news
Loulo-Gounkoto’s new underground mine ramps up “Loulo-Gounkoto is one of the world’s greatest gold mining operations and it continues to confirm its status as a member of the industry’s elite Tier One club”
S
uccessful exploration is keeping Barrick Gold’s Loulo-Gounkoto mine in Mali on track to increase mineral reserves net of depletion for the third successive year, according to Barrick president and chief executive Mark Bristow, with promising results from the Yalea Ridge and GounkotoFaraba targets reaffirming the potential for further life-of-mine extensions. Speaking at a media briefing, Bristow
said Loulo-Gounkoto was on track to meet its annual production guidance, with its new underground mine at Gounkoto — the complex’s third underground operation — ramping up production. “Loulo-Gounkoto is one of the world’s greatest gold mining operations and it continues to confirm its status as a member of the industry’s elite Tier One club, as well as the largest private sector
contributor to Mali’s GDP,” said Bristow. Loulo-Gounkoto is maintaining its commitment to the employment and advancement of host country nationals, in line with Barrick’s global policy, and people from the nearby Kenieba village have been successfully trained to operate key equipment at the new Gounkoto underground mine. The complex is almost entirely staffed and managed by Malian citizens.
Nickel Rock updates exploration program in British Columbia
N
ickel Rock Resources has announced that the second phase of its initial exploration program has been completed on its nickel exploration claims in northern British Columbia, Canada. The BC Nickel Exploration Project consists of four non-contiguous mineral claims groups held through three separate agreements. The exploration stage project is in the Trembleur Lake area of central British Columbia, partially adjacent to FPX Nickel Corp’s Decar Nickel Project. Nickel Rock has optioned out an 80% interest on two of its four mineral
claims within the group, the Hard Nickel 4 and Nickel 100 exploration claims, to Surge Battery Metals in order to concentrate on its exploration efforts on the Nickel Group Claims directly adjacent to the FPX Nickel Corp Baptiste Nickel Deposit. “We are very pleased with the results from our initial exploration program on the Hard Nickel and Nickel 100 claim group and specifically with the work completed during phase 2 of this initial exploration program,” said Robert Setter, company president and CEO. “So far, we have recorded some
relatively high Ni readings measured via portable XRF on the Nickel S block, as mentioned in our news from June 28, 2021, and our geological team suspects these ultramafic rocks have potential to host awaruite mineralization. This second phase of exploration includes both soil and rock sampling, technical report writing, mapping and assay work, with the remaining work to be done on trenching, geological, geochemical and geophysical surveying. Completion of this remaining work will fulfil our flowthrough exploration work program commitments for 2021.” World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com
111