AZOLALU SPECIAL SMALL SCALE
GOLD MINING PLC
Work plan for Gold Reconnaissance in
Benishangul Gumuz Regional State
SUBMITTED TO:- BENISHANGUL GUMUZ REGIONAL
STATE MINERAL RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT AGENCY.
Prepared by: A.S. Environmental impact assessment
consultancy Service PLC
October, 2020
Assosa, Ethiopia
Contents
1. Introduction..............................................................................................................................3
1.1. Background of the project.................................................................................................3
1.2. Objective of the project.....................................................................................................4
1.2.1. short Term Objective.................................................................................................4
1.2.2. Long Term Objective.................................................................................................4
2. Description of the project location...........................................................................................4
2.1. Geographical location.......................................................................................................4
2.2. Climate and vegetation......................................................................................................5
2.3. human settlement and land use.........................................................................................6
2.4. Accessibility......................................................................................................................6
3. Previous Exploration and geological setting............................................................................6
3.1. Previous exploration of application area...........................................................................6
3.2. Geological setting.............................................................................................................7
4. Methodology............................................................................................................................9
5. Resource Requirement...........................................................................................................10
5.1. Man Power......................................................................................................................10
5.2. Field Equipment Expenses..............................................................................................10
6. Conclusion..............................................................................................................................11
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AZOLALU SPECIAL SMALL SCALE GOLD MINING PLC
1. Introduction
1.1. Background of the project
The mineral industry has been an important part in the development of Civilization throughout
the world history. Now a day the accelerating of the world, population, Combined with human
seeking to higher level of life standard throughout the world, is greatly increasing demands for
mineral products of all types. The world may face a global mineral crisis if new mineral
discoveries are not found because the Earth’s Finite supply of being used by a population that is
growing much faster than any time in history. the supply could not satisfy the demand because
the need surpasses the production of such. Intensive exploration is conducted throughout
nevertheless it does not appear to progress as may be required. The creation of different
application of minerals for new purposes has helped in the acceleration of industry products
drastically. Gold the metal of interest for this project happens to move steadily at today’s world
transaction Though the price for an ounce of gold is moderate conditions speculate that higher
increase is close by at the door. The insatiable demand for this metal in some countries is so
much that it will not allow the fall of prices. For example India needs 100s of tone of gold every
year. The currency fluctuation which is unpredictable often also allows the metal gold which is a
substitute to move more or less steadily. Hence now that the price is dependable and the demand
of high production happens to move normally. In Ethiopia the support by the government and the
attractive price +5% world prices and the allowing of mechanization at the artisanal level has
encouraged the local co –operative producers to engage in this field for more move than ever.
Thus bearing this positive attitude the GIDE Gold producers and Marketing Association is
determined to undertake the task of exploitation in here at the PIRE locality as soon as may be
possible.
The administrative region of Assosa zones and Metekel zones are known to mineral explorers
and miners for its gold, platinum and iron ore occurrences since the beginning of the 19 century.
The region is long known for its primary and placer gold ore occurrences and deposits.
AZOLALU SPECIAL SMALL SCALE GOLD MINING PLC is indenting to engage in the gold
exploration of the product Benishangul Gumuz Regional state, Assosa Zone specifically,
Kurmuk, Menga and sherkole Woredas to produce gold and contribute for economic
development.
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AZOLALU SPECIAL SMALL SCALE GOLD MINING PLC
1.2. Objective of the project
1.2.1. short Term Objective
The main short term objective of this project proposal is to carry out geological, geochemical and
possibly geophysical exploration activities and evaluate the alluvial placer gold occurrence along
the low course of River including feasibility study to develop the gold deposit. For this purpose
all the alluvial gold bearing terraces in the basin will be mapped and intensive pitting will be
conducted.
1.2.2. Long Term Objective
Conduct investigation tasks to identify and locate the envisaged target deposit
( placer Gold), developing the resource, to be satisfying the currently increasing
demand of the countries National currency.
Identify appropriate production technology of this special small scale mining and
processing to produce significant quantity.
Select feasible site for mining
Creating job opportunities for the surrounding dwellers, and
To some extent, generate national income and help in import substitution of end-
product of the target construction minerals and in long term aimed to export high.
2. Description of the project location
2.1. Geographical location
The project area will be in Menga, Kurmuk and sherkole weredas of Asoosa Zones of
Benishangul Gumuz Regional State.
