Location and Project Description

The Malele-Gobirawa Project is located approximately 100 kilometres south-southwest of the city of Gusau in Zamfara State, north-western Nigeria.  The Project area covers 1,302 square kilometres in 13 exploration licences situated on Proterozoic banded gneisses and schists of the Maru Schist Belt.

The exploration tenements cover a 60 kilometre long zone of artisanal workings that include the Malele and Gobirawa Prospects.

The Malele Prospect is accessed by 94 kilometres of sealed highway and 16 kilometres of dirt road.

The Gobirawa Prospect is accessed by 50 kilometres of sealed highway and 30 kilometres of dirt road.

Title

Erin, through an incorporated joint venture (Erin-Nakofa Minerals Limited) with Nakofa Resources Ltd, holds the right to secure a 70% interest in the Project by funding, as sole contributor, all exploration expenditure until completion of a positive feasibility study.
The Exploration Licences were renewed for a second 2 year term in 2010.  A second renewal is due in 2012.

 

Mineralisation

Malele Prospect

Extensive areas of current and past artisanal gold workings, over a distance of more than 6 kilometres, have been located within the Malele Prospect area.  Gold mineralisation is associated with steeply dipping to sub-vertical quartz veins within sheared and altered schists.  Rock alteration includes silicification and chloritisation with associated development of sulphides.

The main centre of colonial mining activity is within exploration licence 382EL where historical open cut mining activities, carried out in the 1930’s, occur along a 2 kilometre reef development.  Three zones, Northern, Main and Southern, have historic and current artisanal mining conducted over strike lengths of 350 metres to more than 800 metres.  These zones formed the target for Erin’s first pass drilling programme conducted in 2010.

Colonial mining has taken place to depths of 20 to 30 metres in slots 30 metres wide over distances in excess of 70 metres.  Artisanal workings are present more or less continuously along the length of the mineralised zone and new reefs are still being found by the local miners.  No records of past gold production have been located; however the workings are substantial.

The mineralisation occurs in a zone of shearing, up to 80 metres wide, containing individual (0.25 metres up to 2.0 metres wide) veins and veinlets of quartz.  The veins occur in shears that in places are greater than 5 metres thick within a granodiorite.  The actual thickness is obscured by poor exposure and extensive mine spoil coverage.
Workings occur on 6 separate structures with a central shear passing through the Malele Main Zone.  Historic mining occurs at dilational jog positions along the structure.

The main structural trend has been traced through mapping, artisanal workings and soil geochemistry over 6 kilometres.  The trend forms part of a larger 30 kilometre long anomalous trend defined through soil geochemistry and artisanal workings.

Erin’s first pass drilling programme was conducted on three separate prospects within the trend.

At the Malele Prospect a large gold mineralising system, having analogies with some of the major gold systems in West Africa, has been identified.  Drill testing over a small part of its extent has confirmed the presence of widespread, structurally controlled gold mineralisation.

The Malele shear zone/quartz vein system is located on the flank of a domal structure that is contained within and bounded by a bifurcation of the regional shear zone.

The domal feature is likely to be the surface expression of an intrusive at depth.  High level intrusive plugs are interpreted from satellite imagery to be present within a dome to the north of Malele.

Gobirawa Prospect

Historical gold workings and shallow artisanal workings occur over more than 1 kilometre in schists and amphibolites of the Precambrian Maru Schist Belt at the Gobirawa Prospect.
Prior to Erin’s involvement, exploration had been confined to trenching and costean excavation carried out in Colonial times by British and German groups in conjunction with small scale open pit mining activities during the 1930’s, as well as by the Nigerian Mining Corporation in more recent years.  No records of the past gold production have been located.

The Prospect consists of a series of north-south trending gold bearing sub-vertical quartz veins located within sheared and altered amphibolites and felsic schists.  Alteration includes silicification, epidotisation and chloritisation.  Sulphides have been observed in both the quartz and surrounding wall rocks.

Small scale open-cut mining activities carried out in the 1930’s occur in two north-south trending parallel zones 130 metres apart and extending over 500 metres (the western workings are centred on a zone of quartz veining, shearing and silicification within schist host rocks).  Mining on the eastern zone has been focused on extracting a laminated quartz reef near the contact between schist and amphibolite.

Based upon field observations and geochemical sampling the eastern zone mineralisation appears to be confined to a north-south trending fault, with the western zone reflecting more widely spread gold mineralisation within sheared and altered hanging wall rocks.

