News Release
B2Gold Corp.
Announces Exploration and Prefeasibility Study Update on the
Gramalote Gold
Property in Colombia
Vancouver, September 19, 2011 - B2Gold Corp. (TSX: BTO, OTCQX: BGLPF) ("B2Gold" or the
"Company"), is pleased to announce positive results from the
drilling and prefeasibility work underway on the Gramalote Project in
Colombia. The Gramalote property is a 51% AngloGold Ashanti Ltd..
("AngloGold Ashanti") - 49% B2Gold joint venture, with AngloGold
Ashanti as the project manager and is located 230 kilometres ("km")
northwest of Bogota and 80 km northeast of Medellin in central Colombia.
Prefeasibility and exploration work recommenced at
the Gramalote Project in the second half of 2010 with drilling for
metallurgical samples, exploration drilling and preliminary engineering
investigations with a total of 25,572.85 metres of drilling completed in 72
holes. B2Gold and AngloGold are funding a 2011 prefeasibility and exploration
budget of US$37.6 million. This budget includes 29,000 m of diamond drilling
to explore additional targets on the property, infill drilling of the
Gramalote deposit, drilling for metallurgical test samples and conducting
engineering and environmental studies. Each joint venture partner will fund
their share of expenditures pro rata. A total of US$17.1 million has been
spent since AngloGold became operator in September 2010. The two companies
plan to continue exploration and conduct prefeasibility work in 2011 and into
2012, with a goal of completing a prefeasibility study by June 2012 and a
final feasibility study by October 2013.
Highlights from the 2011 prefeasibility and
exploration work include positive metallurgical test results showing in
excess of 90% recovery, encouraging drill results from the outside targets
and consistent grade from the infill drilling on the Gramalote Ridge
resource.
A total of 8,995 metres in 23 holes have been completed
in the infill drill program on Gramalote Ridge resource area since October
2010. Results to date of the infill drilling correlates well with the
previous drilling on Gramalote Ridge and include up to 180.0 metres at 1.09
grams per tonne ("g/t") gold in hole GR-121, 142.0 metres at 1.49
g/t gold in hole GR-128 and 88.0 metres at 1.25 g/t gold in hole
GR-116. Infill drilling with two core rigs continues on Gramalote Ridge
with the goal of increasing ounces in the resource and converting the resource
from inferred into indicated. B2Gold completed and published in 2009 a
National Instrument 43-101 compliant inferred mineral resource estimate for
the Gramalote Ridge Zone of 74.375 million tonnes grading 1.00 g/t gold for a
total of 2.39 million troy ounces of gold at a 0.5 g/t gold cutoff and within
a US$1,000 per ounce gold optimised Whittle pit (see press release dated January 12, 2009).
The Gramalote Ridge zone is a continuous zone extending 1,200 metres x 275
metres x 500 metres. Exploration drill results indicate the Gramalote Ridge
Zone remains open.
Exploration drilling is in progress on five drill
targets located within four km of the current Gramalote inferred mineral
resource including Monjas West, Trinidad South, Monjas East, Limon and
Topacio.. All of these targets have similar geological, alteration and
mineralization characteristics to Gramalote Ridge. Since October 2010 a
total of 13,150.44 metres in 37 drill holes have been completed on the
satellite targets. Results to date clearly indicate the upside
potential for more gold mineralization on the large Gramalote property.
Positive gold intersections have been returned in
Monjas West. Monjas West is located two km west southwest along strike of
Gramalote Ridge resource and drilling tested rock channel samples up to 27.0
metres at 2.2 g/t gold, 13.0 metres at 3.3 g/t gold and 12.0 metres at 2..6
g/t gold. A total of 4,310.88 metres in 11 holes have been drilled at
Monjas West with results up to 56.0 metres at 0.94 g/t gold (including 14.0 metres
at 1.66 g/t gold and 12.0 metres at 1.45 g/t gold) in hole MW-05, 20.0 metres
at 1.88 g/t gold in hole MW-03 and 22.0 metres at 0.93 g/t gold in hole
MW-04. Assays are pending for holes 8 to 10. Drilling continues in Monjas
West with one drill rig.
Drilling at Trinidad South located four km to the
west of Gramalote Ridge is testing the continuity and extension of positive
drill results obtained by B2Gold in 2008 at Trinidad that returned up to
223.0 metres at 1..00 g/t gold (TR-6) and 109.0 metres at 1.13 g/t gold
(TR-2) as part of the 7,019 metres drill program that outlined similar
mineralization to that of Gramalote Ridge over a 1,100 x 500 metres area.
