Mining

Tietto Minerals strikes more gold, seeks new targets at Abujar

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By Robin Bromby - 
Tietto Minerals ASX TIE Abujar Shear AG South gold infill drilling Côte d’Ivoire West Africa

Tietto Minerals continues to return high grade gold during infill drilling at the AG South prospect in West Africa.

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Cote d’Ivoire gold explorer Tietto Minerals (ASX: TIE) continues to intersect high-grade gold at its Abujar project and is now also drilling additional areas looking for new metal to add to its 3.45-million-ounce resource.

Infill drilling at the AG South prospect — part of the main Abujar project — has returned 2m at 14.64 grams per tonne gold from 146m, including 1m at 28.74g/t gold.

Other holes returned gold assays of 3m at 9.8g/t, 7m at 4.09g/t, and 11.5m at 2.31g/t, with these holes also containing higher grade intervals including a best one of 1m at 17.52g/t gold.

AG South will be mined in early production phase

Tietto managing director Caigen Wang said AG South is likely to be included in plans for mining in the first two years of production at Abujar.

The definitive feasibility study demonstrated that Abujar will produce 260,000 ounces of gold in its first year of operation and 1.2Moz in the six years.

Tietto is planning 20,000m of drilling at AG South and this program is expected to finished by the end of May.

“Our drill rigs have also been active on prospects located to the north (GGL) and South (AGM, PGL) of the main AG deposit with the goal of defining new gold resources,” Dr Wang said.

These prospects could figure in a new mineral resource estimate planned for later in 2022.

Six rigs now drilling

Six diamond rigs are now drilling at prospects along strike from AG South, with 100,000m planned for 2022.

Infill drilling at AG South is targeting conversion of indicated resources to measured status, with assays pending from a further 75 diamond drill holes.

The plant construction schedule allows for first gold output in the fourth quarter of this year.

The company says it will announce an update of Abujar’s life of mine estimate — now sitting at 11 years — during the current quarter.

This will include expected higher mill throughput and increased gold prices, which are now more than 35% higher than the US$1,407/oz used in the definitive feasibility study.