Calgary, November 4th, 2021 – Alpha Exploration Ltd. (“Alpha” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce results of recent surface sampling at the Aburna gold prospect, part of the Company’s 100% owned Kerkasha Project, Eritrea.
Michael Hopley, Alpha President and CEO said “The Aburna gold prospect is a new area of gold mineralization stretching some 4 km northeast from the old Aburna colonial gold mine. Assay results from the initial surface sampling are very encouraging and identify extensive gold mineralization at Aburna and Alpha will now accelerate work to define drill targets.”
Aburna Gold Prospect
The Aburna gold prospect is located on the western side of the Company’s large, Kerkasha exploration license. Gold was mined at Aburna in the 1920s by Italian colonial miners and more recently by local artisanal miners. Recent work by Alpha staff has identified gold mineralization over an area of approximately 4 km by 2 km, northeast of the Aburna Mine. Gold mineralization is associated with three regional NE-SW oriented shear zones. Recent work by Alpha has included a 100 m x 100 m soil-sample survey, east-west reconnaissance rock-chip traverses and continuous 1-m long sub-surface channel and trench sampling. In addition, consultant structural geologist Dr. Ghislain Tourigny has recently completed detailed geological mapping of these gold mineralized areas.
Results above define five prospective zones at Aburna, namely Channel 12 NE Area, Aburna Central Area, Hill 52 Area, Celebration Hill Area and Saddle Workings Area with a sixth zone (Pad 2 Area) defined as prospective from structural mapping but as yet unsampled – see map #1 below
Reconnaissance Grab Samples
In November and December 2020, Alpha geologists took 352 grab samples as part of an initial reconnaissance of the Aburna gold prospect. Of these samples, thirty-seven (37) had gold values over 1 g/t gold, seven (7) samples had values over 10 g/t gold and three (3) samples had values of over 100 g/t gold – see Map 1.
MAP 1
Channel Samples
The results of the reconnaissance work described above led the Alpha exploration team into specific areas of interest within the Aburna prospect. From April to September 2021, 54 channels were cleared of colluvium and 1,536 rock-chip samples taken in 1-m intervals across the strike of the mineralization. The most significant results of the channel sampling program are presented in Table 1 and Map 2 below as follows:
Table 1 – Significant Intervals from Aburna Channel Samples
(Best intervals highlighted in orange)
Channel 12 NE Area
Channel Number | Meters | Average gold grade (g/t) |
12 | 25 | 3.71 |
45 | 9 | 4.10 |
Aburna Central Area
Channel Number | Meters | Average gold grade (g/t) |
40 | 10 | 1.84 |
8 | 2.04 |
Hill 52 Area
Channel Number | Meters | Average gold grade (g/t) |
50 | 3 | 9.51 |
11 | 6.35 | |
51 | 51 | 2.14 |
52 | 6 | 0.30 |
8 | 9.65 |
Celebration Hill Area
Channel Number | Meters | Average gold grade (g/t) |
17 | 5 | 1.63 |
18 | 9 | 0.35 |
21 | 8 | 0.71 |
22 | 18 | 0.64 |
25 | 11 | 0.75 |
26 | 11 | 0.34 |
28 | 6 | 0.93 |
29 | 7 | 0.44 |
31 | 12 | 0.37 |
33 | 12 | 0.44 |
Saddle Workings Area
Channel Number | Meters | Average gold grade (g/t) |
2 | 15 | 0.53 |
3 | 9 | 0.74 |
7 | 6 | 0.61 |
10 | 9 | 0.61 |
NB: Pad 2 Area is a structural target and has not been sampled to date.
Map 2
Trench Sampling
To verify the channel sampling results, Alpha excavated twelve (12) 1–2 m deep trenches to bedrock using a bulldozer. Once excavated, the base of the trenches was mapped and sampled. This program continues, but the best results to date are presented in in Table 2 and Map 3 below
Table 2 – Trench Sampling Results
Channel 12 NE Area
Trench Number | Meters | Average gold grade g/t |
3 | 10 | 3.28 |
10 | 19 | 0.63 |
2 | 1.45 | |
11 | 12 | 1.87 |
Celebration Hill Area
Trench Number | Meters | Average gold grade g/t |
4 | 16 | 2.51 |
7 | 9 | 0.94 |
1 | 25 | 0.56 |
Map 3
Strong intervals of gold mineralization were identified in trench 3 (10 m of 3.28 g/t gold), 11 (12m @ 1.87 g/t gold) and 4 (16 m at 2.51 g/t gold).
Geological mapping
Recent geological mapping of gold-bearing structures at Aburna suggests that the mineralized structures are part of a curviplanar shear system associated with widespread hydrothermal alteration. The ongoing trenching and structural study will assist in Alpha’s understanding of the controls of gold mineralization in the area and help target the planned drilling at Aburna.
