Tietto Minerals reports more high-grade gold intercepts from drilling at Abujar project
Tietto Minerals’ latest assays from infill drilling at the AG Core returned up to 144.34g/t gold.
West African gold explorer and developer Tietto Minerals (ASX: TIE) has reported further shallow high‐grade gold results from infill drilling at the AG Core prospect within its flagship Abujar project in Côte d’Ivoire.
The intercepts from 30 diamond holes for 3,063 metres provide confirmation of the continuity of plunging high‐grade shoots from close‐spaced 25m drilling.
Best intersections were 1.72m at 61.27 grams per tonne gold from 9m, including 0.72m at 144.34g/t; 22m at 1.3g/t gold from 34m including 1m at 11.15g/t; and 2m at 9.2g/t gold from 33m including 1m at 16.63g/t.
They are the latest results in an expanded program aimed at growing mineral resources over a 2.9 kilometre strike between AG Core and AG South targets, which are expected to be mined during the first two years of Abujar gold production.
Good widths and grades
Drilling intersected good widths and grades in assays received to date with the new results increasing the tally to 81 intervals greater than 50 gold gram metres, including 15 intervals greater than 200 gold gram metres at AG Core.
Assays are pending for another 38 diamond holes for 7,095m drilled across both targets.
Tietto is expecting to convert indicated resources at AG Core into the measured category in an updated mineral resource estimate due later this year.
Meanwhile, the company’s exploration team is in the process of moving four of its diamond drill rigs to test exploration targets along the largely-untested main Abujar Shear and commence new resource definition drilling.
Project milestones
Tietto continues to deliver project development milestones at Abujar, including a maiden measured gold resource in April of 7.7 million tonnes grading 1.4g/t for 350,000 ounces.
The company is expecting to deliver an review of the project’s life-of-mine production plan later this year, using the updated resource estimate, increased mill throughput and higher gold prices.
The spot price is currently 35% greater than the US$1,407/oz used in the Abujar definitive feasibility study.
Tietto is advancing construction of the processing plant and associated infrastructure, which remains on schedule.
Abujar is progressing towards first gold pour by year end and is on track to become West Africa’s next producing gold mine.