Aurum runs development rule over West African gold play

Aurum Resources has launched a scoping study to assess the development potential of its Boundiali gold project in Côte d’Ivoire after locking in metallurgical experts in a push to deliver a resource estimate by the end of the year.

After a recent raft of high-grade hits and strong metallurgical test results from the West African operation, the appointment of MACA Interquip Mintrex (MIM) and ALS Perth also signals the next step in pushing the project quickly towards a prefeasibility study (PFS).

The consultants have been engaged to lead the initial metallurgical studies, which will help the company determine the feasibility of the project's future development. MIM's responsibilities will include designing a program suitable for the scoping study, including various tests such as suitable particle grinding size and leach tests on samples from the oxide and primary zones.

The scope work will also involve regular reviews, managing the progress of the work at ALS, evaluating the results and providing design criteria for the scoping study and subsequent feasibility studies.

Initial gold recovery work has shown promising results. Bottle roll tests on 50 samples from Aurum’s main target BDT1 confirmed that gold mineralisation is free milling, with cyanide leach recoveries regularly exceeding 93 per cent for samples grading 0.25 grams per tonne gold or higher and oxidised samples reporting an average recovery of 97.5 per cent.

Aurum Resources managing director Dr Caigen Wang said: “The outcome of this preliminary met study will form a critical part of the Boundiali Gold Project’s scoping study and PFS. Aurum’s executive team enjoyed past collaboration with Mintrex and ALS Perth on metallurgical studies on Tietto Minerals’ Abujar Gold Project in Côte d’Ivoire from scoping to PFS and DFS and we look forward to this new collaboration on the very exciting Boundiali Gold Project also in Côte d’Ivoire.”

Meanwhile, the company has continued its drilling blitz at Boundiali, with an aim to deliver an initial JORC resource estimate towards the end of the year. Management is in the process of completing 45,000m of diamond drilling at a rate of 10,000m a month using five of its own drill rigs operating around the clock, six days a week.

In May, the company recorded its highest-grade hit from diamond drilling at its BDT1 target of 1m at 163g/t gold within a wider 12.22m intercept grading 14.56g/t from 275m depth – 60m down depth from a 4m slice at 22.35g/t.

BDT2, which is 6km to the north, has also registered impressive numbers including a 72m hit at 2.15g/t gold from 172m. To date, the company has identified a mineralised corridor of 13km by 13km, suggesting the deposit may have substantial room for growth.

Boundiali sits firmly in elephant country within the same greenstone belt as the Resolute Mining-owned Syama and the Perseus Mining-owned Sissingué gold mines to the north. Syama boasts a substantial 11.5 million-ounce gold resource, while Sissingué holds 1.4 million ounces.

To the north-east, the Barrick Gold-owned Tongon deposit contains a 5 million-ounce resource and to the south, Montage Gold's Koné project has 4.5 million ounces.

Aurum says it has $23 million in the bank after successfully raising $20 million in fresh equity from shareholders in June, which included $1.275 million from its obviously confident directors. The company’s results to date from Boundiali, coupled with early encouraging recovery rates and a blistering attack on the deposit to get a resource estimate out before Christmas, is getting investors keyed up for the developments to come in the next few months.

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