Read on for a brief discussion of the Semna Prospect with Mr. Paul Angus, Regional Exploration Project Manager for Aton Resources (TSX.V:AAN).
Peter: Hi Paul, nice to speak to you again. What have you got for me today?
Paul: Hi Peter, great to be talking with you. Let’s talk about Semna.
Peter: I see from the geological map that is east-northeast of Sir Bakis, which we spoke about last time. Semna, Sir Bakis, and Abu Garida are three historic mines shown on the map of the Abu Marawat Concession there.
Paul: Yes, that’s right Peter. Semna is one of three British mines in our Concession area. Semna was developed in the early 1900s. There were two Egyptian companies – Eridia Exploration Company Limited and Fatira Exploring Company Limited – that worked the main vein from 1904-1906 on two levels underground. There was also some more development work in the 1950s by a subsidiary of the Egyptian Phosphate Company, but the information we have on these periods is very limited. At this point, we believe the underground workings reach approximately 65m below surface.
Peter: Interesting. That is a pretty substantial distance to go down by hand. We’ve got a picture here – what are we looking at?
Paul: This is a picture from Semna and it is the remains of a processing plant. We believe it dates back to the British mining activity around the start of the twentieth century, but it may have been modified during in the 1950s.
Peter: That picture seems to show something different on the hillside in the background? Is that some kind of a scar?
Paul: Yes, that is part of the main vein at Semna. That vein was worked at surface close to one of the vertical shafts.
Peter: You mean there is more than one vertical shaft?
Paul: Yes, there are 3 shafts down to the underground workings on the main vein and several horizontal adits into the other veins. Some of these adits date back to ancient times and others are more recent.
Peter: Too bad that you don’t know more about the mining activity there in the 1950s. I believe you told me that Sir Bakis was mined before the British arrived. Was Semna mined prior to the 1900s?
Paul: Yes, Peter. There is a lot of evidence of ancient workings at Semna, like at Sir Bakis. These include ruined buildings, processing areas, and several underground workings on the veins that make up this prospect area.
Peter: Great. We see the main vein in the background of this photo again, but I wonder – is there more to Semna than what was worked by the British?
Paul: Yes indeed, Peter. The hill at Semna mine consists of a series of steeply-dipping shear zones that contain gold-bearing quartz veins. These sub-parallel quartz veins are generally hosted within altered granodiorites and diorites. The veins strike approximately east-west and dip 60-70 degrees to the south, but the dip and strike is quite variable within each vein. There are some impressive workings, which have been mined down to about 20 meters by the ancient Egyptians in places.
Peter: You shared another photo with me. Is this in the ancient workings?
Paul: Yes, this is one of the underground stopes that was mined during ancient times. They are pretty remarkable. The picture shows one our Egyptian geologists named Ahmed.
Peter: Do you have any idea about the grade of these veins?
Paul: During our research we have found some figures published in the British Mining Journal from 1905. It was reported that some pillars within the ancient stopes assayed up to 5.5 ounces per ton gold. The vein in these stopes were 3-5 feet wide. The British were mining the main vein, which was 6 feet wide in places, with grades over 2 ounces per ton gold.
Aton has only done limited amounts of sampling in the past, but we have recently undertaken a sampling program across the veins and shear structures on surface. Once the results are in, I will give you an update.
Peter: Thanks Paul. I look forward to hearing more about Semna once you get those results. Exciting times!
Please note that I have been compensated to prepare and distribute this promotional material.
This document contains statements that are forward looking statements and are subject to various risks and uncertainties concerning the specific factors disclosed under the heading “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in the Company’s periodic filings with Canadian securities regulators. Such information contained herein represents management’s best judgment as of the date hereof based on information currently available. The Company does not assume the obligation to update any forward-looking statement.
