Aurum hits 5m at 11.07g/t gold outside current West African resource

Aurum Resources recent diamond drilling has delivered an intercept of 5m assaying 11.07 grams per tonne (g/t) gold from 200m depth among other promising high-grade gold intercepts from its ongoing 100,000m drilling program at the company’s 2.41 million ounce Boundiali gold project in West Africa. 

The infill and extensional campaign is targeting resource expansion and confidence upgrades at the company’s BDT2 deposit and has confirmed multiple wide, high-grade zones, with key intercepts including a best hit of 18m assaying 3.93 grams per tonne (g/t) gold from 198m, including the 5m going 11.07g/t gold.

A second best hole delivered two separate intercepts, which are 28m at 1.54g/t gold from 82m, including 4m at 7.51g/t gold and another run of 17m at 0.99g/t gold from 55m, including 1m at 9.16g/t gold.

A third hole delivered 9m running 1.38g/t gold from 78m, including 3m at 3.23g/t gold.

The latest results stem from six diamond core holes totalling 1487.4m of infill and step-back diamond core drilling on the BD tenement which Aurum holds an 80% interest in.

The results build on previously reported numbers from drilling at BDT2, including one intercept of 74m at 1g/t gold from 167m, within which 1m assayed an impressive 24.73g/t gold.

A second hole intercepted 2m 22.86g/t gold from 297m, while a third hole bored through 2m assaying 16.67g/t gold from 29.5m. 

Aurum Resources managing director Dr. Caigen Wang said: “We are very pleased to see shallow high-grade intercepts from our infill and extensional drilling at BDT2. These new hits, including 5m @ 11.07 g/t Au from 200m in DSDD0267, are very encouraging and sit outside of the current Mineral Resource for BDT2.” 

Located at the northern end of a 13 kilometre long by 3km wide underexplored mineralised corridor in the company’s southwestern BD licence, the BDT2 target area hosts free-milling gold in a thick north-south trending sandstone unit flanked by volcano-sedimentary rocks. 

True widths for the relatively shallow intercepts are estimated at 65-80% of downhole lengths and gold mineralisation remains open along strike and at depth across all deposits within the BDT2 suite of deposits. 

Mineralisation is associated with fine disseminated pyrite and an alteration-related mineral assemblage including hematite, silica, chlorite, tourmaline, thin quartz veining, albite and carbonate. 

The current BDT2 resource comprises a single indicated resource envelope within a considerably bigger contiguous inferred resource block. Two smaller inferred resource zones are located ~500m north of the main BDT2 deposit area. 

The combined total for all of the resource zones at BDT2 is already a healthy 21.4 million tonnes at an average grade of 0.7g/t gold for about 482,000 ounces of gold. 

Notably, the new hits sit outside the company’s current resource envelope, providing a positive outlook for a resource upgrade to the overall BDT2 resource anticipated as part of an upcoming major update across the company’s projects – possibly by early Q1 CY2026. 

The update will embrace much of the extensive drilling undertaken throughout the year, targeting growth across Aurum’s current combined Boundiali and Napié resource base of 3.28 million ounces. 

Aurum has recently bolstered its drilling capacity by adding two more rigs, expanding its company-owned fleet to 12 machines to better support its accelerated program which exceeds 130,000m for 2025 across its Boundiali project and nearby separate Napié project, about 100km southeast of Boundiali. 

The resource update will inform a pre-feasibility study (PFS) for Boundiali, also due in early Q1 CY2026, which will evaluate proposed open-pit economics and operational feasibility.

Aurum’s next steps will include about 100,000m of diamond drilling at Boundiali, focused on boosting resource size and confidence at its BD, BM, and BST deposits. 

Other work will target new prospects through soil anomalies and geological mapping while also scouting for new targets for next year’s discovery pipeline. 

A 30,000m drilling program will also continue at Napié to expand its 0.87Moz resource, with a mineral resource update also planned for early Q1 CY2026.

The company holds ~$45M in cash (inclusive of Montage shares, unaudited) which it says will fully-fund its currently planned exploration and development.

With mineralisation open, a seemingly irrepressible pipeline of solid gold hits, an expanded rig fleet and plenty of funding, Aurum looks poised for further substantial resource growth and new project milestones in the near future.

Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: matt.birney@businessnews.com.au