Coffey International subsidiary, Coffey Mining, has recently completed a preliminary assessment of the Mamou-Dalaba bauxite project in Guinea, West Africa, on behalf of Canadian-based client Anglo Aluminum Corp. Coffey Mining conducted a first-pass ASTER1 processing to generate plateau outlines and bauxite target ranking followed by site visits to check targets, collect samples, and assess bauxite potential.
Geospatial information specialists from Coffey Mining in Brazil were responsible for the ASTER processing, which generated 150 targets with a combined surface area of approximately 181 square km. The results enabled geologists from Coffey Mining in West Africa to visit 30 of these targets.
Upon conclusion of the field investigations, 14 targets with a combined surface area of 55 square km were identified as having high-prospectivity for bauxite on the basis of field observations and unverified historical drillhole data referenced on the 1:200,000 Dalaba geological map sheet. Based on the high-prospectivity of these plateaus, Coffey Mining is now working with Anglo Aluminum to develop a program to quickly confirm these bauxite targets through drill testing.

Leonardo Dias, geoinformatics manager at Coffey Mining, said that clients with exploration projects are increasingly relying on the remote sensing technology to reduce the time and costs associated to field work covering large areas. “In exploration projects, the main objective is the definition of targets or prospects with economic potential. The process to define these targets requires substantial investments in field campaigns, collection of samples and geological mapping. The use of geospatial technologies such as remote sensing increase the level of precision when defining good targets and reduce the costs related to field activities. The results also enable clients to survey extensive areas in a short period of time.”
Coffey Mining manager in West Africa Rob Tyler said that, despite being an ‘ocean apart’, the ability to tap into Coffey’s global resources such as geospatial specialists in Brazil has been essential for his regional operation.
“As a global consultancy, we have specialist practices across the globe as it wouldn’t make financial sense to replicate every capability across our operations. In West Africa, we have a team of geologists, engineering geologists, surveyors, technicians and support staff with extensive local experience that can rely on assistance from our different regions to deliver the best value to our clients.”