Both structural styles lend themselves to the development of significant ore bodies.  The fault setting offers potential for higher grade shoot development and the western zone, development of bulk tonnage disseminated gold mineralisation amenable to open pit extraction.

To the south and west of the main workings there are extensive alluvial and eluvial gold workings (over 570 metres), Photo 4.  In places amongst these workings there are hard rock workings that extend below the eluvial cover.  The main part of the eluvial workings covers the projected southern extension of the mineralised hanging wall sequence mined in the western zone.  Possible extensions to the Gobirawa gold mineralisation exist to the north under laterite and to the south under soil, alluvium and eluvial cover.

A regional lineament, evident on satellite imagery, is coincident with the Gobirawa quartz vein system and is likely to have been an important influence on the location of gold mineralisation.  Late, high level intrusive stocks are interpreted to be present to the east and north.
Based upon rock chip sampling results, artisanal gold workings and soil geochemical results potential for a large gold system exists at Gobirawa.

Work Completed to January 2012

In May-June 2008 Erin undertook due diligence work on the Malele-Gobirawa Project area.  The work involved geological assessment, auger sampling, Niton soil traverses and rock-chip sampling.

Geology Mapping

A geological map over the Malele and Gobirawa prospects at 1:10,000 was finished in the June 2009 quarter.  The detailed mapping centred on the historic workings and their recognised strike extensions at both prospects.  Additional geological mapping was completed during the September 2009 quarter covering areas of potential prospect extensions.

In mid to late 2009 more detailed mapping at 1:500 was completed in areas of planned drilling.

At the Malele Prospect mapping delineated a major en-echelon shear system within three major rock types; basement granite gneiss, granodiorite, and phyllic, mafic and minor felsic schists.  A main north-easterly trending shear with north-westerly trending splay structures is developed across all rock types.  Past mining activity at Malele occurs within all of the shear orientations over widths that are often difficult to determine because of lack of outcrop and mine waste.  A structural setting with strong potential for the development of high-grade shear controlled mineralisation within all lithologies and large tonnage brittle fracture vein/shear controlled mineralisation within the competent granodiorite lithology was identified.

At the Gobirawa Prospect mapping delineated discrete shear zones and defined the extent of a number of major rock types including basement granite gneiss, granodiorite, pyroxenite and phyllic, mafic and minor felsic schists.

Auger Soil Sampling

Hand auger sampling in 2008 was conducted to test the C-horizon in the soil in the area between the reefs to determine whether gold mineralisation is present.  Sampling was done on 200 metres by 10 metres.

At the Malele Prospect an appraisal of the auger sampling technique indicated that a relatively high proportion of auger samples were of basal gravels in the overlying cover, rather than in-situ C-horizon.  No sampling occurred about the Main Zone workings because of significant surficial disturbance and rock spoil contamination.  Gold and arsenic in auger identified strike extensions north and south.  A strong zone of arsenic anomalism was identified lying along the mafic schist contact immediately east of the large alluvial workings at the Southern Malele Zone.

At the Gobirawa Prospect the auger results highlighted the two existing lines of recognised gold workings, an area of elevated gold over a ridge of weakly silicified and haematised psammopelites immediately west of the main workings, and arsenic values are elevated along the eastern margin of the Gobirawa Shear, though the anomaly appears to be closed off both to the north and south.

Hand-held XRF Analyser Soil Sampling

An XRF Analyser (Niton) survey on soil (B-horizon) was conducted in the first half of 2009 to ascertain the size and dimensions of the mineralising system.  Sampling was spaced 200 metres by 20 metres, except where the ground had been disturbed or transported (e.g. alluvium).

At the Malele Prospect visual identification of galena, minor chalcopyrite and arsenopyrite indicate that these were the best elements for indicating likely extensions to the known mineralised zones.

At the Gobirawa Prospect results indicated that weak lead, tungsten and copper values trend southwards along the eastern margin of the Gobirawa Shear and up towards the eastern line of reef.

Prospect Soil Sampling

Prospect soil sampling was undertaken in 2009 on a spacing of 200 metres by 40 metres.

At the Malele Prospect the results confirm early observations regarding the controls on the mineralisation, i.e. the generally N-S trending shear zones, refer to the Malele Prospect - First Pass Drilling figure.  In addition, the auriferous shear zones do not continue to the northeast.  However, the soil assays confirm the continuation of the mineralised zone to the south (over the southern pits) and that the central shear zone (where no workings were identified and was believe to be of no interest) could have potential.  In addition, the system remains open-ended in the south.

