Angkor Resources Corp. has commenced a 20 line-kilometre Induced Polarization geophysical survey over the Gossan Hills target on its Andong Meas mineral exploration license in Ratanakiri Province, Cambodia. The survey, centered south of the Company's Canada Wall porphyry copper target, is designed to detect sulphide mineralization at depth and advance one of Angkor's most compelling mineral targets toward a drill decision.
The survey employs a dipole-dipole IP configuration that measures chargeability, which is the tendency of certain minerals to briefly store and release an electrical charge when stimulated. Sulphide minerals, the primary host of copper, zinc, and related metals, exhibit strong chargeability responses distinguishable from barren country rock. Data from the eight survey lines will be processed into 2-D cross-sectional images of the subsurface, providing the exploration team with a picture of the distribution, depth, and geometry of any sulphide-bearing zones before drilling begins.
Dennis Ouellette, VP Exploration, stated that the survey is centered over the Gossan Hills occurrence south of the Canada Wall porphyry copper target, expressing excitement about the potential results. The survey is expected to take approximately eight to ten days, weather permitting.
The geological significance of Gossan Hills lies in its formation as a skarn, a mineralized zone created when hot, metal-bearing fluids from an intrusion react with surrounding carbonate rocks. The Gossan Hills skarn is several hundreds of metres long and geochemically graduates from iron oxide at the southern end to massive magnetite, then zinc-lead, and finally more copper-rich at the northern end. This systematic geochemical zonation from distal iron oxides toward proximal copper is a classic indicator of a well-developed, potentially economic skarn system.
The metasediments dip approximately 35 degrees eastward toward a deep, strong magnetic anomaly outlined by the 2022 ground magnetic survey. This geometry of surface mineralization dipping toward a subsurface magnetic high is consistent with a sulphide-rich body at depth and provides the primary rationale for the IP survey.
Independent scientific support for the geological interpretation of Gossan Hills comes from a recent paper by ITC researchers from the Department of Earth Resources Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Kyushu University, which concluded that Gossan Hills is a promising target for further exploration, particularly for porphyry-skarn-related or polymetallic sulfide deposits. The research is available at https://www.researchgate.net/publication/385000000_Gossan_Hills_Andong_Meas_Cambodia_A_Potential_Skarn-Type_Mineralization.
The IP survey crew is led by a team from the Institute of Technology of Cambodia, comprising one professor and three students from its geoscience program. A fourth ITC student will participate in the data interpretation phase, with results forming the basis of a fifth-year thesis, contributing to Cambodia's national capacity in applied geophysics. Angkor Gold employees work alongside the ITC crew as surveyors and line cutters, with ten local community members assisting with cable layout and receiver installation.
This collaboration runs parallel to a recently announced partnership between ITC and Angkor's energy subsidiary EnerCam, where students receive hands-on training in seismic interpretation tied directly to the Block VIII oil and gas exploration program. Together, these programs reflect the Company's commitment to building a skilled Cambodian technical workforce as an integral part of its exploration activities. More information about the company's initiatives can be found at https://www.angkorresources.com.
The importance of this exploration effort extends beyond potential mineral discovery to broader economic implications for Cambodia. Successful identification of copper and related metals could position Cambodia as a new mineral-producing nation, creating employment opportunities and developing technical expertise through educational partnerships. The systematic approach to exploration, combining geophysical surveys with geological interpretation and local capacity building, represents a model for responsible resource development in emerging economies.
