GREENFIELDS
Greenfields exploration activities continued in six
countries (Australia, Colombia, the DRC, China,
the Philippines, and Russia) during the first
quarter of 2008. A total of 25,220m of diamond
drilling (DDH), reverse circulation (RC), and
aircore (AC) drilling were completed during the
first quarter of 2008, at existing priority targets and
delineating new targets in Australia, the DRC, and
Colombia.
In addition to a total of 6.95Moz attributable
(9.1Moz on a 100% basis) of JORC Inferred and
Indicated Mineral Resource declared by
AngloGold Ashanti in 2007 at its greenfields
projects, an additional 12.9Moz Inferred Mineral
Resource has been defined at AngloGold
Ashanti’s 100% owned La Colosa project in
Colombia.
In Colombia, regional exploration and target
generation activities continued during the first
quarter with diamond drilling on four prospects. A
major focus was drilling and resource modelling at
La Colosa, where 5,897m of diamond drilling was
completed on the Main Porphyry and La Belgica
sectors. At the end of the quarter, a total of
17,052m has been drilled from 59 holes
throughout the La Colosa area, and an Inferred
Mineral Resource of 12.9Moz has been defined in
the Main Porphyry, at a gold price of $1,000/oz,
as per table below.
Cut-
Off
(g/t)
Price
$
Tonnage
(Mt)
Grade
(g/t)
Ounces
(Moz)
0.5
700 293.4
1.03
9.7
0.4
800 351.6
0.95
10.8
0.3 1,000
468.8
0.86
12.9
Table: Mineral Resource (Inferred), constrained within
an optimised pit shell at gold prices of $700, $800 and
$1000/oz
La Colosa is the second significant greenfields
discovery (Gramalote being the first) in Colombia
and was discovered by AngloGold Ashanti’s
Colombian greenfields exploration team during
2006. The Project is 100% owned by AngloGold
Ashanti and is located 150km west of Colombia’s
capital city, Bogota and 30km west of the major
town of Ibague in the Department of Tolima.
Since discovery, only 18 months ago, exploration
drilling at La Colosa has rapidly defined “porphyry
style” mineralization at a grade > 0.3g/t gold
extending over a strike length in excess of 1,500m
and a width of 600m. Additional upside potential,
which is considered material, remains untested
both along strike to the north and south as well as
to the east of the drilled portion of the deposit and
regionally, where at least three quality targets
require follow-up.
Included within the pit optimisation are some
0.5Moz of potentially mineralised material that has
not yet been drilled. This material was included in
the pit optimization, as it lies at the crest of the La
Colosa Hill and has not yet been drilled due to
logistical constraints. There is strong geological
evidence that this material is mineralised, and as
it has not been included in the Mineral Resource,
it constitutes further near term upside.
Exploration drilling at Colosa is temporarily
suspended until a new environmental permit is
issued, which is expected within the next few
months.
In Australia exploration in the Tropicana JV
(AngloGold Ashanti 70%, Independence Gold
30%) focussed on the drilling of the Tropicana and
Havana resource and infrastructure sterilisation as
part of the project pre-feasibility study. On
completion of this project at the end of the second
quarter 2008, the focus will be directed to the
regional programmes on the 12,500km
2
of
tenement held by AngloGold Ashanti in the
Tropicana JV and Viking Project (3,500km
2
and
100% AngloGold Ashanti). Reconnaissance work
in the Tropicana JV tenements returned
encouraging rock, auger, aircore and diamond
drilling results. Auger results defined anomalies at
Tropicana Group 4 with sufficient encouragement
to follow-up with further sampling and aircore
drilling later in the year. Mapping at Black Dragon
returned several selective rock chip samples with
anomalous grades up to 22.18g/t. Significant
aircore results were returned from Black Dragon,
Beetlejuice and Screaming Lizard. Diamond
drilling at Beachcomber included a 1.8m quartz
vein intersection with visible gold. During the first
quarter, a total of 258 aircore holes were drilled
for 14,291m and 2 diamond holes for 422m.
A restated joint venture agreement was signed
with Independence Gold during the quarter. The
agreement includes requirements for the future
mining operation and the JV partner has agreed to
jointly fund all regional exploration and certain
other activities outside of the agreed scope of the
Pre-feasibility Study.
Along the Albany-Fraser orogenic belt, where
AngloGold Ashanti has a first mover advantage,
with granted tenements and applications covering
an area of 12,500km
2
dominating a strike length
of 600km. The approximate 3,500km² Viking
project is southwest of the Tropicana JV within the
same Albany-Fraser belt that hosts the Tropicana