At the Gobirawa Prospect the results confirm the occurrence of the mineralisation around the main pits with a width between 250-500 metres and approximately 1,000 metres long, refer to the following Gobirawa Prospect – Gold Geochemistry and Geology figure.  The data also suggests that the original shear-zone controlled model for the occurrence of the mineralisation still stands; with the mineralised zone being tightly constrained by the two sub-parallel N-S shear zones.  The principal gold anomaly continues to the south associated with the Gobirawa Shear.  The highest values are close to this structure.  A good place to concentrate gold seems to be where the contact between the schists and the granites are crossed by shearing.

Regional Soil Sampling

Regional soil sampling on a spacing of 800 metres by 800 metres was undertaken in 2010/11.

Results of the regional soil sampling identified a 35 kilometre zone of gold- in-soil anomalism in the southern half of the Malele-Gobirawa Project area, refer to the following Malele Prospect – Regional Gold Targets figure.  The zone is associated with extensive artisanal workings.  Limited first pass drilling spread over 5 kilometres of the zone returned a best intersection of 7m @ 1.7 g/t Au, initially testing shear zone quartz veining in the granitic/greenstone host rocks contact.  Mapping has identified a greenstone host for most of remaining gold anomalies.  Eight (8) gold targets remain untested.

Rock Chip Sampling

Erin collected rock chip samples of quartz, schist and gneiss in 2008.
At the Malele Prospect, of the 64 samples taken, 86% (55 samples) reported anomalous gold levels (>0.2g/tAu).  The average grade of all rock chip samples taken was 5.86g/tAu.  The highest gold grades were found associated with sulphide hosting quartz.  Some of the wallrock samples of schist and gneiss yielded assays greater than 1ppmAu.  The samples, whilst not taken systematically, were distributed throughout the mineralised zone and confirmed the presence of widespread gold mineralisation.  Refer to the following Malele Prospect – Gold Geochemistry figure.

At the Gobirawa Prospect sixty-two rock chip samples were taken of outcropping quartz, schist, pyroxenite and gneissic rocks over the 1.2 kilometre extent of eluvial and hard rock workings.  The average grade of all samples collected is 1.05g/tAu.  The average grade of all samples (15 samples) with a grade >1g/tAu is 3.95g/tAu.  The five samples that are over 30g/tAu are of quartz, usually containing sulphides.  Assays >1g/tAu are distributed throughout the area.  Notably some of the wall rock samples of schist and gneiss yielded assays >1g/tAu.  Rock chip sampling is restricted to areas of outcrop but with this limitation acknowledged, assays greater than 0.5g/tAu are broadly distributed throughout the area.

Ground Magnetic Survey

Ground magnetic surveys were undertaken over the Malele and Gobirawa Prospect areas in the first half of 2009.  Readings were taken on a spacing of 100 metres by 10 metres.  The survey highlighted the offset of lithologies by the main faults in the area and the younger granites.

Airborne Magnetics

An appraisal of the regional aeromagnetic images was completed in early 2009.  The interpretation highlighted strong EW magnetic trends, not evident in the regional state mapping, but that generally confirm the regional lithological trends identified in the mapping.

At the Malele Prospect the interpreted structures support those observed in the ground magnetic survey, highlight strike extensions of regional structures, identify areas of magnetic response in basement gneisses, and suggest other structural zones similar to the Malele mineralised zone that are potential targets for further gold exploration.
At the Gobirawa Prospect the magnetic highs reflect higher magnetic susceptibility in the northeast trending volcanics, the pelitic schists and quartzites have a low magnetic response, the strike extension of a major northeast structure was verified (though mapping confirmed that the mineralisation is controlled by secondary N-S trending link structures that show moderately well on the regional magnetics as offsets in magnetic trends and as demagnetisation zones), and these zones continue along N-S trends into the pelitic schists to the south.

Orientation Geophysics – Gobirawa Prospect

An orientation geophysical study was completed in the September 2010 quarter to cover the area of the main mineralised intercepts at the Gobirawa Prospect.  A number of different types of geophysical techniques (including resistivity, IP and VLF EM) were carried out to determine which technique/s is able to identify the mineralised zone.  A survey grid was established, 40 metres by 5 metres, centred on the mineralised intercepts returned in drill holes GOBDD0001 and GOBDD0002.  The VLF-EM results were interpreted to show NNE-SSW trends intersecting quartz veining as the loci for gold mineralisation.  It was therefore recommended that reconnaissance VLF-EM would be a rapid tool for identifying areas of potential gold mineralisation.