Alpha’s Plans for Aburna
Based on the encouraging results from the surface sampling more trenching consisting of approximately 30 back-hoe trenches are planned to be dug and sampled at Aburna in Q4 2021. Based on the results of this work, a drilling program consisting of approximately 30 reverse-circulation drill holes totaling approximately 4,400 meters is planned for Aburna in late Q4 2021.
About Alpha
Alpha is an exploration company focused on the discovery of world class economic gold and base metals deposits in the highly prospective Arabian-Nubian shield, on either side of the Red Sea. Alpha currently holds a 100% interest in the large (1,028 km2) Kerkasha Exploration License in southwest Eritrea, located 135 km west-southwest of the capital city of Asmara. Since acquiring the property in January 2018, the company has spent approximately CAD$10 million on exploration and identified 18 prospects, of which four have been drilled to date. The Anagulu copper-gold porphyry system was a virgin discovery by Alpha geologists in early 2018, that was made while executing a property-wide soil sampling program. The discovery diamond hole was drilled in January 2020 and reported a 49-m wide interval with an average grade of 2.42 g/t gold, 1.10% copper and 6.83 g/t silver. Work will continue at Anagulu, and four other prospects (Aburna, Tolegimja, Kona West and Kosolda) through to the end of the year.
Alpha is managed by a group of highly experienced and successful professionals with many years of experience carrying out exploration and resource development programs in Eritrea and Sudan.
For further information go to the Alpha webpage at www.alpha-exploration.com or contact:
Michael Hopley
President and Chief Executive Officer
Alpha Exploration Ltd.
Email: mhopley@alpha-exploration.com
Tel: +44 207129 1148
Quality Assurance and Quality Control
The reconnaissance rock chip sampling programme at Aburna has been carried out using industry ‘best practice’ procedures where samples are collected from outcrop only and a 2kg sample is collected for assay using a geological hammer.
Traverse sampling at Aburna is used to test areas of interest (e.g., soil anomalies) and uses industry ‘best practice’ procedures. Samples are collected from outcrop only, where a 2kg (3m composite) sample is collected for assay using a geological hammer.
Channel sampling is used to test the possible width of an area of interest, identified from rock chip sampling:
Trench sampling is used to test to bed rock the possible width of an area of interest, identified from rock chip or channel sampling:
All rock chip, traverse, channel and trench samples were prepared at Nabro Laboratory, Asmara, Eritrea and samples were analyzed by ALS Geochemistry, Loughrea, Ireland. The analytical method for gold was Au-AA25.
Qualified Person
All scientific and technical information in this press release, including the results of the Aburna surface sampling program and how these results relate to the ongoing exploration at the Kerkasha Project has been reviewed, verified and approved by Michael Hopley President, Chief Executive Officer of Alpha and a “qualified person” for the purposes of national Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.
Cautionary Notes
This press release is intended for distribution in Canada only and is not intended for distribution to United States newswire services or dissemination in the United States.
Michael Hopley, a “Qualified Person” within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this press release.
Forward‐Looking Statements
Certain statements and information herein, including all statements that are not historical facts, contain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such forward-looking statements or information include but are not limited to statements or information with respect to: future dataset interpretations, sampling, plans for its projects (including the Aburna project), surveys related to Alpha’s assets, and the Company’s drilling program. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements or information can be identified by the use of words such as “estimate”, “project”, “belief”, “anticipate”, “intend”, “expect”, “plan”, “predict”, “may” or “should” and the negative of these words or such variations thereon or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements and information. With respect to forward-looking statements and information contained herein, Alpha has made numerous assumptions including among other things, assumptions about general business and economic conditions and the price of gold and other minerals. The foregoing list of assumptions is not exhaustive.
Although management of Alpha believes that the assumptions made and the expectations represented by such statements or information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that forward-looking statements or information herein will prove to be accurate. Forward-looking statements and information by their nature are based on assumptions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results, performance or achievements, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or information. These factors include, but are not limited to: risks relating to Alpha’s financing efforts; risks associated with the business of Alpha given its limited operating history; business and economic conditions in the mining industry generally; the supply and demand for labour and other project inputs; changes in commodity prices; changes in interest and currency exchange rates; risks relating to inaccurate geological and engineering assumptions (including with respect to the tonnage, grade and recoverability of reserves and resources); risks relating to unanticipated operational difficulties (including failure of equipment or processes to operate in accordance with specifications or expectations, cost escalation, unavailability of materials and equipment, government action or delays in the receipt of government approvals, industrial disturbances or other job action, and unanticipated events related to health, safety and environmental matters); risks relating to adverse weather conditions; political risk and social unrest; changes in general economic conditions or conditions in the financial markets; changes in laws (including regulations respecting mining concessions); risks related to the direct and indirect impact of COVID-19 including, but not limited to, its impact on general economic conditions, the ability to obtain financing as required, and causing potential delays to exploration activities; those factors discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” in the Final Prospectus; and other risk factors as detailed from time to time. Alpha does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.