MONTREAL, QUEBEC -- (Marketwire) -- 02/07/13 -- SEMAFO Inc. (TSX: SMF)(OMX: SMF) today announced that results from its Phase I delineation drilling program at Siou confirm both grade and vein thickness, particularly within the core 500-meter strike length of the mineralized zones. Current interpretation identifies six different zones generally located in the hanging wall of the main Siou Zone. Results to date suggest that of the zones identified, Siou and Nine show the best continuity and grades.
In addition, a few deeper drill holes were completed along the interpreted shallow north plunge, including WDC-613, which returned 5.45 g/t Au across 4.9 meters at a depth of 200 vertical meters below surface and WDC-609, which returned 7.78 g/t Au across 4.2 meters at roughly the same elevation, but 200 meters north of WDC-613.
Delineation drilling on the Siou Zone commenced late in the fourth quarter 2012 and consisted of 8,797 meters in 43 core holes. The objective of this program was to reduce the drill hole spacing to 50 meters for the top 150 meters of the zone and complete a few deeper cuts in order to trace the potential down-plunge of the deposit. The results of this program will serve as the basis for the inferred resource estimate to be included in the upcoming end-of-year reserves and resource update.
"Our objective for Siou is to include the deposit in our reserve base in 2013," said Michel Crevier, SEMAFO's Vice-President Exploration and Mine Geology. "Our exploration team remains focused on fast-tracking the Siou deposit towards an eventual production decision. Thus far, the deposit has passed every step towards this objective with brio and continues to provide excellent targets for additional resources, particularly at depth. Furthermore, the exceptional metallurgical results that we recently announced for Siou with recovery rates of over 95% greatly enhance the potential of the zone."
The following table presents the drill result highlights of the recent core drilling program.
Siou Zone Drilling Highlights
----------------------------------------------------------------------------DDH No. Zone Section (N) From To Au(i) / Length(ii)----------------------------------------------------------------------------WDC598 Siou 1321400 142.4 144.0 8.98 g/t / 1.6 m----------------------------------------------------------------------------WDC636 Siou 1321450 173.8 175.8 22.53 g/t / 2.0 m----------------------------------------------------------------------------WDC639 Siou 1321450 127.6 132.0 2.13 g/t / 4.4 m----------------------------------------------------------------------------WDC641 Siou 1321450 80.7 82.2 7.22 g/t / 1.5 m----------------------------------------------------------------------------WDC643 Siou 1321460 40.5 43.2 5.43 g/t / 2.7 m----------------------------------------------------------------------------WDC594 Siou 1321500 110.2 113.0 23.99 g/t / 2.8 m----------------------------------------------------------------------------WDC638 Siou 1321550 169.0 172.0 3.38 g/t / 3.0 m----------------------------------------------------------------------------WDC640 Siou 1321550 127.0 129.0 27.71 g/t / 2.0 m (28.30 g/t uncut)----------------------------------------------------------------------------WDC642 Siou 1321550 84.9 87.9 16.99 g/t / 3.0 m----------------------------------------------------------------------------WDC644 Siou 1321550 42.0 51.0 10.94 g/t / 9.0 m (15.78 g/t uncut)----------------------------------------------------------------------------WDC588 Siou 1321600 126.0 128.0 10.42 g/t / 2.0 m----------------------------------------------------------------------------WDC634 Siou 1321640 120.0 123.0 7.36 g/t / 3.0 m----------------------------------------------------------------------------WDC635 Siou 1321650 74.1 76.7 27.54 g/t / 2.6 m (32.51 g/t uncut)----------------------------------------------------------------------------WDC637 Siou 1321650 44.1 47.0 19.70 g/t / 2.9 m----------------------------------------------------------------------------WDC629 Siou 1321750 125.0 129.5 11.34 g/t / 4.5 m (15.18 g/t uncut)----------------------------------------------------------------------------WDC630 Siou 1321750 77.0 82.0 14.94 g/t / 5.0 m (19.20 g/t uncut)----------------------------------------------------------------------------WDC631 