KAMLOOPS, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(MARKET WIRE)--Apr 17, 2008 -- Delta Exploration Inc. ("Delta") (CDNX:
DEV.V -
News) is pleased
to provide the following update on its 100%-owned Manalo
Gold Project, in southwestern Mali, West Africa. Following
the completion of a very successful drilling program in
late 2007 (see Delta News Release dated January 15, 2008),
Delta recently completed a program of targeted Induced Polarization
(IP) and infill soil geochemistry, and reinterpreted previous
airborne geophysical data as part of a detailed structural
analysis of the Manalo area.
Planned 2008 Drill Program
A program of 6000 meters of RC drilling and 600 meters of
core drilling will begin early next week to follow up on
the 2007 drill program. That program discovered gold mineralization
in three new zones at Manalo, now named Dialafara, Mansaya,
and Sirabada; and expanded mineralization on the Manalo
NE zone which was previously drilled in 2006. In addition
to these four prospects, another new zone, MN-3, was identified
through prospecting an airborne EM anomaly in late 2007.
Manalo SE was previously identified in property-scale soil
geochemistry but has not yet been drill tested.
Dialafara Prospect
Infill soil geochemistry (100m x 50m), totalling 2043 samples,
covered an area approximately 12 km2 in size. In addition
to the original Dialafara artisanal area drilled last December,
at least four other anomalous zones are indicated with drill
testing planned for each. In addition, eight line-km of
gradient IP were completed across the Dialafara artisanal
area, highlighting two significant chargeability highs that
will be further drill-tested.
The December 2007 drill program at Dialafara consisted of
13 holes totalling 1,412 metres with seven holes returning
significant gold assays. Drill holes DL-07-01 and DL-07-02,
both of which were drilled under the main artisanal workings,
returned high grades associated with quartz veining (see
Table 1). Gold was found to be associated with quartz veins
hosted in clay-altered Birimian metasedimentary rocks (siltstones
and fine-grained sandstones).
Table 1 Dialafara Prospect - 2007 RC Drill Highlights
-----------------------------------------------------
Hole ID From To Length Au (g/t)
-----------------------------------------------------
DL-07-01 71 80 9 9.57
-----------------------------------------------------
incl. 75 78 3 24.74
-----------------------------------------------------
DL-07-02 87 93 6 29.07
-----------------------------------------------------
DL-07-07 85 91 6 2.17
-----------------------------------------------------
DL-07-11 17 35 17 0.64
-----------------------------------------------------
and 53 72 19 1.71
-----------------------------------------------------
DL-07-12 102 112 10 0.45
-----------------------------------------------------
The Dialafara artisanal site sits in the centre of the permit,
at the south end of a large north-trending, anomalous gold-in-soils
trend. New geochemical anomalies extend to the north-northwest
and lie to the northeast. Twenty RC holes are planned during
this phase of drilling.
Mansaya Prospect
A total of 1138 infill soil samples were collected in the
Mansaya area to better define an anomalous trend associated
with gold mineralization intersected in two drill holes
last December. Two 950m lines of High Resolution Induced
Polarization (HiRIP) were run across the mineralization
to better define the host geology. Resistivity defined four
distinct units, including metasedimentary and intrusive
rocks, and defined four targets based on high chargeabilities
and high resistivities.
At Mansaya, several targets based on anomalous gold in soils
and airborne geophysical responses indicative of shear zones,
were tested with six holes totalling 552 metres. Several
new zones of vein quartz float were identified and significant
intercepts of gold were associated with fractured and silicified
carbonaceous Birimian metasedimentary rocks in one such
zone (see Table 2).
Table 2 RC Drill Results - 2007 Mansaya Prospect
-----------------------------------------------------
Hole ID From To Length Au (g/t)
-----------------------------------------------------
MS-07-03 15 20 5 1.96
-----------------------------------------------------
MS-07-04 51 82 31 0.69
-----------------------------------------------------
incl. 57 75 18 0.94
-----------------------------------------------------
Incl. 57 69 12 1.01
-----------------------------------------------------
Sirabada Prospect
Sirabada consists of an intensely clay-altered zone, locally
exploited by artisanal mining, in northerly striking, steep-dipping
Birimian metasediments. Two grab samples of quartz vein
material in greywacke collected from "ore" dumps ran 32.76
g/t Au and 3.64 g/t Au, respectively. Intervals of anomalous
gold mineralization were found in several drill holes but
an obvious source of the artisanal gold was not intersected.
529 infill soil samples were collected from a grid 1450m
by 2300m in size. A strong northwest-trending anomaly lies
immediately west of a strong northwest-trending chargeability
high, defined by 12 line-km of gradient IP. Previous drilling
came up just short of the overlapping zone of anomalous
soil geochemistry and the zone of high chargeability. Eight
holes are tentatively planned along this trend.
MN-3 Prospect
At MN-3 (Dialafara Nord), 356 soil geochemical samples were
collected along a trend of quartz veining identified in
laterite. The southeast portion of the grid is strongly
anomalous in gold and trends to the northwest, parallel
to the trend of quartz vein fragments in laterite. Two 950m
long sections of HIRIP traversed the structural (and geochemical)
trend, defining five targets with high chargeabilities along
the edge of low resistivity graphitic sedimentary rocks.
No previous drilling was completed on the MN-3 target but
10 RC holes are planned during the upcoming phase of drilling.
Manalo SE Prospect
At Manalo SE, 396 soil geochemical samples were collected
over an area 1250m x 1600m surrounding a small artisanal
mining site. A broad, medium intensity, north-trending anomaly
will be tested by 6 to 9 RC drill holes.
Manalo NE Prospect
Drilling along the Manalo NE structure in mid-2006 and late
2007 were successful in defining a continuous north-northwest
mineralized structure over approximately 500m. The zone
remains open to the south and to depth. Oriented core drilling
to better define the lithology and structure are contemplated
during the current phase of drilling. Further work, including
an IP survey, is planned for later in 2008.
The Manalo Project comprises the Manalo and Balandougou
permits totalling 225 square kilometres, located 100 kilometres
southwest of Bamako, the capital city of Mali.
Christopher J. Wild, P.Eng, V.P. Exploration for Delta Exploration
Inc., is Delta's Qualified Person.
On behalf of the Board of Directors Delta Exploration Inc.
James T. Gillis, President & CEO
This press release may be accessed at Delta Exploration's
website: http://www.deltaexploration.com
and at www.sedar.com.
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