JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – An infill drill programme Endeavour Mining’s North Kao deposit, located at the Karma gold mine in Burkina Faso, has confirmed the continuity of the previous inferred resource, resulting in a maiden indicated resource of 314 000 oz amenable to heap leaching and a subsequent conversion of 262 000 oz to reserves.
The programme was completed last year and comprised 68 core holes of 7 571 m and 488 reverse circulation holes of 39 554 m. The sections were spaced by 50 m, with 35 m between holes.
Endeavour CEO Sébastien de Montessus noted that when the company acquired Karma last year, it was confident in its exploration potential and the ability to quickly extend the mine’s life.
“Following the conversion of resources at North Kao to reserves, Karma now meets our strategic portfolio criteria of having a minimum life of ten years and an ability to produce at an all-in-sustaining cost of below $850/oz.
“Looking ahead, our 2017 programme will focus on the Rambo West and Yabonsgo near-mill targets, which we believe could further improve the mine's outlook,” he pointed out.