorite resources hosted in upper cretaceous, Paleocene and Eocene sediments. At the OCP Benguérir mine just north of Marakesh mineable phosphate-rich beds range from 1 m to 3 m in thickness and grade 22% to 28% P2O5. The drilling on the Tilemsi project is continuing and further reports will be made as results become available. |
