"Peter Ashcroft was present when the sample wascollected and he...

"Peter Ashcroft was present when the sample was
collected and he arranged for a 1.5 kg sample to be
crushed and panned on Saturday 22 January 2011
and witnessed the production of 6 grains of gold
from this small sample."

Sample was too small to establish any type of reliable baseline and at the end of the day the geology will dictate the extent of any widespread mineralisation.

but just for the sake of indulging ourselves

jcoulter did some sums last month, something like:

480 grains of gold in 1 troy oz

480/6 = 180

80 x 1.5 = 120kg

So if you use the above sample as a guide, then 1 oz of gold per 120kg of dirt/ore?

lol something is very wrong with that calc, way too high a grade, have I made an error somewhere?

Locals have been panning there for a long time so the gold and gems exist but in what quantity and what grades? Hopefully we'll soon find out.

From the readings I've done, the push by multi-nationals to secure Madagascan resources is really only just beginning so to a large extent it's very much an unknown quanitity.

A few pics I found of the area:

If things go well there for Cluff then I hope in time they and Varun can improve the quality of life for the locals there, a very poor region.


Voimena Mafana, small miner village at Ihosy region. Madagascar 2009


At the Color Mine, Ilakaka, Madagascar 2009


Soabia, small miner village at Ihosy region. Showing sapphires. Madagascar 2009


In a luxury shop in Ilakaka, Madagascar 2009


Gem dealers in Ilakaka, Madagascar, 2009

* Photos courtesy of Gaia Photography