Aurum Resources has smashed out another big gold hit in West Africa, striking a massive 89 metres at 2.42 grams per tonne (g/t) gold from 213m at its Boundiali gold project in Côte d’Ivoire.
The standout hit came from the company’s BDT1 deposit, which together with the BDT3 deposit, makes up part of Aurum’s 1.59-million-ounce gold JORC-compliant resource. The drill bit also picked up sections of 7m at 14.46g/t gold and 6m at 9.01g/t gold in the standout hole.
The new hit is 150m from a previous screamer of 83m at 4.87g/t gold and has pushed the emerging lode out to 280m of strike and 300m below surface, although drill coverage thins out past that point, leaving plenty of exploration upside.
The company also hauled in a new high-grade hit outside the current resource at the nearby BDT3 prospect of 22.71m grading 4.78g/t gold from 177m, including 5.41m at a sizzling 12.66g/t. This hole lies 1.1 kilometres from an earlier 12m at 22.02g/t gold intercept and is shaping up as a serious contender for Aurum’s next resource upgrade.
The fresh hits are part of Aurum’s barnstorming 100,000m diamond drilling assault this year, which aims to supercharge the company’s Boundiali resource with two major upgrades locked in for 2025.
In parallel with the drilling program, a prefeasibility study is already underway for an open pit operation at Boundiali. The company has kicked off the required environmental studies and expects to have a completed report by the end of the year.
Aurum already has eight company-owned rigs spinning hard at site to fast-track exploration and keep its costs under control.
Aurum Resources managing director Dr Caigen Wang said: “Diamond drilling at Boundiali continues to deliver thick high-grade intercepts, hitting 89m at 2.42 g/t gold from 213m. With a combined 2.5 million ounces of gold across Boundiali and Napié, and substantial drilling programs planned for both projects, Aurum is well-positioned for significant resource growth and further value creation in 2025.”
Aurum has materially scaled up its operations in Côte d’Ivoire after this year swallowing up Mako Gold and its gold and manganese projects about 100km east of Boundiali. The new assets include the 868,000-ounce Napié gold project grading 1.2gpt.
The drill rigs have now been primed for a 30,000m drilling blitz at Napié, pending permit renewal. The project already hosts two deposits – Tchaga and Gogbala – which the company says could deliver a big resource upgrade of its own this year.
Through the combination of Boundiali and Napié, Aurum currently holds a 2.5M-ounce gold inventory with drill rigs in overdrive and multiple untested anomalies in the queue.
As at the end of December, Aurum had $23.8M in its coffers, which means it is fully funded to deliver on its aggressive exploration plans.
With consistent thick, high-grade hits and resource growth firmly on the menu, Aurum Resources looks to be drilling its way into the West African gold majors club – one intercept at a time.
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By James Pearson
