Drilling
Visible Gold in Drill Core
[Click to Enlarge] Drilling is the primary method used to define mineral deposits and it provides continuous core samples, which are then sent to the laboratory for analysis.
Drill targets are selected through integration of regional and detailed exploration data. Minera Afrodita employs an exploration team including a geophysicist, a geochemist and several experienced geologists, who together examine all of the data and direct the future exploration in an area. This process is further outlined under specific target descriptions.
Drilling in the Cordillera is undertaken using small, man-portable drill rigs. The rigs are set up on small drill platforms measuring approximately 4 x 5 metres. The ability of these rigs to operate in such a confined space significantly limits the environmental impact of drilling. Since rigs can be transported by people, there is no need to construct roads in the area. Drill platforms are rehabilitated on completion of drilling - re-vegetation in the tropical environment is fast and platforms are barely visible six months after drilling has been completed.
Man-portable Drill Rig
[Click to Enlarge] Anomalous metal concentrations in surface samples, although important, do not allow estimation of mineral concentrations at depth and so drilling really is the final determination of potentially economic mineralization. If drill results are positive, the final step in the exploration process is to complete a resource estimation as well as the various levels of feasibility studies. It is only at this stage, when the feasibility of a project has been proven, that larger scale operations are initiated on a project.