Reconnaissance VLF-EM

Based on the results of the orientation geophysical exercise complete on the Gobirawa Prospect, reconnaissance VLF-EM was undertaken over two selected areas in mid-2011 prior to planning any infill soil sampling and follow up RAB drilling.  Processed results were received in late 2011 and a final interpretation of the results against current datasets is pending.

Drilling

The Gobirawa Prospect - First Pass Drilling and the Gobirawa Prospect - Section 8050N figures) occurred in 2010.

At the Malele Prospect drilling was completed to test the lateral and depth extent of the gold mineralisation which had been the target of colonial and artisanal workings and to test for the development of a large brittle stock-work quartz vein/shear system in the area of the historical workings.

A total of 1 RC hole and 26 diamond core holes were drilled for a total of 2,782 metres in the 3 Zones, refer to the Malele Prospect - First Pass Drilling figure.  These represent a first pass test of 1.5 kilometres of the 30 kilometre long geochemically anomalous structure.  Drilling was undertaken to a maximum depth of 130 metres in fences across the structure.

Widespread anomalous gold mineralisation was encountered with intersections in most holes.  At the Details of the mineralised intercepts (>0.1g/tAu) are presented in the following table and significant intercepts (>5m.g/t) include:

MALDD0013		7.0m@0.8g/tAu from 21.0m
MALDD0016		7.0m@1.7g/tAu from 18.0m

Plus 0.5g/t Au intersections were present in 13 holes and plus 1g/t Au intersections were present in 8 holes.  Mineralisation found to date is mostly confined to narrow quartz veins in brittle shears within a granodiorite host.  The veins/shears show lateral continuity.
The strength of the system was confirmed through the extent of the alteration and the widespread anomalous gold mineralisation.  Strong potential for ore development in areas of favourable structural architecture along the Malele shear present targets for immediate drill testing.

Malele is potentially a major, essentially untested, gold system.

At the Gobirawa Prospect a limited first pass drilling programme was undertaken to test both the eastern and western mineralised structures identified by past workings at Gobirawa, refer to the Gobirawa Prospect - First Pass Drilling figure.  Holes were drilled to a maximum depth of 140 metres for a total of 1,039 metres.

Drilling of the western target intersected a mylonitic silicified zone, variable in thickness from less than 1 metre to greater than 10 metres, in a number of drill holes over a strike length in excess of 200 metres.  This zone returned widespread anomalous mineralisation over widths of more than 10 metres with ore grade intercepts in 5 holes.  Details of mineralised intercepts (>0.1g/tAu) are presented in the following table and significant (ore grade) intercepts (>5m.g/t) include:

GOBDD0001		8.3m@3.7g/tAu from 81.0m
GOBDD0002		15.9m@2.9g/tAu from 70.2m
GOBDD0008		4.0m@1.6g/tAu from 7.0m
GOBDD0010		3.4m@1.5g/tAu from 26.0m
GOBDD0011		6.8m@1.3g/tAu from 5.0m

 

This unit is correlated to surface outcrop, refer to the Gobirawa Prospect - Section 8050N figure.  Through drilling and surface mapping the silicified zone has been traced over more than 500 metres in strike and remains open ended.  The gold mineralisation intersected in drilling remains open at depth.

Drilling on the eastern zone at Gobirawa intersected narrow, sub-vertical vuggy quartz veins with minor sulphides with anomalous gold (best 1 metre @ 1g/tAu).

Immediate drilling to extend the known mineralisation at depth and along strike to further delineate and test the extent of western silicified zone at Gobiriwa is proposed.

 

Current Activities

All field activities in Nigeria have currently been suspended due to the prevailing security crisis.

Finalise the review of the reconnaissance VLF-EM against other datasets to assess its ongoing utilisation value.

Plan infill soil sampling on a spacing of 120 metres by 40 metres over all targets identified, together with more detailed geological and regolith mapping over the same areas.  Sampling is planned to commence once the security crisis has been diminished.

 

Planned for Completion in 2012

Complete the second renewal of the permits in the first quarter of 2012.

Erin’s aim is to quickly evaluate the anomalous gold trends identified with the regional soil geochemistry to generate drill targets.  With infill soil sampling over the target areas providing better definition of the anomalous zones, reconnaissance RAB fence drilling will be planned over the zones to quickly assess whether they have the potential to host ore grade gold bodies.

