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03 | AFRICA » PROJECTS » UGANDA PROJECTS
Through its acquisition of African Mineral Fields Inc. in May 2007, Magnus International Resources acquired a 100% interest in four gold projects in Uganda, Lugazi, Mwerusandu, Mitoma and Mubende. In addition, Magnus has an exclusive option to acquire a 60% interest in the Mashonga gold/PGE project and an 80% interest in the Ibanda gold project. In total, Magnus’ six gold properties encompass a total of 3,909 sq. km and 26 licenses. Project Locations in Gold-rich, but Under-explored Regions Magnus’ projects in the southwestern part of Uganda: Mashonga, Ibanda, Mwerusandu and Mitoma, are situated at the intersection of two significant interpreted gold trends -- the “Twangiza” and the “Geita” trends. The projected extensions of these trends into southwest Uganda have been under explored. The Twangiza trend is interpreted to be a northeasterly extension of the Twangiza-Namoya gold deposits, which occur along this structural corridor in the Democratic republic of Congo (“DRC”). These two deposits, as well as numerous other projects developed by Banro Corporation, are situated within the Kibaran metallogenic belt, which hosts major gold, tin, tungsten, nickel and platinum deposits. The Kibaran is 400km-wide and 1,500km-long, trending north-northeastwards and originates in the Katanga region of southern Democratic Republic of Congo (“DRC”). As the Kibaran belt passes through Rwanda and into southwestern Uganda, the name changes to the Karagwe-Ankolean Belt. This prospective tin-tungsten-gold terrain has seen only limited modern exploration to date. The Geita trend is an interpreted lineament that links world-class gold deposits in Tanzania along a northwesterly direction, which extends through southwest Uganda. This trend is parallel to other interpreted structures further to the east in Uganda and Kenya such as the Aswa zone. The Geita trend links the Geita, Bulyanhulu, Golden Ridge and Golden Pride deposits situated in the Lake Victoria Goldfields The Lake Victoria Goldfields is now Africa’s third largest gold producing region, a world-class gold province with more than 25 million ounces in proven and probable reserve category among five modern operations (Geita, Bulyanhulu, North Mara, Golden Pride and Tulawaka). The Archaean greenstone belts that underlie the Victoria Goldfield comprise predominately volcanic and sedimentary rocks interspersed with granitic intrusives, and extend from central Tanzania northward into Kenya and eastern Uganda.Magnus’ two other Projects, Lugazi and Mubende, are also located in prospective and under-explored areas. Both Projects are hosted by lower-Proterozoic meta-sedimentary and volcanic sequences of the Buganda-Toro System which extends in a broad belt from east to west across central Uganda. This system has been intruded by undeformed younger granites and large granite batholiths providing the opportunity to explore for large Intrusion-related gold deposits. The Mashonga Project is located in the Buhweju region of south-western Uganda and is contiguous with Magnus’ Mitoma property. The majority of gold produced in Uganda has been from alluvial deposits around the Buhweju plateau, recovered by artisanal miners. Gold was first reported in this area in 1933 and since then an estimated 200,000 oz have been produced from alluvial sources. Gold from primary ‘lode’ sources has been produced locally from small open-cut slot and (70m deep) underground operations such as the Mashonga mine. Magnus’ Property consists of two exploration licences and three contained location licenses covering an area of 460.870 sq. km. Exploration on the Project commenced in the fall of 2007. Historical exploration reports from the late 1990’s by Uganda Gold Mines Ltd include high grade sample results from underground sampling of a shear zone at the Mashonga mine, with 25.5 oz per short ton gold (874 g/t) and 309 g/t silver from a grab sample of a lens a few feet wide. Another grab sample of the footwall to the shear zone returned 276 g/t gold and 9.7 g/t silver. Uganda Gold also sampled a series of trenches located 1.5km east of the Mashonga mine area. These trenches covered a strike length of 350m and report gold intersections which include 4.6m at 24.7 g/t and 2.4m at 59.6 g/t. In addition, a rock grab sample from one trench reported 228 g/t gold. A further target was identified by Uganda Gold, located about 1km southeast of the mine. A single rock grab sample returned 183 g/t gold and 200 g/t silver.As part of Magnus’ due diligence evaluation of the property in 2006 and 2007, rock grab samples were collected from the mine dump at the open-cut slot mine. Access to the underground workings was not possible due to unstable side-wall conditions, however the local mine operators report grey mafic schist at depth which produced fine grained gold in concentrate. Of the eight mafic schist samples collected from the surface mine dump, four returned very high grade gold and PGE assay results, which include 58.8g/t gold, 4.15g/t platinum and 3.68g/t palladium. Abridged results are as follows:
Gold-bearing samples were also collected from thin quartz veins in weathered quartz-sericite schist about 1km to the north-east of the Mashonga mine. Previous artisanal mining is also in evidence from this area, where gold was extracted from a series of adits and pits into the soft weathered schist. Grab samples from quartz-sericite schist include values of up to 9.74 g/t gold. Initial observations of the property indicate three main hosts to gold, silver and platinum group element (PGE) mineralisation, all located within early-Proterozoic meta-sediments and late reduced granite intrusions:
A 2,500m RC Drill program is planned to start in May 2008, following the successful completion of drilling at Lugazi. The drilling will test the high grade polymetallic mineralisation in northwest shears and east-west conjugate fractures below the mine, as well as the +3km by 500m wide soil anomaly located 1km east of the mine.
