Haykota Exploration

Andiamo Exploration Limited was incorporated in 2008 to explore for and develop volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) and orogenic gold deposits in Eritrea.  The company has systematically explored the large Haykota licence which lies along strike from and 50km south of Nevsun’s Bisha Mine.

Eritrea lies in the Arabian-Nubian Shield which hosts important Neoproterozoic VMS and early Phanerozoic orogenic gold deposits.  VMS deposits include Bisha (Eritrea), Hassai (Sudan), Jabal Sayid (Saudi Arabia) and Hamama (Egypt).  Gold deposits include Sukari (Egypt) and Zara (Eritrea).

VMS deposits commonly occur as “strings of pearls” along favourable horizons, as in the Flin Flon district of Canada.  The series of deposits discovered by Bisha Share Mining Co, which extend to the Asheli deposit 15km from the northern boundary of Andiamo’s Haykota licence, indicate that this is likely to be the case in western Eritrea.   The Haykota licence, with its southern extension, contains 60k strike length of the favourable horizon.

Geophysical, geochemical, geological and remote sensing surveys over the original 750km2 licence area led to the identification of about 40 targets, which were followed up by ground geophysical methods, detailed geological and geochemical surveys and drilling.  In 2016, the company was granted a southward extension of 90km2 containing a further 30 targets identified by previous licence holders but not followed up.

The company intends to develop its VMS-related gold discovery at Yacob Dewar, explore for further VMS deposits and search for additional gold deposits in the licence, and within a 50km radius, to supplement the known resources.