 

MALELE PROSPECT MINERALISED DRILL INTERCEPTS

	Hole ID	Intercept
Main Zone	MALRC0001	4.0m@0.23g/tAu from 28m
		4.0m@0.48g/tAu from 53m
	MALDD0003	9.3m@0.49g/tAu from 27.4m
	MALDD0005	1.0m@0.63g/tAu from 47m
	MALDD0006	0.8m@0.78g/tAu from 75m
	MALDD0007	1.0m@0.64g/tAu from 37m
	MALDD0008	1.0m@0.71g/tAu from 52m
	MALDD0009	0.5m@3.4g/tAu from 29.5m
	MALDD0011	1.0m@0.21g/tAu from 0.0m
		2.0m@0.22g/tAu from 43.7m
		1.0m@0.19g/tAu from 81.0m
	MALDD0012	1.0m@0.19g/tAu from 81.0m
	MALDD0013	7.0m@0.79g/tAu from 21.0m
		1.0m@1.3g/tAu from 32.0m
		2.0m@1.4g/tAu from 43.0m
	MALDD0014	1.0m@0.11g/tAu from 62.0m
	MALDD0015	1.5m@1.9g/tAu from 0.0m
		0.8m@0.11g/tAu from 11.0m
	MALDD0016	1.0m@0.31g/tAu from 0.0m
		7.0m@1.7g/tAu from 18.0m
		0.9m@0.25g/tAu from 26.6m
	MALDD0017	1.9m@1.2g/tAu from 26.1m
	MALDD0019	1.2m@0.33g/tAu from 0.0m
		1.0m@0.15g/tAu from 94.0m
	MALDD0023	1.0m@0.53g/tAu from 3.0m
	MALDD0024	4.0m@0.13g/tAu from 125m
North Zone	MALDD0020	1.0m@0.44g/tAu from 0.0m
		1.0m@1.8g/tAu from 52.0m
	MALDD0021	1.0m@0.21g/tAu from 66.0m
	MALDD0022	1.0m@0.10g/tAu from 25.0m
		1.0m@0.17g/tAu from 33.0m
South Zone	MALDD0025	2.0m@0.29g/tAu from 1.0m
		3.0m@1.1g/tAu from 40.0m
		1.0m@0.10g/tAu from 51.0m
	MALDD0026	1.0m@0.12g/tAu from 0.0m

 

GOBIRAWA PROSPECT MINERALISED DRILL INTERCEPTS

 

Hole ID	Intercept
GOBDD0001	1.0m@0.21g/tAu from 20.0m
	3.0m@0.25g/tAu from 42.0m
	2.9m@0.17g/tAu from 47.1m
	1.0m@0.52g/tAu from 60.0m
	2.0m@0.18g/tAu from 73.0m
	8.3m@3.7g/tAu from 81.0m
	1.0m@0.38g/tAu from 96.0m
GOBDD0002	1.0m@0.19g/tAu from 0.0m
	1.0m@0.25g/tAu from 50.0m
	1.2m@0.39g/tAu from 53.0m
	15.9m@2.9g/tAu from 70.2m
GOBDD0003	1.2m@1.0g/tAu from 21.2m
	1.0m@0.86g/tAu from 62.0m
GOBDD0005	1.0m@0.13g/tAu from 16.0m
GOBDD0006	2.0m@0.37g/tAu from 10.0m
	0.7m@0.12g/tAu from 16.3m
	5.3m@0.33g/tAu from 21.0m
GOBDD0007	1.0m@0.20g/tAu from 0.0m
	1.0m@0.18g/tAu from 56.0m
GOBDD0008	4.0m@1.6g/tAu from 7.0m
	1.0m@1.1g/tAu from 19.0m
	4.0m@0.57g/tAu from 25.0m
	7.9m@0.31g/tAu from 33.0m
	1.0m@0.10g/tAu from 43.0m
GOBDD0009	4.0m@0.35g/tAu from 42.0m
	2.0m@0.13g/tAu from 57.0m
	1.0m@0.15g/tAu from 60.0m
	1.0m@0.27g/tAu from 63.6m
	4.0m@0.63g/tAu from 69.0m
	3.0m@0.13g/tAu from 78.0m
	1.0m@0.11g/tAu from 89.6m
GOBDD0010	3.0m@0.57g/tAu from 10.0m
	1.8m@0.13g/tAu from 22.0m
	3.4m@1.5g/tAu from 26.0m
	0.6m@2.6g/tAu from 33.7m
	1.7m@0.26g/tAu from 45.3m
	1.0m@0.60g/tAu from 52.5m
	0.6m@0.13g/tAu from 54.5m
	1.2m@0.40g/tAu from 58.0m
GOBDD0011	6.8m@1.3g/tAu from 5.0m
	1.0m@0.21g/tAu from 16.0m
	1.0m@0.18g/tAu from 68.0m