The Ibanda Project is also located in SW Uganda approximately 50 km to the north-east of the Mashonga Project. The geological setting at Ibanda is identical to that at Mashonga, which provides the opportunity for a multi-commodity style of mineralisation hosted in shears zones hosted by early-Proterozoic schists which are capped by an unconformity. No exploration has yet been carried out by Magnus or it’s joint venture partner, Canmin Gold Ltd. Archived reports do however point to geochemical exploration carried out in 1997 on prospecting licences within the area covered now by the Ibanda exploration licence. The gold-in-soil anomalies vary from 5ppb levels up to a 2840 ppb levels, with one sample returning over 11 g/t gold. Two anomalous zones were defined, one with dimensions of 1.6km by 400m and the other with dimensions of 800m by 150m. These soil anomalies are reported to overlap with anomalous magnetic zones. The source of this gold anomaly was never tested and this will be a priority for Magnus during the planned exploration program which will commence during the latter part of this year. The Lugazi Project is located in south central Uganda, about 50 kilometers east of the capital, Kampala. The Project comprises five exploration licenses (Lugazi, Lugazi West, Lugazi North, Lugazi South and Lugazi East) on 1,620.17 square kilometers. The Lugazi Project has in the past demonstrated potential for nickel, gold, and possibly platinum group elements associated with nickel sulphides. The Lugazi Project is located in an area of poor rock exposure, but where early stage geochemistry surveys have yielded promising results.The Lugazi Project area is situated within a northeast trending elongate belt of lower-Proterozoic phyllitic sediments hosting quartzite and amphibolite units. A series of mafic to ultramafic rocks form small lenticular intrusions within the license area, but these increase in size and proportion towards the northeast of the belt. This Lugazi belt is sandwiched between large bodies of basement gneisses and later granitoid gneisses, suggesting an important link between fluid from these granites and structural controls within the sedimentary belt. The Project is located in an area of poor rock exposure and is underlain by deep insitu and Tertiary laterites and duracrust capping on higher topographies. A detailed soil sampling program comprising over 1500 soil samples has delineated a strong 300 – 700m wide gold-in-soil anomaly over a length of 3.5 km. The anomaly is offset to the east, and there are indications that the anomaly is open ended in this direction. A fixed wing, high resolution airborne magnetic and radiometric survey was flown on the Lugazi licence and covered 574.5 sq km at 200m line spacing. The results from the survey show a close correlation between the gold-in-soil anomaly and magnetic rich stratigraphic horizons as well as elevated potassic levels. An RC drill program of 2,037m in 31 holes, to test the +3km long soil anomaly was completed during February 2008.
The Mwerusandu Project comprises four exploration licenses (Mwerusandu North, Mwerusandu West, Nyamulindira and Kiana Mine) on 205.33 square kilometers. Reconnaissance surveys and rock sampling over the eastern part of the project, at Nyamulindira, identified outcrops of light green scorodite rich quartzite with 4-6 g/t of gold. Follow-up trenching has identified a drill ready quartz vein outcrop with 20.4 g/t of gold over 3.5m. Recent sampling has identified visible gold in sub-cropping rocks. Systematic detailed soil and rock sampling is currently on going to augment the structural analysis that was completed recently. Detailed partial leach soil sampling has delineated a gold anomaly hosted by quartzites and schist’s of the mid-Proterozoic Karagwe-Ankolean system, parallel to the contact with a granitoid body, referred to as ‘arena’ granites. The northern part of the soil anomaly is 200m in length and covers the outcropping silica-scorodite altered rocks, while further to the south, a 1km long anomaly is situated in a similar stratigraphic setting close to the granite contact.A 500m RC drill program to test the high-grade trench intersection and the gold soil anomaly to the south is planned to commence in April 2008. The eastern Mwerusandu licenses are located in a tin – beryllium rich belt and close to the historical Mwerusandu tin mine which was mined up to the 1950’s. The potential for tin mineralisation on the exploration licenses is currently being evaluated.
The Mitoma Project comprises eight exploration licenses (Kahungye, Rugoma, Rutaka, Nchwero, Kabira, Kabira East, Kabira West and Kabira North) on 438.49 square kilometers. These tenements were pegged to cover an area of extensive alluvial gold workings going back to the 1970’s. Exploration to date on the Project has included the analysis of some 2,280 partial leach soil samples, deep augering, 19 pits, sampling of more than 400 stream sediments at 180 locations, a regional aeromagnetic survey and radiometrics, as well as 17 kilometers of Project ground magnetic survey. As a result of this exploration, Magnus has identified three low-level geochemical gold anomalies on the northern part of the project area. The Kahungye anomaly measures 500m x 600m at the northern end, extending over 4km to the southeast. The Rugoma gold anomaly, over an area of about 2000m by 500m with co-incident elevated arsenic anomalism, is located about three kilometers east and south-east of the Kahungye anomaly. Magnus’ management is planning to test these soil anomalies in the latter part of the year by means of trenching, and if results warrant, to be followed by RC Drilling.
The Mubende Project is located about 100 kilometers west of Kampala in southern Uganda. The Project comprises three exploration licenses (Singo North, Singo South and Mubende) on 851.20 square kilometers. Exploration at Mubende is focusing on a style of gold deposit known as intrusive related gold systems. Examples of deposits of this style include the Fort Knox and Pogo gold deposits in Alaska. The Singo granites in central Uganda display alteration characteristics and metallogenic element associations that make these granites prospective for gold. The Mubende Project is surrounded by abundant gold and tungsten occurrences and small-scale gold alluvial workings. Reconnaissance drainage sampling completed throughout the geologic terrain of the Singo granite has revealed discrete drainage areas containing elevated concentrations of gold. A detailed structural and regional alteration interpretation over Mubende has been completed and follow-up soil geochemical programs are currently in progress over the most prospective areas. These areas are scheduled for more detailed investigation as part of the Mubende exploration program, expected to last a numberof months before plans to drill the most promising targets will be implemented.
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