Endeavour Mining has discovered new zones of gold-bearing oxide mineralization within the Salman Trend at its 90%-owned Nzema gold mine in Ghana. Oxide mineralization was intersected in wide-spaced traverses of reverse circulation drilling across the former site of the Salman village. Drilling was conducted following completion of village resettlement in March 2012. The area drilled extends 800 m from the Salman Central 02 pit to the Nugget Hill 02 and Teberu 4 pits.
The reconnaissance traverses were the first systematic test of the old village site and adjacent areas, which could not be accessed for exploration drilling in the past. The new intersections suggest that the mineralized trends at Teberu and Nugget Hill may extend south to Salman Central through this area.
In-fill traverses of reverse circulation drilling were planned for May and June of this year to determine the strike continuity of the mineralization. This will be followed by deeper drilling of any mineralized trends that are delineated. Exploration will continue to focus on the Salman Trend because the area is on a granted mining lease and close to mine infrastructure, so any additional oxide mineralization can quickly be converted to reserves and added to the mine production schedule.
The Nzema mine began production in late 2010 based on mineral reserves in the Salman, Anwia and Bokrobo deposits. The mineral reserves on the Salman Trend include oxide and some transitional ore contained within a string of open pits along a 9-km trend.