VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Sept. 30, 2013) - Great Quest Metals Ltd. (the "Company" or "Great Quest") (News - Market indicators) is pleased to report very encouraging results from its recent mapping and prospecting campaign at the the Sanoukou gold concession, located in the Birimian Greenstone Belt in southwestern Mali. The Company previously noted a marked increase in artisanal working on the property and initiated a program to analyze the material targeted by the local hand miners. The Sanoukou region has historically been an area of significant artisanal gold mining ("orpaillage" in French), but more recently has become the epicentre for a small gold rush for local small scale miners. Great Quest recently conducted an inventory of all orpaillage activities, collected samples from new areas of primary mineralization opened up by artisanal miners and from large areas of what appears to be eluvial mineralization. Additionally, the miners' ore, tailings and waste piles were sampled.
Highlights of the Sanoukou prospecting campaign:
- A total of 149 samples were collected from artisanal pits, including rejects and ore from current and earlier orpaillage activities.
- Out of 149 samples, 33 samples assayed between 0.5 to 24.9 grams per tonne ("g/t") of gold ("Au").
- The average of all samples greater than 0.3 g/t is 3.31 g/t.
- The best assay return was 24.9 g/t, which relates to the quartz floats from a quartz vein being mined out by orpailleurs at Dagagnaba site (identified on Figure 1). This quartz ("QZ") is milky, brecciated and oxidized.
Summary of assay results superior to 4.91 g/t Au, listed in the table below:
| ID |
Description of Sample |
g/t
Au |
| 9 |
Yellow Saprolite in a current excavation taken at 10m from surface |
7.91 |
| 13 |
Laterite gravels southern wall of an exploration trench from 0 to 0.4m |
4.91 |
| 19 |
Brown Saprolite in a current excavation taken at about 16.10m from surface |
6.31 |
| 21 |
Brown Saprolite collected at 15.4m in an historical pit, currently used by orpailleurs |
5.30 |
| 89 |
Saprolite collected at 16m of current exploitation |
7.66 |
| 104 |
Older reject coming from the same pit of sample 103 |
9.97 |
| 107 |
Saprolite from older reject |
13.5 |
| 355 |
Weathered intrusive rock. QZ present (from an orpaillage pit) |
5.50 |
| 371 |
Sample collected at about 20m from surface in about 25m deep orpaillage excavation. It consists of Saprolite of intrusive rock at Lolomansa site |
12.4 |
| 372 |
Saprolite of intrusive rock in 8m deep orpaillage excavation. Stockwork of QZ veins present. |
6.21 |
| 374 |
QZ vein mined out by orpailleurs seems to be oriented N72°. Width is unknown. Oxidized pyrite is present |
24.9 |
To view Figures 1 and 2, click on the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/901092m.pdf
"Our work programme has confirmed that the Sanoukou property has the potential to host significant gold mineralization. Great Quest will now review those strategic options that enable the project to advance and thus return enhanced value to our shareholders. Our focus remains the Tilemsi phosphate project and we continue to position the Company to benefit from a modern renaissance in African agriculture. We are however very pleased with the new opportunities the findings of our Sanoukou work now offer us," commented Jed Richardson, President and CEO.
This evaluation campaign returned very encouraging results and in some cases high grade of gold were assayed ("high grade" being defined as any result greater than 13.66 g/t Au). This is significant as the samples were collected from waste piles, that had already been processed in some cases by local artisanal miners and then discarded. Further fieldwork is now necessary using conventional methods of exploration to determine a gold resource.
Methodology
Samples weighing approximately 2 kilograms each were collected, both from rejects and ore discarded by artisanal hand-miners, throughout the concession, predominantly on the major shear zone crossing the property where orpaillage activity is concentrated. The location of each sample was recorded by GPS and when the samples were collected in a pit or a trench, the depth was measured.
Sample Analysis
All samples have been analysed at ALS Mali SARL, an independent and accredited laboratory in Bamako, using standard fire assay methods with atomic absorption finish. After crushing, the assay was performed on 50 grams pulp samples. The detection limit for this method is 0.01 ppm (g/t).
The technical information of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Jed Diner (P. Geol), a qualified person for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101.
About Great Quest
Great Quest Metals Ltd. is a Canadian mineral exploration company with assets in Mali, West Africa. The Company is focused on developing the Tilemsi Phosphate Project, encompassing 1,206 km² in northeastern Mali. The Company also holds several gold concessions in the productive Birimian gold belt, in southwestern Mali. Great Quest is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol GQ, and the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol GQM.
On behalf of the Board of Directors
Jed Richardson, President, Chief Executive Officer and Director
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. The statements that are not historical facts and are forward-looking statements involving known and unknown risks and uncertainties could cause actual results to vary materially from the targeted results. We seek safe harbor.
