Aurum Resources has unveiled spectacular gold intercepts at its Boundiali gold project in northern Côte d'Ivoire with one hit of 1.19m grading an astounding 277.54 grams per tonne (g/t) gold from 31m depth.
The company says the discovery is particularly exciting as it has uncovered a newly identified zone in shallow oxide ground with three parallel structures northwest of existing drilling at target 3 in its BM prospects.
The exploration campaign included 76 diamond drill holes - half at the Boundiali BM prospect and half at the neighbouring Boundiali BD prospect. The drilling rigs covered more than 21,700m and delivered a plethora of high-grade finds.
At the BM site, one hole drilled to 100m depth jagged multiple intersections including 20m grading 1.61g/t from 60m, 5m running 2.76g/t gold from 82m, 5m at 3.12g/t gold from 91m and 6m grading 3.81g/t gold from 98m.
Another hole struck 1m grading a remarkable 73.77g/t gold from 38m, 12m running 2.14g/t gold from 43m, 6m at 4.46g/t from 56m and 15m grading 1.17g/t from 132m.
The more deeply mineralised Boundiali BD prospect was no less spectacular, bringing home several intersections from single holes.
The best BD prospect results came from one hole including 0.96m grading 75.02g/t gold from 269m, 5m running at 6.55g/t from 481m and 21.39m grading 1.07g/t gold from 489m.This intercept included a 4m section running at 3.33g/t gold.
Aurum says the number of hits demonstrate the huge emerging potential at the project, with mineralisation remaining open along both strike and at depth. Notably, many gold-in-soil anomalies remain untested, offering significant potential for resource growth in 2025 and beyond.
The company made good on its efforts to complete a massive 50,000m of drilling at Boundiali in 2024 – with its six self-owned diamond rigs making the process easier and cheaper.
The new year promises to be no less busy, with Aurum already aiming to double its drilling target to 100,000m for the year.
As the results from the BM and BD prospects continue to flood in, the company will be feeding them into a combined inaugural, mineral resource statement covering both prospects, which it expects to hand down in the next two weeks.
Aurum Resources managing director Dr Caigen Wang said: “These latest results include a project best high-grade gold result for Boundiali with hole MBDD118 hitting 1.19 m at 277.54 g/t gold from 31m. These data are now with our resource modelling team who are on track to deliver the inaugural Boundiali mineral resource estimate before year-end. This estimate will incorporate results from the BD, BM and BST prospects.”
While working up Boundiali as a potential multimillion-ounce orebody, Aurum also been busy launching a takeover bid for Mako Gold that is now nearing completion. Aurum currently owns more than 70 per cent of Mako’s share register.
The merged pair is likely to create a formidable presence in Côte D’Ivoire gold exploration, combining Boundiali with Mako’s flagship 886,000-ounce Napié gold project that is nearby.
With $23 million cash in the bank, Aurum appears well-positioned to continue its ambitious drilling programs and capitalise on Boundiali’s emerging potential.
Alongside the soon-to-be-posted resource estimate, early metallurgical testing has also demonstrated more than 95 per cent gold recovery rates, promising to make Boundiali a valuable asset.
It looks as if 2025 may glitter brightly for Aurum, with the promise of a big gold resource at Boundiali, a new gold project at Napié to get its teeth stuck into and a rampant gold price, currently trading at US$2640 (A$4168) per ounce, likely to keep a spotlight firmly on the company’s efforts.
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By James Pearson