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Figure 1: map of project area
2.2. Climate and vegetation
According to the national atlas of Ethiopia (1981), the climate conditions in the equatorial
regions are strongly influenced by their altitude. The atlas classified the climatic regions of
Ethiopia in to dega, weinadega, kola and bereha. Adopting this classification, the targeted area is
typified by kola-bereha climate zone with sharp changes from rainy season (April to September)
to dry season. There is a great variation in the climate condition in the area with temperatures
ranging from 15 0 in January to 45 0 in April to May. It is very hot in the valleys and lowlands,
and after the rainy season, which lasts from mid-June to mid October. At the rainy season
malaria is prevalent.
Thorny bushes, shrubs, acacia, elephant grass and bamboo trees are some of the indigenous
vegetation of the area. The density varies from place to place mainly due to the underlying litho
logy, seasonal change and vicinity to the main streams. This vegetation contribute significant
role to keep the ecological system for wild life and honeybees. On the other hand, the local
people set fire while hunting, honey harvesting and clearing their farmland in dry season as a
result significant forest cover is destroyed.
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2.3. human settlement and land use
The Bareta people are the main in habitants and their life principally depends on goat breeding,
small scale subsistence farming, honey harvesting, hunting and artisanal gold mining. Due to the
crude farming method, most of the arable land of the area remains uncultivated. The
Amhara ,oromo and tigray are also settled in the area due to agricultural purpose. They cultivated
mainly maize, selit and sorghum.
2.4. Accessibility
Assosa town, the capital of Benishagul Gumuz Region is found 659km west of Addis Ababa and
accessed through Addis Ababa-Assoa main asphalt road. Menge town is about 56km N of
Assosa town, where as Sherkole is 96km N of Assosa town.
3. Previous Exploration and geological setting
3.1. Previous exploration of application area
Regional geological mapping and geochemical prospecting for good and other economic
minerals had been carried out in western Ethiopian for many years before and after World War
II. This area has lengthy history of prospecting mainly for gold and other precious metals. Since
long time to the present day the local inhabitants have been digging and planning for gold in
different river beds. After assessing the recommendations of the preceding studies, the ELGS
undertook geological, geochemical and geophysical follow-up work on the on donok gold
prospect ( Evans, 1976: amenti 1977: pisarski, 1978), the kurmuk gold and tungsten prospect
(soukhoroukov, 1980), the gold tungsten arsenopyrite bearing vein near abumare river, the guba-
oba and base metals exploration project, beles- dinder gold exploration project, dugi mambuk
gold exploration. An area of alluvial terraces between the geissan – assosa road and the junction
of the sirkole and hoshu rivers was prospected for placer in view of the presence of old placer
workings and reports of high gold values. Detailed geological, geochemical and geophysical
exploration work was under gone on the kurmuk gold placer and the dulgossaniferous body and
in the geissan and odagodere areas. Mineral exploration and training program was also being
carried out with UNDP aid.The economic mineral exploration and evaluation department in
collaboration with the Norwegian geological survey designed a 5 year lasting project (1998-
2003) north of abay in western Ethiopia including the current target area, and performed vast
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AZOLALU SPECIAL SMALL SCALE GOLD MINING PLC
geological and geochemical and geophysical works up to drilling. The result of the survey
identified numbers of gold auriferous zones starting from baruda- egambo in the south up to the
beles river basin and bashata area to the north. (tadesse and melese 2002).As part of the project
bjergard (1997), grenne and braathen (1998) forwarded geological model of western Ethiopia
and mentioned the occurrence of abundant ultramafic- mafic intrusions in kthe low –grade
sequence througnout the studied area. According to the compilation work of getahun said (2002)
both the high – grade Precambrian metamorphic rocks of aburamla sheet are classified into
guba,anja and beles major litho-tectonic domains which are separated by tectonic boundaries.
The oldest guba domain occupies the central part of aburamla sheet and is composed of ortho-
and para- gneiss, marble meta sediment and associated syn-to-post- tectonic rocks. The domain
is made up of granodiorite gneiss, granite gneiss, met volcano-sedimentary rocks and marble.
The beles domain cevers the whole western Ethiopia and southern part of the basement rocks of
aburamla and is characterized by biotite gneiss, augened granitic gneiss and aphibolites,
undifferentiated metavolcano- sedimentary rocks and associated intrusion.
Generally all comprehensive prospective works conducted within and the vicinity of target area
give adequate information with regard to the content of gold in payable gravel and subsequently
determine their preparedness for commercial development]. Nevertheless, due to the lack of
sufficient data the actual reserve of the entire base area remain still unknown.
