Highlights
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Located in the Central African Copper
Belt
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A significant new copper discovery
made on the Kasala project, with a mineralized strike
length of 2500 m
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High grade mineralization over wide
intervals
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Kasala is 16 miles from Minmetals
Resources' Kinsevere Project, which contains 26 Mt tonnes
grading 3.79% Cu in Measured and Indicated oxide
resources
The Kasala project is one of the first new Greenfields copper discovery in the last 10 years in the central African Copper belt.
Kasala Copper Project
One of the newest copper discoveries in the Central
African Copperbelt, El Niņo Ventures' Kasala prospect is
located approximately 70 kilometers northwest of
Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo's second
largest city and the center of the country's massive
copper/cobalt mining industry. The Central African
Copperbelt contains over 10% of the worlds copper and
34% of the world's cobalt. The Kasala project permits
are located close to Minmetals' Kinsevere Mine,
which is expected to produce 24,000 tonnes (52 million
pounds) of copper annually for the next 20 years.
The Kasala project has an excellent infrastructure and
is ideally situated within 20 km of the national highway
(a hard-surfaced all-weather road) and is also within 30
km of a rail line linking the mining centers of the
Copperbelt. A high-tension electrical transmission line
is located 12 km west of the projects' boundaries.
Highlights of the Drilling and Exploration to date:
The 2008 drill program identified consistent
mineralization over large widths, from 50m to 91m.
Highlights included high-grade intercepts:
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22 m @ 3.28% Cu
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29 m @ 2.82% Cu
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31 m @ 2.19% Cu
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11 m @ 3.68% Cu
These results confirm the presence of significant
mineralization within the Kasala Main Zone with the
potential for expansion based on the results from an IP
Survey completed in early 2009.
The 2008 drill campaign on the project was undertaken to
test a number of priority targets identified from the
interpretation of airborne geophysical data from a
survey commissioned by the Company in late 2007.
Figure 1: Kasala "Blocks" with Copper soil geochemistry values
The 50 drill hole, 5,920 metre 2008 drill program consisted of 35
Reverse Circulation ("RC") drill holes totaling 3,336 meters and 15
diamond drill ("DD") holes totaling 2,584 meters.
Since then, the Company has completed a soil geochemistry sampling
program and an Induced Polarization ("IP") survey across the Kasala site
and has found good correlation between mineralization identified in the
drilling, soil anomalies identified from the geochemical sampling
program and both the ground and airborne geophysical surveys.
The Company's technical team has compiled all of the available data
(including drilling results, geophysical and geochemical data) into a
geological model of the site, which has led to new interpretations of
the geology.
Based on further geophysical and geological interpretations two major
parallel zones were identified to the east of Kasala (Block B and
C)which together have a combined strike length of over 3 km (press
release of
February 25, 2009). The 2008 drill program
focused exclusively on Kasala Block "A" --
Blocks "B" and "C" are yet to be drill tested, but are
considered as priority drill targets due to the strong
copper-in-soil values identified over large areas on
these blocks. |
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Block "C" in
particular has numerous multi-point anomalies of greater than 300 parts
per million copper-in-soil and has an anomalous area of approximately
1,500 meters long by 1,500 meters wide -- it represents a high priority
for drilling.
All samples from the drilling program were collected following strict
quality controls and were then dispatched to ALS Chemex Laboratories in
Johannesburg, South Africa for assay.
A cross Kasala Block "A" copper mineralization is found close to surface
(some intercepts less than 10 meters from surface) and both oxide
(malachite) and sulphide (chalcopyrite) copper mineralization have been
identified.
Currently, the mineralized strike length of Kasala Block "A" stands at
just over 750 meters with a width of as much as 250 meters. The
thickness of mineralization has been found to be as great as 90 meters,
but the mineralization is open in all directions, including at depth.
In advance of any additional drilling the Company
has determined to undertake additional exploration initiatives.
2012-2013 Exploration Strategy for Kasala is summarized below:
On Completion of Geophysics & Geochemistry
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Ground proof anomalies with trenches and pits
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Analysis of assay data
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Drill target definition & follow-up drill
programs
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Resource drilling, project development, and
ultimately mine production
The high degree of correlation between the soil geochemistry and drill
results on Block "A" indicates that detailed soil geochemistry will
provide reliable information when targeting drill holes. The objective
of the continuing exploration programs on Kasala Blocks "A", "B" and "C"
is to define an aggregate minimum of 1 million tonnes of contained
copper metal.
The Kasala Project has several intercepts of ore grade material with
thickness varying from 50 to 90 meters. ELN is currently finalizing a
legal action in the DRC and expects to be able to resume its exploration
activities in 2012.
 Oxide zone mineralization
 Underlying sulphide zone
mineralization in shale
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