Aziana has been active in Madagascar since 2006 as a private explorer focused on gold and bauxite potential.
- 3 Advanced Projects (Gold & Bauxite)
- 5 Additional Gold Projects (Au & Au-Cu)
- 950km2 of Priority Permits
Aziana now holds a leading position in gold exploration based on competitor monitoring. In the past 5 years, Aziana has systematically reviewed the 10 main gold belts in the country, completed reconnaissance field work and selectively whittled down its tenement portfolio from over 16,000km2 to the current core area of 950km2 of highly prospective gold tenure. Early stage fieldwork has returned highly promising results and Aziana continues to intensify its exploration activities on its core projects.
Alakamisy Gold Project
Alakamisy is Aziana’s priority gold project in Madagascar. Intense artisanal mining over a large area has discovered a substantive gold system within deeply oxidized rocks of the Ambatolampy Group. Aziana believes Alakamisy has potential for a very large low-grade gold discovery. Initial exploration results would support this view.
The Alakamisy gold project is located less than 2 hours drive from the capital and a 25 minute drive off Madagascar's main north-south highway. Alakamisy comprises 7 exploration licenses (Permis de Recherché ("PR"s), covering 112.5km2.
The licenses cover approximately 100km2 of the highly prospective "Ambatolampy Group" of metamorphosed volcano- sedimentary rocks that host the vast majority of artisanal gold discoveries in Madagascar.
The Alakamisy gold project covers 25km's of strike over the Ambatolampy group of rocks which have been substantively prospected by artisanal workers who have extracted high-purity visible gold from surface open pits and shafts, all excavated a deeply weathered (up to 40m) and ferruginous laterite profile.
The Alakamisy Gold Project area can be broadly subdivided into three areas:
- The "Northern Area" of historical artisanal workings.
- The "Central Area" where Aziana’s exploration has extended the gold anomaly, and;
- The "Southern Area" which remains essentially unexplored.
The Northern Area is a "moonscape" of many hundreds of man-size closely spaced vertical pits, spread over 24 hectares, typically 5 -15m deep. Together with the Central Zone, this area covers a zone of intense artisanal gold workings and anomalism some 4km in length and up to 500m in width.
Aziana's early exploration focus has been the evaluation of known visible (free) gold within the deeply oxidized volcano-sedimentary rocks and their well-developed lateritic and saprolitic residuals.
Grigri Gold-Silver Project
The exciting Grigri Gold-Silver Project is located around an area that was previously mined during the French colonial era 100 years ago. Surface samples from around the old underground gold mine workings have returned significant gold grades and follow up drainage geochemistry found gold in streams draining from the Grigri ridge 15km northward, down the axis of Aziana’s exploration permits. The potential for volcanic hosted sulphide mineralisation (VHMS) has also been high-lighted by silver-lead mineralisation in the volcanic rocks and by distinctive associated rock suites.
Aziana's Grigri gold-silver project is located between Madagascar’s central plateau and the eastern coastal region, 40km east of Moramanga town. Aziana holds two licenses covering 125km2 including 118.75km2 under a completed transfer agreement with its long-term Madagascar General Manager. The project has good access with the main road (RN2) from Antananarivo to Toamasina Port cutting the southern edge of the licenses. New tracks developed around the Ambatovy nickel mine provide access to the central part of the license area and the national railway runs within 4km to the north. Grigri lies on a distinctive north-north-west trending ridge 20km long and 400-800m above sea level. Our licenses run the length of the ridge spanning it either side.
The first gold in the Grigri area was discovered in 1905 when a large outcrop of quartz vein containing gold, silver and copper that was mined by two French companies. Since that time, local villagers have continued to work the mine tailings and streams along the Grigri ridge for gold.
The Grigri area contains two historically worked gold prospects, both greenstone vein gold style, one of which is on Aziana’s Permit TN 21743. The Grigri Mine (Au-Ag-Cu) lodes occur as a concordant set of lenticular quartz veins, hosted by amphibolitic gneiss and mica schist close to the eastern margin of a rhyolite. The main quartz vein produced at approximately 7g/t gold and is about 10m thick and outcrops over 100m. Gold occurs as free grains and within pyrite and chalcopyrite.
Other Gold Projects
In addition to the Alakamisy and Grigri gold Projects, Aziana’s extensive regional field work within the 10 main gold belts of Madagascar has resulted in the selection of four additional highly prospective gold projects
- Antandrokazo (Au) pursuant to completed Transfer Agreement: Permit TN21577.
- Antakasina (Au) Permit TN 26234.
- Sakaleone (Au) Permit TN 19386, TN 39048, TN 39047.
- Anosivolo (Cu-Ag-Ag) Permit TN 26218.
All of these projects contain noteworthy assay and/or visible gold results. From Aziana’s extensive review process over several years it has recognized various consistent geological and mineralisation characteristics that run through the gold belts of Madagascar. Aziana has applied this knowledge to identify additional opportunities, that will expand our already highly promising gold portfolio.
Mananenina Bauxite Project
Aziana believes Manantenina is one of the large known but undeveloped bauxite fields in the Indian Ocean region. Chemical and mineralogical compositions, combined with coastal proximity are highly attractive features. Our accelerated exploration program, implemented with maximum involvement of the local labour force and strong regional political support, is demonstrating the magnitude of the bauxite mineralisation that will allow the rapid definition of the bauxite potential.
Aziana's Bauxite Prospects are located in south-eastern Madagascar and consist of 7 exploration permits covering 218.75km2 in area. The Aziana permits lie 5-30km inland. Aziana has an accelerating exploration program, supported from an established exploration field office at Manantenina and second field camp at Soavary. The field team currently comprises a highly experienced expatriate Project Manager, 5 geologists including 3 expatriates, full support staff and more than 150 local casual employees, mostly engaged in test pitting. Included in Aziana’s tenement portfolio are five areas collectively held under a completed 99% Transfer Agreement held with a long-term employee.
Bauxite is the natural source of raw material for the production of Alumina, the majority of which is subsequently used for the production of Aluminium metal. The most important mineral constituents of Bauxite are Gibbsite (Aluminium Hydroxide) and Diaspore (Aluminium Oxide Hydroxide). Bauxites that can be classified as an economic reserve usually contains between 30% and 50% available Alumina as Gibbsite, are low in reactive silica (RxSiO2), are easy to mine and cheap to transport.