Aurum Resources’ drilling of two targets at its Boundiali BM tenement on the south coast of West Africa has returned multiple high-grade gold intercepts, including a top hit of 1 metre at 150.5 grams per tonne (g/t) gold within a 3m intercept going 50.56g/t gold from 124m.
The company’s drilling program comprises 17 diamond holes for 4550m at its Boundiali project in Côte d'Ivoire. It also produced 2m at 63.55g/t gold from 111m, including 1m assaying 110.95g/t gold and 23m at 2.04g/t gold from 118m.
A third hole intercepted 1m at a respectable grade of 9.28g/t gold from 65m and a second hit of 1m at 58.39g/t gold from 71m.
All three intercepts were obtained from Aurum’s BM Target 3 in the company’s 68.5-kilometre-long BM tenement which previously produced the Boundiali project’s top grade intercept of 1.19m assaying 277.54g/t gold.
BM Target 3 sits on the eastern side of the top third of the Boundiali BM tenement. The target is estimated to host a resource of 4.2 million tonnes at a grade of 1.1g/t gold for 150,000 ounces of gold. It was tested with 15 holes for 3611.50m in the current round of drilling.
An additional two holes for a total of 938.50m were put into Aurum’s BM Target 1 – about 11km north of BM Target 3. Target 1 is estimated to host a resource of 7.5 million tonnes at 1.2g/t gold for 300,000 ounces of gold.
One of the holes intercepted 6m assaying 1.19g/t gold from 397m including 1m at 5.28g/t gold, while the other hole bored through 9m going 1.33g/t gold from 386m, including 6m at 1.69g/t gold.
Aurum’s Resources managing director Dr Caigen Wang said: “These results reinforce the exceptional potential of BMT3, which already boasts a project-best intercept of 1.19m at 277.54g/t gold from hole MBDD118, and we remain confident of similar future intercepts. These latest hits will be included in the next Boundiali mineral resource estimate update expected in the first half of this year.”
The latest results complement a string of 13 other compelling, previously reported hits from the BM tenement, which paint a picture of consistent impressive runs and solid gold grades.
Importantly, much of the data from the prospects remains open-ended in depth and strike and is crying out for further drilling.
The impressive sheeted six-vein system at BM Target 3 that contains the current program’s top hit of 1m at 150.5g/t gold shows additional vein potential below the six structures intercepted to date.
That potential is indicated by a thick intercept in one hole about 200m downhole that warrants down-dip follow-up.
Aurum is planning extensive additional diamond drilling this year amounting to a total of about 100,000m at the Boundiali project.
The key combined objectives of the proposal include increasing the size and confidence level of current resources at the BST, BD and BM tenements with 40,000m of drilling and to devote a further 30,000m to advancing known prospects, with the ultimate goal of producing two resource updates this year.
A further 30,000m of exploration and scout drilling will be directed towards new prospects identified through soil sampling and geological mapping from which new resources can be brought online into 2026.
The Boundiali project currently hosts a combined 1.59 million ounces of gold. Aurum hopes to expand this resource and to undertake a pre-feasibility study before the end of the year, to scope out the project’s technical considerations and economics.
The study is likely to be supported by a second resource update that will include results from the more comprehensive drilling at the BD, BM, and BST deposits and other yet-to-be tested gold-in-soil anomalies.
The company is also planning an aggressive 30,000m diamond drilling program this year to expand the current 870,000 ounce mineral resource estimate at its Napié project, about 100km southeast of the Boundiali project, with an updated resource estimate expected before the end of the year.
Aurum remains well-funded with about $23 million in the kitty, giving the company plenty of flexibility to continue its aggressive drilling program, further enhanced by its ownership of the six drill rigs currently onsite.
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By Doug Bright
