Amizmiz (Au)
Amizmiz is an exploration property located in the province of Marrakech in the Western High Atlas mountains, Morocco. Since 2009, our exploration programs have confirmed the presence of polymetallic gold-bearing veins in multiple zones.
The Amizmiz property is in the Occidental Range of the High Atlas mountains in the province of Marrakech. It is situated 54 kilometers NNE from the city of Marrakech, 7 kilometers WSW of the town of Amizmiz, and 12 kilometers directly north of our Azegour mine.
From Marrakech, a paved highway runs across the Haouz Plain. Just before the town of Amizmiz, a narrow paved road (P202) branches northwestward some eight kilometers to the village of Tizguine. A well-maintained road can be taken for 3.5 kilometers to reach the showings in the TRN zone of the Amizmiz property. The general area of the AZ zone is accessible through a series of back roads going south from the P202 road.
The property consists of 1 mining permit covering 16 km² and an exploration permit.
The mineralization consists of polymetallic (copper, zinc, lead), oxidized, gold-bearing veins, up to a meter in thickness and a decameter in length, in close proximity to mafic sills and interbedded in Lower Cambrian limestone (marble) (Figure 3).
Most gold-bearing veins occur along a NNW-trending corridor that can be traced from our Azegour mine. Gold is found as inclusions in altered iron oxide, carbonate, quartz, arsenopyrite or in muscovite. Their unoxidized counterparts contain pyrite, pyrrhotite, arsenopyrite and malachite with rare galena and chalcopyrite.
From 2009 to 2011, Maya carried out geological mapping, trenching and channel sampling resulting in the identification of 57 mineralized sites. Nearly 6,000 meters of core drilling were carried out on mineralized targets identified from ground-based induced polarization (IP) and magnetic geophysical surveys.
An inferred mineral resource of 819,769t grading 12.98 g/t Au was estimated from the data base provided by the Az and TRN zones.
*A cut-off grade of 1.74 g/t Au was used for a thickness of 1.55m (dilution= 0 g/t Au). Note that inferred mineral resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability.
The mineralization consists of polymetallic (copper, zinc, lead, silver), oxidized, gold-bearing veins injected into Lower Cambrian marble and located in close proximity to interbedded mafic sills. Most gold-bearing veins occur along a NNW-trending corridor of regional extent that can be traced from the Azegour Mine up to the TR-AZ structures. The veins appear as layers of red brown argillite, are oriented parallel to the S2 schistosity and display near vertical dips (> 80°) (Figures 3 and 4). The veins are formed by carbonate, quartz, muscovite, hematite, goethite and arsenates. X-ray (EDX) and scanning electron microscopy analyses indicated the presence of several gold grains (up to 50 μm), with 85% contained in electrum. Gold is also found as inclusions in altered iron oxide, carbonate, quartz, arsenopyrite or in muscovite. The unoxidized counterpart of the gold-bearing argillite veins contains pyrite, pyrrhotite, arsenopyrite and malachite with rare galena and chalcopyrite.
Several characteristics of the Amizmiz polymetallic Au veins suggest a carbonate replacement origin in a distal environment relative to a parent intrusive:
The degree of rock schistosity, fracturation, porosity or impermeability has played an important role in the apparent stratigraphic control of the mineralization. In particular, the strong penetrative S2 vertical schistosity has acted as a favorable conduit for the emplacement of mafic sills, porphyritic dykes and mineralized veins.
Between 2009 and 2011, exploration on the Amizmiz property consisted of mapping, trenching, channel sampling, drilling programs on specific mineralized zones and a ground-based geophysical survey along a newly established grid.
Aya has performed detailed geological and structural mapping of the property since its acquisition. Particular attention was devoted to detailed mapping of the mineralized zones consisting of polymetallic Au-bearing oxidized veins (Figure 3). Extensive channel sampling was conducted on at least 57 of these zones. The principal mineralized vein systems, AZ and TRN, provided the best gold values as seen below:
Zone | Aug (g/t) | Width (m) | Length (m) | No. of samples |
AzS1 | 11.90 | 1.78 | 16.00 | 8 |
AzN | 12.30 | 0.54 | 16.00 | 11 |
TRNA | 26.16 | 0.98 | 34.00 | 17 |
TRNC | 9.46 | 1.68 | 19.55 | 10 |
Magnetic and IP/resistivity surveys were conducted in 2009 on 42.8 linear kilometers of gridlines established in the northern segment of the Amizmiz permits. The Reduced to Pole (RTP) contour map highlights elliptical-shaped, NS to NE-SW-oriented anomalies reflecting the presence of thin veins or basic dykes. Chargeability anomalies are related to the Az and TR Au-mineralized zones and are largely controlled by the presence of sulphide minerals.
Drilling on Amizmiz was conducted on four main sites (TR, Tiqlit, Az, T Hill) (Figure 5). Twenty-nine diamond drill holes totaling 5,900 meters yielded significant gold intersections as summarized below:
DDH # | From (m) | To (m) | Width (m) | True Width(m) | Au (g/t) |
Tiqlit Zone | |||||
A3 | 92.00 | 100.00 | 8.00 | 8.00 | 7.05 |
(Incl.) | 92.00 | 112.00 | 20.00 | 20.00 | 3.02 |
A11 | 180.00 | 181.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1,27 |
AZ Zone | |||||
SCAZ-1 | 10.70 | 12.00 | 1.30 | 1.30 | 8.70 |
A-5 | 109.00 | 110.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.07 |
118.00 | 119.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.56 | |
TR Zone | |||||
SCTR-1 | 25.47 | 26.97 | 1.50 | 1.50 | 25.16 |
25.87 | 26.67 | 0.80 | 0.80 | 45.92 | |
SCTR-5 | 69.94 | 73.31 | 3.37 | 3.37 | 0.59 |
SCTR-6 | 28.10 | 29.70 | 1.60 | 1.60 | 21.99 |
T Hill | |||||
SCCT-2 | 137.40 | 138.40 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.20 |
132.40 | 133.40 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.26 |