Aurum Resources (ASX: AUE) has made an impressive gold discovery of 163 grams per tonne during drilling at the Boundiali gold project in Côte d’Ivoire.
The project’s best result to date was identified in a 355.5-metre step-back diamond hole at Target 1 on the BD tenement as part of an ongoing 30,000m project-wide campaign.
This was part of a shallow and wide intercept that returned 12.22m at 14.56g/t gold from 275m including 1m at 163.42g/t and 50m at 0.7g/t gold from 48m including 17m at 1.38g/t.
The intercept is approximately 60m down-dip from a previously reported hit of 4m at 22.35g/t gold from 226m and is 230m below the surface and open.
Previous assays
The bonanza result will add to previous diamond drilling assays reported from Target 1 such as 73m at 2.15g/t gold from 172m including 4m at 18.63g/t, 36m at 2.53g/t gold from 104m including 16m at 5.03g/t, 59m at 1.42g/t gold from 68m including 13m at 3.92g/t and 90m at 1.16g/t gold from 143m including 51m at 1.04g/t and 35m at 1.47g/t.
The results are predominantly from Target 1 hanging wall lodes and true widths have been estimated at up to 80% of reported downhole lengths.
Target 1 is a 1.3 kilometre by 1km wide gold prospect within a 13km by 3km mineralised corridor.
It is being drill-tested as part of an aggressive campaign at Boundiali, which aims to complete 6,000m per month using four drill rigs.
Trenching program
Aurum is also conducting a trenching program to define additional high-priority targets for drilling outside of the BD tenement’s three defined gold targets.
Earlier this month, the company reported multiple hits at BD Target 2 including 74m at 1g/t from 167m and 33m at 0.84g/t from 192m.
Target 2 is located about 6km to the north of Target 1.
More assay results from Targets 1, 2 and 3 are expected over the coming weeks.
Aurum has an unaudited cash balance of $5m to support its drill program at Boundiali.
The company is targeting an initial mineral resource estimate for the project before the year’s end.
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