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A pioneering TSX-V (MNO) and AIM (MANA) quoted exploration company focused on the discovery of world-class gold, diamond and iron ore deposits in the Archaean terrain of the highly prospective, under-explored, West African Mano River Union countries of Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.
Gold
The basis of Mano's gold strategy in the Mano River Union region was the recognition that Western Liberia, together with a large part of Sierra Leone and eastern Guinea, is underlain by a classic Archaean granite-schist (greenstone) belt terrain containing extensive schist belts. In particular, geological parallels were drawn with the Lake Victoria Goldfields of Tanzania where, from modest beginnings at the beginning of the decade, exploration during the 90s of similar Archaean terrain has yielded a number of world class discoveries, such that today something of the order of 40 million ounces of mineable gold are being developed by a range of companies. Outside Africa, the Archaean terrains of Canada, Australia and Venezuela have been particularly prolific in terms of gold deposits.
Diamonds
Most of the highest quality diamonds found in West Africa, including one of the world’s most famous large stones, the 990-carat ‘Star of Sierra Leone’, have been found in eastern Sierra Leone and western Liberia, with Kono in Sierra Leone being by far the most productive area. The diamondiferous area of West Africa forms part of the Archaean Leo Shield, where the granite and schist belt craton was tectonically thickened during the Liberian Orogeny, some 2,600 million years ago. The diamonds are interpreted to have formed near the base of this thickened crust, and remained there until brought to the surface by later events. Shear zone movements during the Liberian Orogeny may have played a role. However, the dominant mechanism appears to have been the emplacement, during a period of extensional tectonics in the Cretaceous period around one hundred million years ago, of kimberlitic magmas at high crustal levels.
Iron Ore
The principal iron ore asset of Mano River Resources is the 80 per cent owned Putu Range Iron Ore Project in eastern Liberia.
Mano also holds a 3.68 per cent minority interest in Mifergui Nimba, holder of a 5 per cent interest (which is free carried for the first $100M invested) in the BHPBilliton-managed one billion tonne Nimba iron ore deposit in Guinea.
The Putu Range Project is held under a three year exclusive Mineral Exploration Agreement (MEA) licence for iron ore granted on May 18th, 2005, which covers an area of 425km2 in Grand Gedeh County, Liberia. The deposit is approximately 200km south east of the 1 billion tonne Mt. Nimba iron ore project that straddles the border with Guinea, currently being developed at a reported cost of $1bn by Mittal Steel. Elsewhere in Liberia, four other iron ore deposits are being explored by BHP Billiton.
Putu Range consists of two north east-south west trending ridges of which the more easterly, Mt. Jide, with its northerly extension Montroh Mountain, has been the focus of work to date. The region in general is characterised by gentle relief, with Mount Jide standing at an elevation of 850m. The licence area is only 100km from a potential deep-water port on the Atlantic, at Greenville. The Mt. Jide ridge comprises a high-grade magnetite/hematite mineralised zone with a strike length of approximately 12km.
The ridge was the subject of limited past work in the 1950s and 60s and historic reports from this period suggest that Mt. Jide ridge potentially contains in excess of 500 million tonnes of non-NI 43-101 compliant iron mineralisation, with grades up to 67% Fe.
Sampling and mineralogical analysis completed by Mano indicate that the predominant iron mineral is haematite and that the quality of the mineralisation is high, with low phosphorous levels and a coarse grain size to the quartz present.
Since September 2006, independent consultants McLellan and Partners have supervised a site preparation and sampling programme, in advance of a pre-feasibility study, which is planned, subject to financing, to commence in 2007 and include up to 4,000m of diamond drilling.
Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea and DRC.
| David B. Evans - Executive Chairman |
| Luis Guilherme Cabrita da Silva - President & CEO |
| Guido ('Guy') Pas - Non-Executive Director |
| Dr Tom G. Elder - Non-Executive Director |
| Malcolm Burne - Non-Executive Director |
| Bevan John Metcalf - Chief Financial Officer |
| N. Karl Smithson - CEO Stellar Diamonds Limited |
Company Address32 Bloomsbury Street
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CapitalAs at 25 May, 2007, the total number of outstanding stock options is: 9,275,000 |
Annual General MeetingJune 11 - London. | Year End31 December |
Nominated BrokersGMP Securities Europe LLP | Nominated AdvisorsPanmure Gordon (UK) Limited |
17/11/06 - Bell Lawrie May 2006
| JP Morgan Fleming |
| HSBC Global Custody Nominee (UK) Limited |
| Fidelity |
| Eastbound Resources Limited |
| Hermes |