AIM: KEFI
5th April 2012
KEFI Minerals Plc
("KEFI Minerals" or the "Company")
PROGRESS AT THE HIKYRIN SOUTH AND SELIB NORTH PROJECTS, SAUDI ARABIA
KEFI Minerals, an AIM-quoted gold and copper exploration company is pleased to
provide a progress report on the Hikyrin South and Selib North Exploration
Projects in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
HIGHLIGHTS
* These two licenses were formally granted in January 2012 and June 2011
respectively and field work has advanced to the stage of drilling, which is
planned to commence during the current quarter;
* Recent field work included geological mapping, trenching across the ancient
workings and rock chip channel sampling of identified mineralised
structures;
* At Hykirin South, samples taken from the waste dumps of ancient mining have
returned up to 16.3 g/t Au and an average of 5.9 g/t from 24 samples spread
over a 700m strike length; and
* At Selib North samples taken from areas of new discoveries and of ancient
mining have returned up to 27.7g/t Au, 7.99g/t Au and included 7m at 1.18g/
t Au.
KEFI Minerals' Strategic Plan in the Kingdon of Saudi Arabia
Ä°n 2009 KEFI Minerals formed the Gold and Minerals ("G&M") Joint Venture in
Saudi Arabia with local Saudi partner Abdul Rahman Saad Al-Rashid & Sons
Company Limited ("ARTAR"), to explore for gold and associated metals in the
Arabian Shield. To date the JV has conducted preliminary reconnaisance and
lodged 18 Exploration Licence Applications (ELA's) of which 3 have been
granted.
The ELA's were initially applied for by ARTAR . Incorporation of G&M is now
complete and granted Licences will be transferred into the JV company in due
course.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has instituted policies to encourage minerals
exploration and development and KEFI Minerals supports this priority by serving
as the technical partner within G&M. ARTAR also serves this Government policy
as the major partner in G&M which is one of the early movers in the modern
resurgence of the Kingdom's minerals sector.
Mr Jeffrey Rayner, KEFI Mineral's Managing Director, said:
"We are very pleased with the progress of our exploration programmes at Hikryn
South and Selib North Projects, in Saudi Arabia. Having already recognised new
gold bearing shear zones and quartz veins at Selib North, we are delighted by
the encouraging sample results at Hikyrin South.
"We look forward to commencing the drilling programme this quarter which we
hope will further highlight the huge prospectivity of the region and the
potential to add value for the long term benefit of all stakeholders."
Enquiries:
KEFI Minerals Fox-Davies Capital Bishopsgate Communications
Jeffrey Rayner Simon Leathers Nick Rome/Shabnam Bashir
+90 533 928 19 13 +44 203 463 5022 +44 207 562 3366
www.kefi-minerals.com
References in this announcement to exploration results and potential have been
approved for release by Mr Jeffrey Rayner (BSc.Hons). Mr Rayner is a geologist
and has more than 25years relevant experience in the field of activity
concerned. He is a member of the Australasian Institute of Mining and
Metallurgy (AusIMM) and has consented to the inclusion of the material in the
form and context in which it appears.
Background
Hikyrin South
KEFI Minerals has mapped the geology of the "Houimedan West" historic workings
in the Hikyrin South Exploration Licence ("EL") in the central Arabian Shield
region, and samples of the ancient mine dumps have returned encouraging gold
results.
Samples taken from the quartz vein rejects from historic mining activities have
returned up to 16.3 g/t Au and an average of 5.9 g/t Au from a total of 24
samples from the dumps spread over 700m strike length.
These results support the high gold grades of the quartz veins in the dumps
which were sampled by the French Geological Survey ("BRGM") in the 1980's when
they reported assay results up to 78.6g/t Au.
The individual quartz veins are narrow, generally 0.2 to 0.6m wide and occur in
a sheared and hematite altered zone of up 4m width.
Mapping, trenching across the workings, and rock chip channel sampling of the
mineralised structures is currently underway and a first phase programme of
Reverse Circulation ("RC") and diamond drilling is planned to commence this
quarter.
The entire area of the Hikyrin South EL has been soil sampled on a wide spaced
grid, gold and multi-element results are pending.
Results of the current program at Hykirin South will be reported as they come
to hand during the current and next quarters.
Field work on the central Hikyrin EL will commence in the current quarter.
Selib North
Follow up prospect scale mapping and sampling continues to identify new areas
of gold mineralisation at the Selib North EL in the eastern part of the Arabian
Shield. Rock chip sampling of quartz veins have returned some significant
sample grades, including 27.7g/t Au, 7.99g/t Au and 7.12 g/t Au. Rock chip
channel sampling results included 7m at 1.18g/t Au, 3m at 1.5 g/t Au, 1m at
5.45 g/t Au.
Mapping and sampling of the extensive area of the old workings at the ancient
mine site of Selib North is also currently underway. The area of shallow
workings and dumps cover an area of 2km x 500m.
Results of the current program at Selib North will be reported as they come to
hand during the current and next quarters.
Strategic Plan in the Kingdon of Saudi Arabia
Ä°n 2009 KEFI Minerals formed the Gold and Minerals ("G&M") Joint Venture in
Saudi Arabia with local Saudi partner "ARTAR", to explore for gold and
associated metals in the Arabian Shield. To date the JV has conducted
preliminary reconnaisance across the Arabian Sheild and lodged 18 Exploration
Licence Applications (ELA's) of which 3 have been granted. All of the ELA areas
contain ancient workings, some have visible gold in quartz veins, and two are
within 50kms of two operating gold mines.
During the 1970's and 1980's The Geological Surveys Departments of the USA
("USGS") and of France ("BRGM") documented 5000 mineral occurrences, including
over 1000 for gold. Only 51 of these mineral occurrences were drilled.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has instituted policies to encourage minerals
exploration and development and KEFI Minerals supports this priority by serving
as the technical partner within G&M. ARTAR also serves this Government policy
as the major partner in G&M which is one of the early movers in the modern
resurgence of the Kingdom's minerals sector. Pending incorporation of the joint
venture company, applications have been lodged by ARTAR on behalf of G&M.
Some prospects within the ELA's have historically reported drill intercepts of
up to6m at 3.54 Au, 6m at 13.1 Au, 21m at 3.32Au,4m at 4.93, Au from shallow
(less than 70m depths) but these have yet to be verified in accordance with
current reporting standards.
G&M looks forward to introducing the latest international exploration
techniques to parts of the Kingdom which could potentially benefit. G&M is
dedicated to developing long term minerals operations which is expected to be
facilitated by ARTAR's status as a major industrial conglomerate.
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