In July 2011 Congo Natural Capital group Sprl signed a MOU with Pangimines SPRL to acquire a 90% interest in 4 exploration licences in the Maniema Province, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The licences cover 467km2 of Proterozoic rocks prospective for gold and tin.
The Maniema Province is located in the eastern part of DRC and is partly covered by the intracontinental Kibara mobile belt that extends from Zambia to southern Uganda. The project area is located on the western margin of the belt and comprises Mesoproterozoic (Burundian, Kibaran) and Palaeozoic (Rusizian) sediments and metasediments subjected to multiple phases of deformation, magmatic and volcanic activity.
A reconnaissance visit to one of the licences, PR3280, in June 2011 was undertaken to conduct a geological assessment with geological mapping and rock chip sampling. Numerous artisanal mining sites were located with hard-rock gold mineralisation observed at 6 sites.
All of the sites returned anomalous gold (>20ppb Au) from rock chip sampling with a best result of 21.8g/t from a Fe-rich, gold bearing breccia 1-2m wide exposed over 40m length.
Following settlement of a joint venture agreement between Congo Natural Capital group Sprl and Pangimines a draft exploration program and budget (US$1.82M) comprising airborne geophysics (magnetic susceptibility, U-K-Th), geochem sampling and drilling was conducted between for 2016 to 2019.
Gold Mineralisation within PR3280
Six hard rock artisanal mining sites were inspected during the reconnaissance visit in June 2016.
Songwe
The Songwe Prospect comprises three parallel quartz veins across a 10m wide zone exposed in a 30m long open pit working in an extensive alluvial gold mining area. The host rock consists of metasediments with mineralised pelitic schists containing pyrite and arsenopyrite localised along intensely sheared sections of the main structure.
Mineralisation is contained within stockwork to semi-massive, hematitic zones of quartz stockwork veining and extends into intensely sericite altered host metasediment. The mineralised structure dips very steeply, ~90º towards 149º and has a northeast trend. It is open at either end. The four rock chip samples collected returned 0.84, 0.19, 0.35 and 0.05g/t Au from the periphery of the working.
Tchamilungi
The Tchamilungi Prospect comprises a strongly brecciated, ferruginous quartz vein exposed in shallow workings over a strike of approximately 40m. The host lithology comprises metasediments (Burundian?) which are locally silicified and sericite altered either side of the quartz structure. Mineralisation is contained within a 1 to 2m wide hematite-specularite quartz vein with locals reporting frequent visible gold.
The vein dips 60º towards 048º and has a northwest orientation. The one rock chip sample collected returned 21.8g/t Au.
Kikozi
The Kikozi Prospect comprises a hematite altered, 2 to 3m wide quartz stockwork zone hosted within intensely silicified metasediments and quartzites in an area of extensive alluvial gold mining. The main structure is exposed over a distance of 40m and comprises shallow artisanal workings 0.5 to 1m deep due to the high hardness of the host rock.
The mineralised structure is subvertical, has an east-west orientation dipping 85º towards 003º and is open to the east and west. Rock chip sampling returned 3 samples at 0.01 g/t Au and one sample at 0.02g/t Au.
Kimgombe-Mbale
Kingombe-Mbale comprises a narrow (~30cm wide) quartz vein hosted within metasediments exposed over 50m near an area of extensive alluvial workings. The vein dips 85º towards 304º and has a northeast orientation.
Three samples collected from the vein returned 0.19, 0.10, 0.2g/t Au.
Kakalonde
Kabalonde comprises a sub-parallel network of 3 quartz veins, 1-2m wide, connected by a series of anastomosing quartz stockwork veins hosted within chlorite schists (Rusizian?). The veins are parallel to the schist foliation which dips 80º towards 360º (east-west strike).
The four samples collected returned between 0.01 and 0.2g/t Au.
Katabwe
Katabwe comprises a 0.3-0.4m wide, hematitic quartz vein hosted within weathered shales. The vein dips 73º towards 046º and has a similar orientation and appearance to Tchamilungi which occurs almost 5km along strike to the southeast.
Three samples taken across the face of the vein returned 0.13, 0.06 and 0.16g/t Au.
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