Quote from @Newton interview https://ceo.ca/@Newton/introducing-abu-gaharish-with-mr-javier-ordua-aan-aton-resources
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https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/cdn.ceo.ca/1cp6fvd-2017-08-10-AAN-Pic-AbuGaharish.jpg
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Javier Ordua: Well, yes there are some ancient workings in the area, that have been documented. The workings at Abu Gaharish are not continuous, but we can trace them across what you could reasonably describe as a series of structures over two kilometers from north to south. The vein showing on the far hillside in the picture is to the north, and there is further extension to the south. In fact, we also get some good mineralization to the south where the structures occur within serpentinites. There are also some more isolated workings a couple of kilometers further to the south-southwest. They may not be marked on the map, but there are certainly more workings in the general area around Abu Gaharish here. Peter Bell: Great, thanks Javier. When you took this photo, was it your first time at this site?
Javier Ordua: Yes, I've only been there once. In my role as exploration manager, I don't get out into the field as much as some of the other guys. I certainly try to get out as often as I can, but I don't spend as much time out there looking at rocks as I would like. This particular project is towards the far end of the license, so it does take a while to get there.
Peter Bell: Great to see a photo from the one time that you were there. How long did you spend at this area when you were there?
Javier Ordua: We were probably at Abu Gaharish for about three hours that day. I went there with Tim and Ahmed, the two geos in the picture, and it was a full day's outing. That reminds me of an interesting anecdote, Peter.
The men who work as our drivers are local Bedouin. They have grown up in the general area and they understand the desert. The group we work with come from a local oasis on the main Qena-Safaga highway called Km85. They are the local guys in this part of the world.
We were driving out that day to Abu Gaharish, with our driver Abdallah, who is an elder in the local Bedouin tribe. In fact he is the longest serving staff member at Aton Resources, and is a top guy, and a mine of information. As we were driving out to Abu Gaharish, he told us that there were some old workings up a wadi to the north of the track we were on. That was news to us, so we asked him to take us there. We figured we might as well have a look on our way out.
That ended up being a three-hour diversion to this other locality, which we didn't even know about prior to that day. We found a lot of ancient workings and houses in this area, and other evidence of historical mining activity.
Peter Bell: And that photo was taken on that day?
Javier Ordua: Yes. I have some others that I can discuss with you as we release information about this particular target. It is a great example of how we can benefit from the store of knowledge that the local Bedouin have. We have quite a few working with us as drivers, field hands, security, etc, and they make an important contribution to our exploration team. They don't speak English, but they know this country like the back of their hand.
Peter Bell: Thank you, Javier, for introducing us to Abu Gaharish!
Javier Ordua: You're welcome, Peter."