To date 2,284.30 metres in seven holes have been completed with assays
up to 12.0 metres at 0.73 g/t gold (TSE-01) and 18.0 metres at 0.80 g/t gold
including 10.0 metres at 1.17 g/t gold ( TS-01). Assays are pending on holes
TR-22 to TR-25. Drilling with one drill rig continues at Trinidad. Previous
results at Trinidad along with the encouraging results from Monjas West
demonstrate the good potential for additional gold resources on the Gramalote
property.
Monjas East is located immediately west along strike
from 2008 Gramalote Ridge drilling results of 34.1 metres at 1.32 g/t gold
(GR-95) and 23.8 metres at 1.1 g/t gold (FZ-03). To date a total of
4,008.42 metres in 14 holes have been drilled at Monjas East with results up
to 14.0 metres at 1.14 g/t gold (ME-04), 12.0 metres at 1.01 g/t gold (ME-11)
and 12.0 metres at 0.96 g/t gold (ME-03). Assays are pending for hole 13.
The Limon zone, located one km south of Gramalote
Ridge, comprises an 850 x 300 metre gold soil geochemical anomaly with rock
channel samples up to 6.0 metres at 4.9 g/t gold and 13.0 metres at 1.6 g/t
gold. Results from the five holes totaling 1,870.19 metres drilled in Limon
include 6.0 metres at 1.65 g/t gold (LM-01). Assays are pending for holes
LM-03 to LM-05. Drilling continues at Limon with one drill rig. Two holes
totaling 676.65 metres drilled at Topacio located three km west northwest of
Gramalote Ridge did not return any significant results.
Selected drill intervals from infill and exploration
drilling are tabulated below:
Zone
|
Hole #
|
|
From (metres)
|
To
(metres)
|
Interval (metres)
|
Gold (g/t)
|
Gold
(g/t) capped at 17 g/t
|
Silver (ppm)
|
Note
|
Gramalote Ridge
|
GR-116
|
|
166.0
|
254.0
|
88.0
|
1.25
|
1.01
|
0.94
|
|
Gramalote Ridge
|
GR-116
|
Including
|
178.0
|
184.0
|
6.0
|
11.03
|
7.50
|
3.49
|
|
Gramalote Ridge
|
GR-117
|
|
4.0
|
108.0
|
104.0
|
0.73
|
0.73
|
1.68
|
|
Gramalote Ridge
|
GR-117
|
Including
|
20.0
|
60.0
|
40.0
|
1.04
|
1.04
|
0.99
|
|
Gramalote Ridge
|
GR-117
|
|
258.0
|
282.0
|
24.0
|
1.20
|
1.20
|
1.21
|
|
Gramalote Ridge
|
GR-118
|
|
100.0
|
214.0
|
114.0
|
0.71
|
0.71
|
0.93
|
|
Gramalote Ridge
|
GR-119
|
|
102.0
|
148.0
|
46.0
|
1.37
|
1.37
|
1.28
|
|
Gramalote Ridge
|
GR-119
|
Including
|
110.0
|
128.0
|
18.0
|
2.52
|
2.52
|
2.11
|
|
Gramalote Ridge
|
GR-120
|
|
246.0
|
268.0
|
22.0
|
2.81
|
2.81
|
1.46
|
|
Gramalote Ridge
|
GR-121
|
|
68.0
|
248.0
|
180.0
|
1.09
|
1.09
|
0.94
|
|
Gramalote Ridge
|
GR-122
|
|
92.0
|
130.0
|
38.0
|
1.46
|
1.46
|
1.81
|
|
Gramalote Ridge
|
GR-123
|
|
64.0
|
116.0
|
52.0
|
1.18
|
1.18
|
|
Ag Pending
|
Gramalote Ridge
|
GR-123
|
and
|
196.0
|
246.0
|
50.0
|
1.41
|
1.41
|
|
Ag Pending
|
Gramalote Ridge
|
Gr-125
|
|
220.0
|
250.0
|
30.0
|
1.22
|
1.22
|
2.48
|
|
Gramalote Ridge
|
GR-125
|
|
268.0
|
296.0
|
28.0
|
1.46
|
1.46
|
1.39
|
|
Gramalote Ridge
|
GR-125
|
|
334.0
|
388.0
|
54.0
|
2.57
|
2.49
|
2.18
|
|
Gramalote Ridge
|
GR-126
|
|
10.0
|
120.0
|
110.0
|
0.86
|
0.86
|
1.47
|
|
Gramalote Ridge
|
GR-127
|
|
386.0
|
416.0
|
30.0
|
2.30
|
2.30
|
1.44
|
|
Gramalote Ridge
|
GR-128
|
|
200.0
|
342.0
|