Siou 1321750 40.0 44.3 13.40 g/t / 4.3 m (16.64 g/t uncut)----------------------------------------------------------------------------WDC586 Siou 1321840 154.5 162.0 5.93 g/t / 7.5 m----------------------------------------------------------------------------WDC617 Siou 1321900 350.4 351.2 22.83 g/t / 0.8 m----------------------------------------------------------------------------WDC608 Siou 1322050 117.2 118.0 40.00 g/t / 0.8 m (42.15 g/t uncut)----------------------------------------------------------------------------WDC607 Siou 1322050 163.0 166.0 10.38 g/t / 3.0 m----------------------------------------------------------------------------WDC605 Siou 1322100 140.6 142.0 15.77 g/t / 1.4 m----------------------------------------------------------------------------WDC613 Siou 1322100 266.5 271.4 5.45 g/t / 4.9 m----------------------------------------------------------------------------WDC618 Siou 1322150 98.8 102.1 10.35 g/t / 3.3 m----------------------------------------------------------------------------WDC616 Siou 1322150 147.0 150.0 11.88 g/t / 3.0 m----------------------------------------------------------------------------WDC603 Nine 1321100 152.0 159.0 4.19 g/t / 7.0 m----------------------------------------------------------------------------WDC600 Nine 1321400 229.0 231.5 13.58 g/t / 2.5 m----------------------------------------------------------------------------WDC598 Nine 1321400 208.5 214.0 4.02 g/t / 5.5 m----------------------------------------------------------------------------WDC636 Nine 1321450 236.0 239.0 3.09 g/t / 3.0 m----------------------------------------------------------------------------WDC639 Nine 1321450 199.0 203.0 3.43 g/t / 4.0 m----------------------------------------------------------------------------WDC641 Nine 1321450 126.6 127.6 40.00 g/t / 1.0 m (44.89 g/t uncut)----------------------------------------------------------------------------WDC594 Nine 1321500 178.0 187.0 7.06 g/t / 9.0 m (9.32 g/t uncut)----------------------------------------------------------------------------WDC642 Nine 1321550 123.0 133.5 2.68 g/t / 10.5 m----------------------------------------------------------------------------WDC627 Nine 1321750 198.6 206.3 6.47 g/t / 7.7 m----------------------------------------------------------------------------WDC582 Nine 1321900 146.0 163.0 2.36 g/t / 17.0 m----------------------------------------------------------------------------WDC583 Nine 1321950 153.0 160.6 5.09 g/t / 7.6 m----------------------------------------------------------------------------WDC608 Nine 1322050 134.8 138.5 5.79 g/t / 3.7 m----------------------------------------------------------------------------WDC607 Nine 1322050 184.0 191.0 3.28 g/t / 7.0 m----------------------------------------------------------------------------WDC618 Nine 1322150 119.5 124.0 3.21 g/t / 4.5 m----------------------------------------------------------------------------WDC616 Nine 1322150 155.3 158.0 6.55 g/t / 2.7 m----------------------------------------------------------------------------WDC612 Nine 1322250 167.6 170.5 10.36 g/t / 2.9 m (18.42 g/t uncut)----------------------------------------------------------------------------WDC609 Nine 1322300 273.8 278.0 7.78 g/t / 4.2 m----------------------------------------------------------------------------WDC640 55 1321550 172.1 172.8 6.31 g/t / 0.7 m----------------------------------------------------------------------------WDC642 55 1321550 109.0 110.0 3.60 g/t / 1.0 m----------------------------------------------------------------------------WDC642 46 1321550 146.0 147.0 2.75 g/t / 1.0 m----------------------------------------------------------------------------WDC634 46 1321640 185.0 186.0 2.91 g/t / 1.0 m----------------------------------------------------------------------------WDC631 46 1321750 75.0 76.0 3.80 g/t / 1.0 m----------------------------------------------------------------------------WDC616 10 1322150 121.0 127.0 2.02 g/t / 6.0 m----------------------------------------------------------------------------(i) All individual samples are cut at 40 g/t for the Siou and Nine zones and35 g/t for all other zones.(ii)All lengths are measured along the hole axis; which is interpreted to beroughly equivalent to true widths.
