Phu Bia Gold Mine
The Phu Bia Gold Project about 90 km noertheast of Vientiane comprises three deposits: the Phu Kham oxide gold cap; the Long Chieng Track Deposit (five kilometres from Phu Kham); and the Ban Houayxai Deposit (30 kilometres from Phu Kham). Further information can be found at Panaustralian web page. Most of the text below and the photos have been downloaded from this web page.

The most significant deposit within the Phu Bia project Area is the Phu Kham Copper-Gold Deposit (see sketch below), which contains one million tonnes of copper and two million ounces of gold. Overlying this deposit is an oxide gold cap hosting an Indicated Mineral Resource of 9 million tonnes at 1.1 g/t gold for 320,000 ounces of gold.

Drill evaluation by Panaustralian of the three deposits in 2003 has identified the potential for the Project to support a mine development of a 50,000 to 80,000 ounces per annum gold mine based on a minimum ore reserve of 350,000 ounces.

The Phu Kham deposit is interpreted to be a hydrothermal copper-gold porphyry system consisting of sericite-altered feldspar porphyry intruded into calcareous sediments and overlain by massive red beds and limestone. The primary mineralisation consists of pyrite, chalcopyrite and gold in disseminations, veinlets, bandings and cross cutting quartz veins.
The plant at Sepon gold mine
The Phu Kham deposit (the gold oxide cape is called Phu Bia). Diagrammatic geologic cross-section.
(from Panaustralien web page)
The upper 100-metre section of the Phu Kham deposit has undergone varying degrees of alteration to form oxide and supergene zones. The oxide gold cap averages 20 metres in thickness and gold is either concentrated in the top 10 metres or distributed through the complete oxidised interval as free gold. The oxide gold cap is almost completely leached of copper.

Assay results demonstrated the continuity of gold mineralisation at the southern end of the deposit and identified a wide extension to the mineralised zone at the northern end of the deposit.

A summary of the results is indicated in figure and tabulated below:


Hole No.
 Down-hole interval (m)
 Width (m)
 Grade (g/t)
 Peak gold intercepts Width, grade

HRC02

26-58

32

0.9

-

HRC03

40-44

4

15.3

2m at 27.7 g/t (from 42-44m)

HRC04

24-60
(end of hole)

36

1.8

10m at 5.2 g/t (from 28-38m)

HRC05A

0-32

32

1.2

8m at 1.9 g/t (from 2-10m)
2m at 1.8 g/t (from 18-20m)
2m at 3.2 g/t (from 24-26m)
2m at 1.9 g/t (from 30m-32m)

HRC06

10-52
56-58

422

0.93

2m at 4.1 g/t (from 26-28m)
2m at 2.1 g/t (from 48-50m)

HRC08

12-14

2

16.0

-

HRC13

0-22

22

1.0

2m at 3.2 g/t (from surface-2m)
2m at 1.6 g/t (from 10-12m)
2m at 2.0 g/t (from 16-18m)

HRC14A

2-14

12

1.1

2m at 2.1 g/t (from 2-4m)
2m at 2.2 g/t (from 12m-14m)

HRC17

0-24
42-60
(end of hole)

2418

1.2

4m at 2.4 g/t (from surface-4m)
4m at 3.0 g/t (from 20-24m)
2m at 3.9 g/t (from 48-50m)
2m at 3.0 g/t (from 58-60m)


For more information on the Phu Bia gold mine please consult the Panaustralian webpages (click here).