Aurum Resources has scored a bundle of thick gold intersections from its latest drilling at the Boundiali gold project in northern Cote d’Ivoire, led by one hole at its BDT2 deposit, which reamed out 40.60m at 1.06 grams per tonne gold (g/t) from 299.4m, including 6m at 2.77g/t gold.
A second hole probed 26m at 1.48g/t gold from 175m, including 4m at 3.82g/t gold, while a third hole delivered 23m at 1.32g/t gold from 376m, including 3m at 5.33g/t gold.
In an indication of the vast range of intercept-types being encountered, Aurum has also jagged a sharp high-grade spike of 2m at 12.82g/t gold from 50m, including 1m at a handsome 25.33g/t gold in one hole, the highest individual 1m interval reported in the 28-hole, 9905.85m dataset.
In contrast, the longest interval delivered a thick run of 44.36m at 0.56g/t gold from 291.64m, including 4.36m at 1.15g/t gold.
The latest work has focused on the BDT2 deposit, where most of the 28 holes were designed to convert its inferred resources to indicated resources and, in some areas, to push the limits of known gold resources at depth and along strike.
The BDT2 target has already evolved into a substantial deposit, with an estimated combined indicated and inferred resource of 26.8 million tonnes at an average grade of 0.8g/t gold, for 640,000 ounces of gold.
Aurum says drilling is continuing to demonstrate encouraging continuity of mineralisation across multiple sections and, while assays and interpretations are still progressing, the company believes the emerging picture at BDT2 supports further resource-definition work across the broader Boundiali system.
Aurum’s program is designed to keep increasing the drill hole density and to sharpen its geological model, as it chases thick zones of gold mineralisation that could translate into a more robust resource base down the track.
The company says the intersections reported in the update will be incorporated into ongoing modelling as it works through the next batch of results.
Aurum Resources managing director Dr Caigen Wang said: “These results demonstrate the scale potential on offer at Boundiali as our drilling targets only the most obvious outcropping anomalies. All deposits remain open, and at the end of this month, we will have 16 diamond drill rigs operating.”
Boundiali sits within one of West Africa’s most richly endowed gold belts and with every drill campaign, Aurum appears to be sharpening its understanding of the project’s growing scale, structural controls and broader discovery potential.
With drilling continuing and more assays expected, investors will almost certainly be watching for how quickly the company can convert its growing stack of intercepts into a clearer resource story.
For now, Aurum’s message is simple. BDT2 keeps delivering thick gold hits, confirming mineralisation extends beyond the current resource boundaries and hinting the company may only be scratching the surface of a much larger gold system.
If the next wave of results keeps the momentum going, the company should have plenty to talk about as it advances Boundiali through the next phase of resource definition drilling.
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By Doug Bright