3.2. Geological setting
The Geological Survey of Ethiopia (GSE) studied the Precambrian geology of western Ethiopia
at different scales (UNDP, 1972; de Wit, 1977b; Kazmin, 1978; Kazmin et al., 1979; Davidson,
1983; Amenti, 1989; Mengesha, 1987; Mengesha and Berhe, 1987; Ayalew and Moore, 1989,
Tadesse and Tsegaye, 2000; Solomon and Mulugeta, 2000; Getahun, 2002). Accordingly, the
Precambrian of western Ethiopia consists of: - (i) high grade gneiss and migmatites, (ii) low-
grade metavolcano-sedimentary rocks and associated intrusive rocks and, (iii) metavolcano-
sediments and associated mafic-ultramafic rocks of probable ophiolitic origin.
Forming part of the Western Ethiopian Metamorphic Belt, the geology of the project area
consists of low grade, greenschist facies, metavolcano -metasedimentary sequences, intruded by
syn and post-tectonic intermediate to acidic intrusive rocks. The metamorphic belts are in some
instances overlain by Tertiary volcanic sequences.
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The Metasediments in the area are interbeds of metacherts, metatuff carbonates and minor
phyllites. There are also psammopelitic, argillaceous, tuffaceous and sericitic phyllite, chlorite
sericite schist with minor carbonate beds, gray and limonitic chert, layered chert and associated
argillaceous sediments, as well as breciated metacherts. Calcitic, siliceous and dolomitic marbles
are also dominantly exposed in the area. The marbles are generally fine to coarse grained, light to
dark colour, siliceous calcitic dolomitic in composition, wavy and discontinuous in outcrop
pattern. In some outcrops, the marbles are interlayered with tuffaceous metavolcanics.
The metavolcanics are felsic metatuff with phyllitic to sericitic texture. When enclosed within
the competent carbonate rocks, the felsic metavolcanics are massive with calcsilicate
composition suggesting compositional mixing during sub areal deposition. The basic meta
volcanics are mostly green schists (chlorite schists) composed of epidote, chlorite, actinolite and
minor plagioclases, and generally foliated and rarely massive, fine to medium grained rocks.
These rocks generally enclose the marble layers at a regional scale. However, some concordant
and rarely discordant layers of green schist’s occur within the carbonate layers without any clear
evidence of gradation. The metamorphic rocks are densely dotted by both mafic and felsic
intrusives ranging from Post-tectonic granites and leach gabbros and associated aplitic dikes and
quartz veins to deformed and metamorphosed granites and gabbros.
The most dominant regional structures are mostly vertical to sub vertical foliations with a
regional trend ranging between N340°E and N35°E. Some minor folds, shearing and lineaments
generally trending NW-SE are also common in the vicinity of Sirba Abay. Two sets of faults
oriented NE-SW and E-W affect the carbonatitic sediments and the metavolcanics.
The Precambrian rocks have received attention in the current exploration activity for precious
metals and dimension stones mineralization.
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4. Methodology
The following study work procedures are out lined as a proper approach to be employed in the
searching for quantified and hence, mining development of the required minerals: -
Conduct systematic reconnaissance study (with grid patterns) tasks in the requesting
area,
Identifying and delineating economic gold mineral deposits with conducting proper
traversing.
Sample physical observation that can result in gold mineralization to recommend for
next exploration
Evaluating the identified deposit and preparing reports in order to produce documents
for the next license.
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5. Resource Requirement
5.1. Man Power
The required human resources for exploration were summarized in the table below.
Table 1 Manpower requirement and expense.
No Description Amount Days Unit price Total price
1. Administration, and Finance 1 20 2500 50000
Manager
Senior exploration Geologist 1 20 2500 50000
Junior Geologist 1 20 2500 50000
Daily laborer 1 20 150 30000
Total 4 180000
5.2. Field Equipment Expenses
Table 2 Field equipment expense
No. Item unit Amount Unit Total Remark
price in price in
birr birr.
1 Geographic positioning system (GPS) pcs 2 10,000 20000
2 Geologic Hammer pcs 2 1000 2000
3 Geologic Compass pcs 1 2000 2000
4 Hand lens pcs 1 500 500
5 Photo camera pcs 1 3000 3000
6 Stationary materials/items L.S 1 5,000 5000
7 Sampling and camping equipment LS 1 10,000 10000
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8 Car rent days 10 50,000
Sum 92,500
6. Conclusion
The data from the previous exploration works, the geological experiences from the project area
and the presence of gold occurrences in the region indicate that the proposed project has a great
potential to get economic deposit of marble.
Therefore, if your good office grants us the exploration license this project will come up with
attractive results that will lead to the mining of gold.
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