Bafwasende - Gold and Diamond Project
Project location and tenure
The project consists of 44 exploration licences covering a total area of approximately 7,000 square kilometres located 220kms north east of Kisangani (the provincial capital) in Province Orientale in the north east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (refer attached map). Access to the area is good with the project area cut by the main road from Kisangani to the town of Bafwasende. Kisangani is serviced by daily flights from Kinshasa, the capital of the DRC.
Congo River at Kisangani
Geological Setting and Historic Activities
The Bafwasende Gold / Diamond Project is underlain by the Neo Proterozoic sedimentary rocks of the Lindian Group which occupy the northeastern extremity of the Congo Basin. The Lindian Group is mapped as sediments ranging from mudstone to conglomerates with inter-bedded carbonate. Basal conglomerates/breccias are developed along the contact with the underlying basement rocks. These sediments have been gently folded along WNW trending anticlinal / synclinal axis paralleling the WNW basin margin.
Whilst there are reported to be numerous areas of artisanal alluvial diamond / gold exploitation within the project area, there is no evidence of any systematic exploration activity. The project area is untested by modern exploration techniques.
A landsat interpretation has identified 3 main structural directions; WNW paralleling the basin margin, ENE and N-S which parallels the rifting in the Mid-Atlantic at the time of the Gondwana breakup. Significantly this is the time identified for the intrusion for the kimberlites at Mbudji Mayi (in the south west of the DRC and estimated to be producing about 5 million carats per year) and in West Africa. The intersections of these major crustal-scale linears, interpreted as major zones of crustal weakness, represent prime exploration targets. The Mbuji Mayi Diamond District sits at the intersection of the 3 major crustal structures.
Ownership
The Company holds 80% of the issued share capital of Coexco (the Congolese company holding the licences) and has a first right of refusal to acquire the other shareholders’ 20% interest in Coexco.
Diamond Joint Venture
Lindian has signed a joint venture agreement with BRC DiamondCore Ltd (BRC) a JSE / TSX listed diamond producer / explorer to explore for diamonds only on the Bafwasende Project. BRC can earn a 65% equity by completing a 3 stage exploration/development programme .
Terms
The principal terms of the agreement for BRC to acquire a 65% interest in the Bafwasende Gold and Diamond project are:
(a) must expend US$500,000 per year on prospecting and exploration activities within the Permit Area from the date of completion of Stage 1 of the First Work Program;
(b) must complete and provide to the Company a Pre-Feasibility Study within 48 months.
Work Programmes
The First Work Programme is designed to identify and prove the presence of kimberlites (or other related primary rocks) that could host diamonds in the project areas. The First Work Programme consists of the following three stages:
Stage 1
Collection and analysis of soil and/or stream samples on all major rivers and their tributaries. The samples will be screened and concentrated in the field. The concentrates will then be sorted for kimberlitic indicator minerals in a heavy mineral sorting laboratory.
A fine fraction of each sample will be provided to Lindian for geochemical analysis to determine the presence of gold and other metals/minerals.
Stage 2
Detailed sampling and/or airborne geophysical (magnetic and radiometric) surveys of positive areas identified from the Stage 1 sampling. All targets will be checked in the field and detailed geophysical surveys will be conducted over those interpreted to be associated with kimberlites.
Stage 3
Drilling of selected heavy mineral and geophysical targets (at least one target will be drilled during the First Work Program). This stage also includes laboratory work on the cores such as petrography, whole rock geochemistry, major and trace element analysis and limited geochronology to explain the sources for the anomalies. Micro-diamond analysis on selected samples of all newly discovered kimberlites will be conducted.
Exploration
The Stage 1 exploration programme consisting of stream sediment sampling has been completed. A total of 280 samples were taken within the licences averaging 1 sample per 25km2. BRC has dispatched the concentrates to the laboratory for processing and presented the undersize fraction (-80mesh) to Lindian. These samples were sent to Genalysis Laboratories in Perth, Australia for analysis.
Results from these samples demonstrated the presence of coincident Nickel and Chrome anomalism in the southern portion of the licences. The anomaly is semi-circular in shape over an area of measuring 18km x 50km. This anomalism demonstrates the presence of either unmapped volcanic rocks or intrusives potentially of kimberlitic composition.
Images/Maps
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Bafwasende - Interpretation
Road Kisangani to Bafwasende
Bafwasende - Diamond Buyers
Bafwasende - Diamond under microscope
Bafwasende - Interpretation