SRK Exploration (SRK EX) was commissioned to manage all aspects of a mineral exploration project through the provision of consultancy and technical field services. The project centred on highly prospective gold exploration permits in eastern Cameroon. The permits included both alluvial and eluvial artisanal gold workings with some excavations revealing bedrock hosted quartz veins, considered to be the host of primary gold mineralisation.
Our team designed a multi-phase programme of works involving desk-based technical review and reconnaissance site visits, followed by a longer on-site phase of technical work
There was limited existing geological, geophysical and geochemical data available for the region, therefore the initial desk-based data review relied heavily on a new interpretation of satellite spectral imagery.
Some parts of the Cameroon - Central African Republic (CAR) border are regarded as insecure due to cross-border crime. All SRK EX project staff therefore completed hostile environment awareness training (HEAT) that includes personal safety and security, and remote emergency first aid in resource-poor environments, supplemented with advanced off-road driving training.
Based in an established camp, a small SRK EX team managed the exploration programme and coordinated the client’s technical teams. We provided exploration fieldwork protocols, onsite training of geological staff in modern field practices, and, in conjunction with a security consultant, security and vehicle operations advice. Permit-wide prospecting, geological mapping, recording of artisanal workings, and geochemical sampling of targets generated in the desk-based review were undertaken. Fully traceable chain-of-custody and QAQC procedures were implemented and a centralised database of all field and laboratory data was created.
On SRK EX’s recommendation, airborne magnetic and radiometric geophysical surveys were completed across the exploration permits. The results of the geophysical surveys were integrated with spectral imagery, geochemical data and geological mapping enabling better interpretation of potential mineralised structures.
Field exploration activities continued with focussed geochemical soil surveys, and trench mapping and sampling to defining drill targets. As well as weekly and monthly reporting, SRK Exploration acted as lead author for statutory reporting of exploration activities and results for the Ministry of Mines.
In the course of this work, SRK EX defined three robust targets and has planned future infill sampling and scout drilling campaigns.
