Millennial Potash Corp. (TSXV:MLP) has commenced exploration activities at its Banio Potash Project in Gabon.
The company has made significant progress in its mobilization programme including rehabilitation of the exploration camp with modern communications, initiating construction of the access road to planned drillhole BA-004, prepping and upgrading rotary drill rig equipment on site, initiating seismic re-interpretation studies, and resampling previous drillholes.
“We are pleased with the excellent progress at our Banio Potash Project in Gabon. The camp is now up and running, complete with power, tent accommodations for 30 people, catering, medical facilities, and satellite communications,” Chairman, Farhad Abasov, said.
“Preparations for drilling are advancing and we hope to be drilling the upper part of hole BA-004 shortly. Sample pulps from previous drilling are undergoing re-analysis and are expected to confirm the KCl content and the presence of carnallite and sylvite seams providing reliable data that may be utilized in any future mineral resource estimates.
“ Similarly, the seismic data re-interpretation is underway, and we have initiated our ESG program for the project. We look forward to the arrival of the core rig at the project and to delineating additional potash horizons at the north end of the property.”
Camp rehabilitation is complete with new tent accommodation and container office and catering and medical services in place. Satellite communications with internet capabilities have also been established and power facilities are up and running.
Initial field activities include clearing a four km historic road to the new drill site for BA-004. This work is ongoing. The rotary drill rig on site is undergoing servicing and preparation for drilling. Upon completion this rig will move to the site for BA-004 to drill the upper sedimentary units to the top of the salt sequence, estimated at a depth of approximately 320m. This hole will be extended to 700m with PQ core upon arrival of the new core drill rig. The new core drill rig is enroute to the project having disembarked in Gabon from Europe in early April. Estimated arrival of the new core drill rig at the project is late April-early May.
For assistance with its ESG initiatives at Banio, the company has engaged consulting group ESS (Environmental and Social Sustainability). ESS has extensive experience in West Africa including Gabon and will assist with preparation of our Health, Environmental and Social Management Plans, with planning environmental baseline studies, preparation of environmental impact statements and communication with local authorities to ensure compliance with Gabon regulations, and international best practices. In addition, ESS will assist the Company with its community outreach programs and consultations with all stakeholders in the region.
Millennial has engaged Ercosplan Ingenieurgesellschaft to assist with the planning of the current exploration programme including the resampling of the historic drillholes on the project to confirm potash intervals. Millennial was able to source and secure the sample pulps from the previous drillholes (2017-2018 drill programme) on the project from ALS Global, and Ercosplan has confirmed the pulps are well preserved and acceptable for re-analysis. Approximately 450 samples will be analyzed, and results will be available for a maiden mineral resource estimate planned for later this year.
Additional review of historic data from the project is ongoing. The data from seismic surveys acquired by French oil and gas company Maurel and Prom in 2011-2012 is currently being reviewed by Geo People, a geophysical consultancy based in the UK with extensive experience in Gabon, to confirm the basic geology of the Gabon Basin evaporite sequence.
Geophysical survey data consist of approx. 275km of 2D seismic lines and re-interpretation of this data will assist with planning of new drillholes and will allow correlation of the evaporite stratigraphy, and possibly carnallite seams, between drillholes.
For further information please visit: https://millennialpotash.com/
