2011 Core Drilling Program Now Underway at African Queen's King Solomon Project in Mozambique
AFRICAN QUEEN MINES LTD. (the 'Company?) is pleased to announce
that it has now commenced its 2011 core drilling program covering
approximately 3000 m at its King Solomon Project (the 'Project?), which
is located within the central parts of the Mesoproterozoic Fingoe Belt N
of Lake Cahorra Basa in western Tete Province, Mozambique. The Project
is the subject of the Earn-in and Joint Venture Agreement dated July 10,
2009 (the 'Agreement?), with Swiss-based Opti Metal Trading Limited
('Optimetal?), covering exploration, development and exploitation of
Prospecting License No. 884L held by Optimetal′s Mozambique subsidiary
(the 'License?). The License covers an area of approximately 230 km2
in the center of the Fingoe Belt and is now valid through May,
2015. The Company has thus far earned an interest of 51% in the Project
and may earn up to 85% by funding additional prescribed stages through
feasibility.
After cessation of the rains in late April, the Company engaged the
services of Remote Exploration Services ('RES?) of Cape Town, S.A. to
prepare the campsite, core storage facilities and the necessary access
roads and drill sites. The group mobilized to site in early May and
completed all necessary preparations. The drillers from Mozambique-based
Resource Drilling Lda. arrived on site on May 25 and after the necessary
bulldozer work, including construction of a new water storage dam, roads
for access and drill pads, have now commenced drilling of the first hole
(MW07). This hole has been sited approximately 50 m down dip from holes
MW01 and MW02 which encountered some of the most encouraging
mineralization in our 2010 reconnaissance core drilling program at the
Project. The purpose of this hole is to test down dip continuity of that
gold-copper-silver mineralization.
Interpretation of the detailed IP geophysical data collected late last
year over the Project area is being conducted by Dr. Branco Corner of
Corner Geophysics in Namibia, and these results are being utilized in
connection with targeting and technical planning of the drill program by
providing better characterization of the mineralization. Approximately 3
000 m are planned for drilling in the immediate program and will be
focused upon the Mankombiti West, Mankombiti East, Ntumba and Bulasho
targets. The holes are planned to be drilled to depths typically between
120 m and 200 m. Further information on these targets can be found on
the Company′s web site and various Press Releases released over the past
year. The drilling is largely focused to the west of the 2010 Program,
where geophysics, mapping and sampling results suggest the potentiality
for better mineralization and thickening of the zone. That sets the
stage for potentially more robust results down dip and along strike in
that direction. In excess of 3 km of untested strike still remain to be
evaluated at Mankombiti while the new gold targets Bulasho and Ntumba
hold considerable promise as well.
The host rocks are generally of the Fingoe Group, a Mesoproterozoic age
package of metasediments, metavolcanics and various intrusives ranging
from mafic to granitic in composition. These rocks have all experienced
greenschist facies metamorphism and at least two intense structural
deformational events. Tightly plunging folds with a strongly developed
stretching lineation are a feature of all the lithologies mapped to
date. The mineralisation identified to date consists of
gold-copper-silver with associated zinc, lead and iron (mainly
magnetite). Anomalous content of bismuth is also a characteristic of
nearly all mineralization observed. The main mineralization is hosted at
the contact of intrusive granites and gabbros with generally calcitic
marbles and is considered to represent various forms of skarn related
alteration assemblages. Later deformation has structurally deformed and
tectonised both the host rocks as well as the mineralization itself,
which appears to be concentrated in shoot-like structures. These shoots
comprise the main target for the newly commenced drilling 2011 drill
program.
The planned 3000 m drill program will be expanded later this year as
appropriate on a result contingent basis. The same standard operating
protocols (SOP) will be utilized for the 2011 Program as were utilized
in the initial 2010 Program. Genalysis Laboratories of Johannesburg,
S.A. will provide analytical services. The work program at King Solomon,
including logging and sampling, is being conducted by RES under the
direction of C. Ocker on behalf of the joint venture partners. RES has
been conducting field programs for the Company on the Fingoe Regional
Gold Project from the initiation of the program in 2006. The Project is
being managed on behalf of the Company by Senior Consulting Geologist
Mr. Pete Siegfried (M.Sc., MAusIMM), a qualified person, who has
reviewed and approved the contents of this Press Release. Drilling
activities are being carried out by Mozambican contractor Resource
Drilling Lda.
According to Irwin Olian, CEO of the Company, 'We are very excited to be
resuming drilling at King Solomon at this time, as we look forward to
building upon the encouraging results already generated by our initial
reconnaissance drill program last year. The exploratory and geophysics
work we have recently completed suggests that the area to the West may
host significantly richer copper, gold and silver mineralization over
wider zones and we are looking forward to results from upcoming drill
testing of this area along strike and in several new zones which we have
identified.?
About African-Queen
The Company is an exploratory resource company with diversified mineral
properties in Southern and West Africa. It is exploring its properties
in Mozambique, Kenya and Ghana for gold and other metals and it is
undertaking exploration in Botswana and Namibia for diamonds, gold and
other metals. The Company′s licenses in Botswana comprise approximately
2890 sq km of diamond prospects. In Mozambique it has approximately 230
sq km of gold and other metals licenses under an agreement with another
company. In Kenya it has approximately 850 sq. km. under license for
gold and metals, and a further 737 sq. km. of gold and other minerals
licenses under agreements with two other companies. Its operations in
Botswana are carried out through its operating subsidiary, PAM Botswana
(Pty) Ltd.; its operations in Namibia are carried out through its
operating subsidiary PAM Minerals Namibia (Pty) Ltd.; its operations in
Mozambique are carried out through its subsidiary PAM Mocambique
Limitada and its operations in Ghana are carried out through its
subsidiary AQ Ghana Gold Limited. Its operations in Kenya are being
carried out through its operating subsidiary AQ Kenya Gold Limited. The
Company has its executive offices in Vancouver, Canada.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF
AFRICAN QUEEN MINES, LTD.
'Irwin Olian?
Irwin Olian
Chairman & CEO
The TSX Venture Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept
responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of the
information contained herein. The statements made in this press release
may contain certain forward-looking statements that involve a number of
risks and uncertainties. Actual events or results may differ from the
Company′s expectations.
African Queen Mines Ltd.
Irwin Olian, President and CEO
Phone:
(604) 899-0100
Fax: (604) 899-0200
E-mail: tigertail@africanqueenmines.com
or
Carrie
Howes, Corporate Communications
Phone: Germany - 49 (0) 21141
740411
U.K. - 44 (0) 870 490 5443
Canada - 1 416 900 3634
Email:
carrie@africanqueenmines.com