Summary
Mandoum exploration licence (984km2) and Birsok (986km2) in northern Cameroon
Strategically located in significant emerging bauxite province
Bauxite occurrences being explored
Location of the Mandoum & Birsok bauxite licences - click the image above for a larger printable version.
Mandoum licence
In April 2009 the Company's 100% owned subsidiary Aucam SARL was granted the Mandoum mineral exploration licence (984km2), by the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Technology. The licence area is located in the Adamawa region of northern Cameroon (see map above), approximately 30km west of the town of Ngaoundéré and 450km north of Yaoundé the capital city and strategically located between the Minim-Martap and Ngaoundal bauxite occurrences.
Birsok licence
In April 2010 the 986km2 Birsok licence was granted to Aluvance's 100% owned subsidiary Aucam SARL, which had held the Mandoum licence since April 2009. The Birsok licence area is located between the Minim-Martap and Ngaoundal bauxite deposits and contiguous with the existing Mandoum licence.
The Adamawa region
The Adamawa region boarders Nigeria to the west and Central African Republic to the east. It constitutes a plateau ranging from 1,000m to 2,000m elevation with savannah type vegetation and relatively cool tropical climate (22 - 25 °C) with a rainy season between April and August. The regional city of Ngaoundéré (population 190,000) has strong communication links, being served by a main rail line to Yaoundé, regional airport and network of tarred and laterite roads. The geology of the region is dominated by upper Proterozoic granite, gneissic and metasedimentary belts of Birimian / Eburnean age with Cenozoic volcanics and migmatites.
Bauxite potential of Cameroon
The geology, elevated topography and tropical climate of the Adamawa plateau make it highly prospective for the formation of large economic bauxite deposits. The Minim-Martap and Ngaoundal deposits are subject to exploration and development by Cameroon Alumina Ltd; a joint venture between Hydromine Inc, Hindalco Industries Ltd and Dubai Aluminium Co. As part of the joint venture a feasibility study will be undertaken for the construction of a hydroelectric dam on the nearby Sanaga river enabling bauxite ores to be processed locally. At Edea in the south west of Cameroon, Societe Camérounaise d'Aluminium (Alucam) a joint venture between Rio Tinto Alcan and the government of Cameroon, operates a 90,000 t/y aluminum smelter currently processing bauxite imported from Guinea.
