• Figure 1 - Tapoa Project - Magnetic image.
• Figure 2 – Tapoa Project - Artisanal gold workings.
• Figure 3 – Assay results - Tawori-Boungou-Kodjini trend.

Tapoa Project

The Tapoa Project comprises two granted exploration permits totalling 500km² located in far-east Burkina Faso. The permits were secured by MET under three year option agreements.

MET considers the Tapoa permits to be highly prospective for the discovery of large-scale gold deposits and targeted the area due to the presence of:

• greenstone host rocks (predominantly mafic volcanic rocks),
• multiple artisanal gold mining sites, and
• complex structures observed in regional-scale geophysical data.

Target greenstone host rocks in the Tapoa Project permits extend over an approximate 40 kilometre strike length (figure 1).

Reconnaissance exploration completed by MET within the western (Boungou) exploration permit has identified widespread artisanal workings within a 5 km long NNE-trending corridor. The artisanal workings are generally shallow (<10m deep) and are developed in highly weathered soils with poor evidence of the primary controls on gold mineralisation (figure 2).

The widespread distribution of the artisanal workings suggests either near-surface re-mobilisation of gold in the weathering profile or potentially a more widely distributed primary gold source (eg: stock-work mineralisation, multiple gold mineralised faults).

Grab sampling completed by MET has produced high grade (+10g/t) gold assays at three prospect areas:

Boungou Prospect

The Boungou Prospect has been subject to the most intense artisanal mining activity in the immediate project area.

Grab sampling by MET at Boungou has included both quartz vein material and samples of the surrounding mafic host rocks (amphibolites).

The quartz vein samples produced high grade gold assays:

• average grade 13.30g/t Au (from 11 samples)
• grade range 0.30g/t Au - 56.30g/t Au

Amphibolite samples from the Boungou Prospect have also produced significantly anomalous gold assays providing an indication of potential for expanded width to mineralised structures:

• average grade 1.52g/t Au (from 6 samples)
• grade range 0.41g/t Au - 4.01g/t Au

Amphibolite samples were generally highly deformed (schistose) with variable development of pyrite (iron sulphide) and stockwork veining.

Strong linear trends (possible controlling structures) are evident in high resolution satellite images of the Boungou Prospect (figure 3).

Kodjini Prospect

The Kodjini Prospect is located 1.5 kilometres to the south-east of the Boungou Prospect and is defined by a series of shallow north-north-west trending artisanal gold workings (figure 3).

Initial grab sampling of quartz vein material from the Kodjini Prospect by MET produced high grade gold assays:

• average grade 38.20 g/t Au (5 samples)
• grade range 0.68g/t Au – 93.40g/t Au

Tawori Prospect

The Tawori Prospect is located 2.5 kilometres to the north-east of the Boungou Prospect and is defined by several discrete clusters of artisanal workings developed over an approximate 350 metre by 900 metre area (figure 3).

A single grab sample has been taken from the prospect area to date and it produced a high grade gold assay of 54.30g/t Au.