142.0
|
1.49
|
1.49
|
1.87
|
|
Monjas East
|
ME-03
|
|
18.0
|
30.0
|
12.0
|
0.96
|
0.96
|
4.46
|
|
Monjas East
|
ME-03
|
|
110.0
|
116.0
|
6.0
|
2.87
|
2.87
|
4.25
|
|
Monjas East
|
ME-04
|
|
148.0
|
162.0
|
14.0
|
1.14
|
1.14
|
1.80
|
|
Zone
|
Hole #
|
|
From (metres)
|
To
(metres)
|
Interval (metres)
|
Gold (g/t)
|
Gold
(g/t) capped at 17 g/t
|
Silver (ppm)
|
Note
|
Monjas East
|
ME-09
|
|
172.0
|
176.0
|
4.0
|
4.33
|
4.33
|
0.98
|
|
Monjas East
|
ME-11
|
|
230.0
|
242.0
|
12.0
|
1.01
|
1.01
|
0.37
|
|
Monjas East
|
ME-12
|
|
28.0
|
40.0
|
12.0
|
0.66
|
0.66
|
0.55
|
|
Monjas West
|
MW-02
|
|
32.0
|
64.0
|
32.0
|
0.88
|
0.88
|
0.86
|
|
Monjas West
|
MW-03
|
|
70.0
|
90.0
|
20.0
|
1.88
|
1.88
|
1.59
|
|
Monjas West
|
MW-04
|
|
8.0
|
14.0
|
6.0
|
1.28
|
1.28
|
0.40
|
|
Monjas West
|
MW-04
|
and
|
58.0
|
80.0
|
22.0
|
0.93
|
0.93
|
0.45
|
|
Monjas West
|
MW-05
|
|
212.0
|
268.0
|
56.0
|
0.94
|
0.94
|
20.57
|
|
Monjas West
|
MW-05
|
Including
|
212.0
|
226.0
|
14.0
|
1.66
|
1.66
|
81.71
|
|
Monjas West
|
MW-05
|
and
|
244.0
|
256.0
|
12.0
|
1.45
|
1.45
|
0.25
|
|
Limon
|
LM-02
|
|
154.0
|
156.0
|
2.0
|
5.57
|
5.57
|
3.67
|
|
Trinidad
|
TSE-01
|
|
48.0
|
60.0
|
12.0
|
0.73
|
0.73
|
1.40
|
|
Trinidad
|
TS-01
|
|
10.0
|
28.0
|
18.0
|
0.80
|
0.80
|
0.39
|
|
Trinidad
|
TS-01
|
Including
|
10.0
|
20.0
|
10.0
|
1.17
|
1.17
|
0.51
|
|
Trinidad
|
TS-01
|
|
42.0
|
68.0
|
26.0
|
0.61
|
0.61
|
0.90
|
|
Trinidad
|
TS-01
|
|
98.0
|
114.0
|
16.0
|
0.67
|
0.67
|
0.33
|
|
Trinidad
|
TR-21
|
|
12.0
|
34.0
|
22.0
|
0.47
|
0.47
|
35.67
|
|
Metallurgical testing of 17 tonnes of sample
material obtained from new drilling of 2,811 metres (10 holes) as well as
core rejects from 2008 Gramalote resource drilling is being conducted by SGS
Lakefield Canada. Testing includes gravity, flotation, leaching, comminution
and mineralogical evaluation. Initial metallurgical tests are very
encouraging with clean ore and low lime and cyanide consumption amenable for
leaching and gravity process as well as flotation with recoveries in excess
of 90%. Metallurgical studies continue. Environmental base line and TSF/WSF
(tailings storage facility / waste storage facility) engineering studies are
in progress. In addition two geotechnical and condemnation holes totaling
615.60 metres have been drilled on the property.
The drilling program at the Gramalote property is
reviewed and the results approved by Tom Garagan, B2Gold's QP under National
Instrument 43-101. The Gramalote drill program utilizes extensive QA/QC (quality
assurance and quality control) protocols for assaying and core sample
handling that consist of the systematic insertion of blanks, standards and
duplicates as well as using a secondary laboratory for regular check
assaying. Core samples are cut with a diamond saw with one-half of the
core placed in sealed bags and shipped directly to ALS Chemex Labs in Bogota,
Colombia for sample preparation with the pulps subsequently sent to ALS
Chemex Labs in Lima, Peru for gold fire assay and ICP analyses.
On Behalf of B2GOLD CORP.
|
|
"Tom Garagan"
Senior Vice
President of Exploration
|
|