Blackthorn Resources sees more gold potential at Burkina Faso

Blackthorn Resources Limited (ASX: BTR) has provided a progress report for the exploration program currently being conducted on the company’s 100% owned gold tenements in Burkina Faso, West Africa.

The 2010 exploration program comprises Rotary Air Blast (RAB), Reverse Circulation (RC) and Diamond-core (DDH) drilling methods designed to further test and follow-up on encouraging results identified in the area through previous exploration work.

First assay results have been received from one DDH drillhole on the GUIDO Prospect which now consolidates the TZ21 - IK - Q22 anomalies.

IKDH-001 intersected the following drilled thickness intervals: 14m at 2.06 g/t Au between 88m and 102m, including 1m at 17.90 g/t Au between 88m and 89m.

Two drilling rigs (1x DDH and 1x RC) are currently testing 5 target areas (POA, SEMAPOUN, TZ21 - IK - Q22) as follow-up to encouraging results identified last year. The SEMAPOUN and TZ21 - IK - Q22 prospects trend over a strike length of 8 kilometres.

The GUIDO Prospect represents a continuous zone approximately 5 km in strike length where drill testing is being focused.

RC and DDH components of the program are planning to drill an additional 10,000 metres. The company is investigating the availability of an additional DDH rig to support this drilling campaign.

The RAB component of the current drilling program has completed 340 holes totalling 5,727 metres.

Positive gold (Au) assay results were received from RAB drilling conducted on the POA Prospect. The results included 18m at 1.10 g/t Au between 12m and 30m EOH, including 10m at 1.85 g/t Au between 16m and 26m; and 12m at 1.23 g/t Au between 0m and 12m EOH, including 6m at 2.01 g/t Au between 2m and 8m.

The current exploration program plans to collect sufficient data from mineralised intersections in order to initiate a JORC code compliant Mineral Resource study by the end of year.

The MSA Group have been engaged to review the current results and program, and provide guidance for resource evaluation.

Blackthorn Resources has received data from a regional gravity survey funded by Newmont Ventures Limited under a data sharing arrangement entered into in late 2009. Review of the dataset is progressing.

Managing Director Scott Lowe said “Blackthorn Resources started this year’s gold exploration program as soon as it was dry enough to mobilise equipment. We have two drilling rigs currently working and are looking at securing an additional diamond-core drilling rig to further supplement the current program."

"The company continues to be very positive about its prospective gold exploration tenements in Burkina Faso, where initial results from diamond-core drilling have exceeded expectations."

"We are aggressively pursuing exploration with the medium term goal of defining a JORC code compliant mineral resource. Of course achieving this goal depends on the results of drilling. However we see potential and are greatly encouraged by the work completed to date,” Lowe added.

http://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/companies/news/6412/blackthorn-resources-sees-more-gold-potential-at-burkina-faso-6412.html