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B2Gold Announces an Increased Exploration Budget at the Fekola North Extension Zone, Mali; and Updates on El Limon and La Libertad Mines, Nicaragua
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 28, 2018) - B2Gold Corp. (TSX: BTO) (NYSE ...
About this update from B2gold Corp.
[{"type":"text","content":"B2Gold Announces an Increased Exploration Budget at the Fekola North Extension Zone, Mali; and Updates on El Limon and La Libertad Mines, NicaraguaVancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 28, 2018) - B2Gold Corp. (TSX: BTO) (NYSE AMERICAN: BTG) (NSX: B2G) (\"B2Gold\" or the \"Company\") is pleased to announce that the Company has increased the Fekola North Extension zone exploration budget based on very positive exploration drill results to date. The Company also announces that El Limon and La Libertad mines in Nicaragua continue to operate, albeit at somewhat reduced levels of production, in the current environment of political instability in Nicaragua. Fekola North Extension Zone, Mali: Exploration UpdateThe 2018 Mali exploration budget will increase by $3.9 million (from $15.1 million to $19 million) to accelerate the current Fekola North Extension zone drill program, which is extending and infilling mineral resources to the north of the main Fekola deposit. The Company is increasing the number of diamond drills from the current five rigs to eight rigs, as well as one reverse circulation (\"RC\") rig and one aircore rig. A total of 39,000 metres have been drilled this year on the Fekola North Extension, and an additional 16,000 metres are now planned for the remainder of 2018. Exploration drilling of the Fekola North Extension has now extended mineralization over one kilometre north of the Fekola reserve pit boundary. The drilling to date has indicated that the high-grade mineralized shoot in the Fekola reserve deposit not only continues to be well mineralized over one kilometre to the north, but the shoot has now been intersected higher up, closer to surface than originally projected in the Fekola North Extension zone. These results and previous drill results indicate that the potential exists, subject to further drilling, to significantly increase open-pit resources and reserves, north of the current Fekola open-pit reserve. The Fekola North Extension remains open to the north. Due to the increasing size of the mineralized area, B2Gold now intends to release a new mineral resource for the Fekola deposit including a portion of the Fekola North Extension early in the fourth quarter of 2018.In addition, based on the positive exploration results to date, the Company's in-house technical team is conducting engineering...